Primary Grades (Kindergarten to Second Grade)

Students in Kindergarten through  second grade study within self-contained classrooms.  Each Kindergarten and first grade class is served by one homeroom teacher and one full-time paraprofessional assistant.  Each second grade class is served by one homeroom teacher and a paraprofessional assistant, on a part-time basis.  Our Kindergarten and first grade teachers are Orton-Gillingham trained; they combine our phonics-centered reading program with the Orton-Gillingham multisensory phonics instruction approach.  Progress in Mathematics serves as the series upon which teachers build their Math lessons.  Foundational mathematical concepts are taught  with the use of manipulatives and reinforced with paper-and-pencil practices. 

Kindergarten
St. Catherine’s offers an academically rigorous Kindergarten curriculum.  Students study thematic units based on the Reading series, Imagine It!, formerly known as the Open Court series, with a strong phonics basis coupled with high quality, cross-curricular stories.  Our Kindergarten teachers are Orton-Gillingham triained and incoproate Orton-Gillingham strategies into the daily Lanuguage lessons.  Spelling (Spelling tests begin during the third trimester), Writing (daily journal writing), Math, Science, and Social Studies are studied in an integrated fashion with the Reading units.   

First and Second Grade
Students in first and second grade continue to progress in phonemic development and reading comprehension through the Imagine It! program.  Beginning in first grade, they receive Reading enrichment opportunities through the Accelerated Reader program.  At various times during the school year, students are also assessed by the "Star Reading" program.  Our First and Second Grade teachers are also Orton-Gillingham trained and continue to apply Orton-Gillingham strategies in the Language lessons.  Units in Social Studies and Science are taught independently as well as integrated in cross-curricular fashions when appropriate.