Timeless Teachings in a Changing World

Students at Saint Joseph Regional School are given a challenging and enriching academic program. Along with our goal of guiding our students to become knowledgeable participants in their faith, all fields of study are up-to-date, performance driven, and standards based.

Language Arts

Language Arts begins with the Rowland Reading Program Superkids Series. “Teaching children to read in primary grades is the most urgent task in education today” (P.T. Rowland, Founder, Reading Rowland Program). This program offers curriculum and materials based on research and the best instructional practices available today. The on-line components of the program allow parents to be active participants in the education of their children. With this program as our Language foundation, students at Saint Joseph Regional School are given the building blocks to continue on and become fluent readers with the comprehension skills necessary to achieve success.Learn more about the Superkids.

 

ELA - Elementary

The grades 3-5 ELA curriculum focuses on three types of skills: Reading Comprehension, Written Expression, and Using Writing and Language Conventions.

  • Students read a wide range of print and non-print texts from various time periods in many genres and apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, and evaluate texts.
  • Students adjust their use of spoken, written and visual language to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences for a variety of purposes.
  • Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions, media techniques, and figurative language across all content areas to create, critique and discuss print and non- print texts.
  • Students use critical thinking to gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources to communicate their findings

 

Overview of Grades 6-8 English Language Arts Curriculum

The Grades 6-8 English Language Arts curriculum is designed so that students have a rich experience reading many different types of modern and classic literature and timely and timeless nonfiction informational text. The diversity of text encountered in grades 6-8 is an essential ingredient for students’ coming to understand themselves and the world and for learning how to learn in the future. It is therefore essential that students read a range of primary texts and literature beyond those in a typical anthology or textbook and that they frequently practice many different types of writing. 

The Grades 6-8 ELA curriculum focuses on three types of skills: Reading Comprehension, Written Expression, and Using Writing and Language Conventions. Students read a wide range of print and non-print texts from various time periods in many genres and apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, and evaluate texts. Students adjust their use of spoken, written and visual language to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences for a variety of purposes.

Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions, media techniques, and figurative language across all content areas to create, critique and discuss print and non- print texts. Students use critical thinking to gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources to communicate their findings.

Mathematics

In Math, our goal is to immerse our students in the language of math. This is achieved by way of our Go Math program. From kindergarten through third grade, students become familiar with numbers and basic operations, and through carefully sculpted lessons, they develop extended reasoning skills. Through hands-on activities and interactive experiences, our students are prepared for the challenging programs available to our older students. This culminates with our Algebra program for students in the upper unit. 

 

Math – Elementary School

As students move through third, fourth, and fifth grade mathematics they are expected to develop multiple strategies and cultivate their problem solving skills. Their number sense should evolve to accommodate these skills. Students should be fluent in ‘fast facts’ by the end of fourth grade to aid in their deeper understanding of decimals and fractions in fifth grade.

Additionally, they should demonstrate the following outcomes:

  • Students will estimate, add, subtract, multiply, and divide fluently with multi-digit whole numbers, fractions, and decimals to the thousandths.
  • Students will develop multiple strategies using inverse operations, properties of operations, and place value to explain and perform the four basic operations.
  • Students will represent real-world situations as mathematical expressions and equations to solve multi-step problems with whole numbers, fractions, and decimals.
  • Students will apply customary and metric systems fluently in real world situations.
  • Students will apply properties and formulas to model and solve real-world problems with 2D and 3D figures, to include applications on the coordinate plane.
  • Students will demonstrate an understanding of place value, patterns, and relationships among whole numbers to the billions and decimals to the thousandths.
  • Students will solve for a variable in one step equations using one of the four basic operations.
  • Students will explain fractions as parts of a whole, locations on a number line, and division of whole numbers.

 

Math – Midde School

Middle School Math begins with 6th grade math. Based on student performance, they move through Pre-Algebra and Algebra I, as an advanced course, demonstrating the following outcomes: Students develop the ability to perform all mathematical operations with real numbers and exponents.

This understanding of the number system includes fractions, decimals, percents as rational numbers along with their properties of operations. This is done with, and without, the use of calculators, computers, and manipulatives.

  • Students grow as mathematical thinkers as they employ the reasoning process in problem solving and justify the steps taken in solving algebraic equations and applying Geometric formulas.
  • Students apply mathematics to real life problems as they analyze, represent and solve multi-step numerical and algebraic expressions, proportions, equations and inequalities.
  • Students interpret functional relationships using tables, graphs and equations.
  • Students analyze and compare multivariate data using statistics and probability.
  • Students measure and model relationships between two-dimensional and three-dimensional figures using formulas and models in real world situations.

