Curriculum Overview

Outlined below you will see the general course offerings for each grade level. More details about academic expectations can be found in the Family Handbook.

Each grade will take social studies, language arts, mathematics, religion, science, and world language as a part of their everyday curriculum. Students also take special classes including art,  health, library, seminar, music, and physical education. These classes meet once a week and enrich our curriculum as a whole.

  • Social Studies is so important in providing perspective. By delving into geography, sociology, and history, our students get a better understanding of where and how we fit into this world.

    CURRICULUM

    6th Grade - Ancient Civilizations (Egyptian, Indian, Chinese, Greek, Roman, and more)

    7th & 8th Grade - US History (Native cultures, American Revolution, Constitution, Expansion, Civil War, Industrial Revolution, WW I and WW II)

    USE OF TECHNOLOGY

    Google Classroom and other apps to facilitate organization and access information, and tools like Kahoot! to keep things fun

    CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS

    Students are expected to come to class prepared with all materials and ready to engage productively. Everyone must be kind and respectful towards peers and instructors. It is essential that students actively participate in class by completing all homework, staying focused during classwork, being an active listener, asking and answering questions, and contributing to class discussions.

    PROJECTS AND THINGS WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS YEAR

    Timelines and posters to organize creatively and bring historic information to light

    Reenactment and skits to engage imagination and visualization

  • Our teaching philosophy is always empowering students to communicate in an effective, respectful and purposeful way.

    CURRICULUM

    In Language Arts, a wide range of topics are covered. Students in all grades read three novel studies throughout the year, including To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, and The Watsons Go to Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis. In addition, students will develop their reading comprehension and writing skills.

    USE OF TECHNOLOGY

    Within the Language Arts classroom, students use their Chromebook to aid in their writing. Students also learn to find effective and unbiased resources online.

    CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS

    In the Language Arts classroom, students are expected to come to class prepared with all assignments completed and ready to participate in discussion. Students also will need their notebook and planner to stay organized and responsible.

    PROJECTS AND THINGS WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS YEAR

    This year in Language Arts, We are looking forward to the research projects and writing portfolios our students will create.

  • In middle school, students learn how to apply prior knowledge to analyze information, discover patterns, make connections, think critically, and reason abstractly. In each grade, we will build on the previous year to solve the problems, justify our answers, envision solutions, and learn how to persevere.

    CURRICULUM

    6th Grade - number sense, integers, rational numbers, geometry, statistics, algebraic expressions, equations, and inequalities

    7th Grade - algebraic expressions, equations & inequalities, geometry, probability, and early Algebra I topics

    8th Grade - Algebra I topics

    COURSE DESCRIPTION

    STMS math courses balance rigor and challenge with a supportive, scaffolded curriculum. Classroom experiences flow from teacher- directed instruction to student-led practice. Formative assessment occurs daily through whiteboarding practices. Students are assessed on demonstrated skills to document and honor student growth. At the heart of our work is our call to community. In addition to the teacher supporting the needs of the students, all students support each other.

  • Our students receive a well-rounded education that addresses the whole person. We teach in the Catholic tradition, emphasizing Faith and Reason, with the goal of fostering good citizens empowered by the social teaching of the Church.

    CURRICULUM

    6th Grade - Old Testament

    7th Grade - New Testament

    8th Grade - The Church

    A great emphasis on prayer and experiential knowledge of the Catholic Tradition.

     USE OF TECHNOLOGY

    Videos, PowerPoint slides, and a variety of music for prayers

    CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS

    We expect students to respect each other, the teacher, and the rules of the classroom.

    PROJECTS AND THINGS WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS YEAR

    6th Grade - Building replica of the Temple

    7th Grade - Research on the death and resurrection of Jesus and on His life choices

    8th Grade - Religion and Science and Catholic Faith

  • Our teaching philosophy is to provide student-centered lessons that focus on exploration and problem solving. We strive to create a classroom environment where the students learn effectively, using engaging engineering tasks and mastery-based learning. We incorporate technology whenever appropriate.

    CURRICULUM

    6th Grade - Plate Tectonics, Weather, Earth in Space

    7th Grade - Cells, Human Body, Ecosystems

    8th Grade - Chemistry, Physics, Energy

    Health is a part of our science curriculum focusing on students learning to make healthy choices and advocate for themselves from a health perspective.

    USE OF TECHNOLOGY

    Chromebooks are used to complete assignments, Nearpod for interactive lessons, and apps such as Kahoot! for review.

    CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS

    Be Respectful
    Be Responsible
    Be Prepared
    Be Safe
    Be Cooperative
    Be Productive
    Be a Christian Role Model

    PROJECTS AND THINGS WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS YEAR

    Concussion study and STEM challenge, in which 7th graders build helmets

    Designing earthquake-safe buildings

    Rockets

  • Get ready to explore the rich and diverse culture of the Spanish-speaking World! Together, we will dive into traditions, customs, and history, while developing speaking, listening, reading and writing skills in Spanish.

    CURRICULUM

    6th Grade - Students grasp the fundamentals of grammar by understanding articles, nouns and adjectives. They learn to conjugate the verbs ser and estar (to be) and build simple, meaningful sentences.

    7th Grade - Students master sentence construction using regular verbs to express likes, needs, and everyday events in the present tense. Then, they explore the most common irregular verbs and use them to talk about their passions and hobbies.

    8th Grade - Students use the present progressive tense to describe ongoing or incomplete actions. They converse about daily routines and learn to express past events using the past tense.

    USE OF TECHNOLOGY

    We use Smart Boards, Chromebooks and interactive activities to create an immersive learning experience. Students engage with digital resources that make practicing Spanish dynamic and fun!

    CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS

    Active participation in class discussions and activities

    Respect and support for each other

    PROJECTS AND THINGS WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS YEAR

    Fall: Exploration of Día de los Muertos and how Mexico celebrates the lives of loved ones after they’re gone

    Christmas: Paper Lantern Project to commemorate the Immaculate Conception and learning about Colombia’s Día de las Velitas (Day of the Little Candles)

    Tourist Flyer Project: Research and design of a flyer highlighting historical and natural landmarks in Spanish-speaking countries

  • Our philosophy is to challenge students to learn a different language in a fun and respectful way.

    Learning about different cultures is fascinating!

    CURRICULUM

    6th, 7th, and 8th Grade French

    We cover vocabulary on a variety of topics such as greetings, food, travel, classroom, family, leisure activities, and telling time. We also cover verb conjugations, adjectives & agreement, nouns, prepositions, and adverbs.

    USE OF TECHNOLOGY

    We have online access to our texts, audio exercises in class, and we also use Quizlet as support.

    CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS

    Our classroom expectations are to keep an open mind to new cultures and differing opinions. We want a supportive and fun environment. When we’re learning a new language, mistakes are bound to happen, so it’s important there is no fear of being laughed at. Respect is the key to success.

    PROJECTS AND THINGS WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS YEAR

    Family tree projects and alphabet book Skits on various topics

    Researching Saints and Cathedrals of France Listening to French music

    Learning about the Francophone world

Click here to learn more about our Middle School Library program and visit the classroom website!

High School Preparation

Our students are well prepared for high school with many of them taking Honors and sophomore level classes during their freshman year.

Please see the Northwest Catholic section of our website to stay up to date on all deadlines regarding your child’s application to Northwest Catholic for the coming school year!

Extra Curricular and Leadership Opportunities

  • Club sessions are offered throughout the school year on both campuses. Watch for session sign-ups to be announced in the weekly email. Clubs in the past have included: Cooking, Coding, Art, Drawing, Sports, Games, Chess, Legos, Karate, Cheer, Book Club, and many more. Parents are billed an additional fee for clubs; they are usually run by members of the school faculty. Visit our clubs and activities page for more information.

  • Athletics are important to our mission of educating the whole child. Our students learn many life lessons by being a member of a team. All students are encouraged to participate. Cross country, soccer, basketball, and baseball and softball are offered at various times throughout the year. Visit our athletics page for more information.

  • The student ambassador program is an exciting opportunity to involve our students in actively recruiting and promoting our school. Students meet once a week during advisory and are responsible for weekly tours, enrollment events, and open houses. Students can apply through the Admissions Office.

  • The student council program is an elected group of students who run events on campus, organize campus-wide service projects, and meet with the Head of School to address student needs and concerns. Students meet once a week during advisory. Students can apply through the Head of School’s Office at the beginning of the year.

  • St. Thomas & St. Timothy School is proud to offer an expansive music program to our students. In addition to general music instruction once a week for all students, instruction in the following disciplines is available for an additional fee. In addition, band, piano Suzuki violin, and honors choir are all offered. Visit our music page for more information.