Science

In conjunction with the Next Generation Science Standards, our teachers, the Diocese of Camden, and Notre Dame University have created a curriculum which recognizes the importance of the STEM subjects in the 21st century. Through fifth grade, students develop an understanding of physical, life, earth, and space sciences, along with engineering, technology, and the applications of science. In the upper unit (grades 6-7-8), our students have the tools to explain the more complex attributes of each. This is accomplished by performance driven assessments and a fully equipped science lab. Through this process we endeavor to create knowledgeable stewards of God’s gifts.

Religion

At Saint Joseph Regional School students are provided a Catholic education defined by gospel values. Students develop their spirituality by participating in the daily prayer and liturgical life of the school and by understanding and respecting other faiths and traditions. We offer students numerous opportunities to reinforce and strengthen our beliefs through service projects and faith based activities.

The religion curriculum instructs students to:

  • Understand God’s plan of loving goodness
  • Apply the Law of Love in relationships and through service
  • Learn and use a variety of prayer forms
  • Grow in their awareness of the experience of God through the gift of Faith
  • Embrace the Sacraments
  • Understand and embrace the importance of the Mass and the Eucharist
  • Understand the importance of the Blessed Trinity and the Sacred Mysteries
  • Learn the history and the growth of the Church
  • Celebrate liturgical feasts and seasons
  • Understand the gospel message and integrate the gospel teachings into their own lives
  • Make moral decisions
  • Develop an understanding of Judaism and other living faiths
    Integrate knowledge of the Communion of Saints

Social Studies

Primary to Middle School

  • Students learn democratic citizenship and how to participate in the constitutional system of government of the United States.
  • Students acquire historical understanding of political and diplomatic ideas and institutions, societal ideas, economic forces, ideas and institutions and varying cultures throughout the history of New Jersey, the United States, and the world.
  • Students acquire geographical understanding by studying the world in special terms, human systems in geography, the environment and society.

 

Social Studies Overview and Rationale:

The grades K-2 Social Studies Curriculum is designed to give students an introduction to and framework for some of the instincts and experiences they bring to the classroom about cultures, communities, and the ways that people work together, including the common rules that they share and follow.

The grades 3-5 Social Studies Curriculum provides students with:
1) Continued development of historical thinking and knowledge of some of the foundational events in the history of our country and state, 2) a more sophisticated understanding of how history, geography, economics, and civics mutually influence each other, and 3) the majority of their foundational understanding of civics: how government works in the US and the role that citizens play in it.

The grades 6-8 Social Studies Curriculum is intended to introduce students to the ways that individuals form into civilizations and societies to meet their needs; the patterns of individual and social behavior in those societies; the political, economic, and social inequities and conflicts that arise between groups; and the impacts of the way we address those conflicts.

Each grade level is layered with:

  • Integration of Reading, Writing, and Social Studies Instruction
  • Use of Primary Sources, Textbooks, and Supplemental Sources
  • Integration of and Attention to Current Events

 

Pre-K (Ages 3-4):

The goal of our prekindergarten program at Saint Joseph Regional School is to provide a safe, healthy environment where each child can develop spiritually, socially, emotionally, physically and intellectually. Children are provided with varying opportunities to explore and learn through play and developmentally appropriate activities. The three-year-old curriculum is thematic based with several themes relating to each month. Language development and math readiness as well as other subject areas are covered through the learning activities of each theme. Our day includes purposeful play, individual and group activities, as well as gross and fine motor skill development. Our school is rooted in Catholic faith, which is shared with the children through daily prayer, religion lessons (Stories of God’s Love) and experiences. Our goal is that our Catholic faith will be evidenced in our interactions with others.

The four-year-old curriculum encompasses the same ideals as the three-year-old program. In addition to the above we use the Learning Without Tears curriculum (Get Set For School) which is in correlation to NAEYC Standards & The Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework. The lessons encompass a multisensory approach with hands-on learning.

Physical Education Program

Here at SJRS, our physical education program provides cognitive content and instruction designed to develop motor skills, knowledge, and behaviors for physical activity and physical fitness. Physical education offers students the opportunity to not only be physically active, but it helps students build confidence, learn different movement skills, work as a team, create new friendships, and improve their overall fitness. Each class will be participating in a wide variety of activities, including individual and team sports as well as classroom building activities and games.