Students in grades 4 through 8 receive Spanish instruction twice a week.
Second grade students enjoy a bike activity after reading Three Little Bikers by Tony Johnston.
Students enjoy art class every week.
A seventh grade social studies field trip to a Renaissance Faire in Pennsylvania.
Each grade has physical education class twice a week. Our spacious campus allows for a variety of outdoor activities in the fall and spring.
Our computer lab has 34 student computers. Each class has instruction in the computer lab at least once a week.
Instruction
As of 2010, St. Stephen School was granted an accreditation by AdvancED World Wide. St. Stephen successfully defines and meets its responsibilities to its students, the public, and the profession of education. St. Stephen School’s instructional program is developed in concert with the Archdiocesan curriculum guidelines and the regulations of the Maryland State Department of Education for non-public schools.
Religion is the focal point of our instructional program. It permeates all that is taught and is an integral part of the entire school program and day.
Other areas of instruction include English, Reading/Literature, Spelling, Penmanship, Art, Music, Health/Physical Education, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Library/Computer, and Spanish. While lessons are planned with the entire class in mind, the staff, aware that each child is a unique creation of God, strives to meet the special needs, interests, and abilities of each student. Lessons include whole group instruction with opportunities for re-teaching and enrichment. In the delivery of the instructional programs to students, the school utilizes a more self-contained classroom organization for grades Pre-K through 5. Students remain with their homeroom teachers for instruction in most subject areas. In grades 6-8, a more departmentalized approach is employed. Students move from class to class for the subjects to be taught.
Curriculum & Methods
Pre-K and Kindergarten
Pre-k children are nurtured as well as challenged, in a classroom full of color, creativity, and learning tools ideal for the growing and curious child. Dramatic play, story cards, and songs are just some of the experiences which promote the foundations for increased listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills that will be further challenged as well as promoted in kindergarten and the primary grades. The learning and understanding of God, which begins in the family, continues in the pre-k program. Through lessons about the life of Jesus, the children learn that they are God’s "special creation". Field trips and special events further learning and promote a well-rounded, happy child.
In kindergarten, the skills introduced in pre-k are strengthened through math, phonics, and reading readiness lessons. The experienced and caring teachers help promote learning through group lessons and individualized instruction. Concrete activities throughout the classroom encourage observation, questioning, and experimentation. A variety of hands-on activities promote and enhance the curriculum. Spiritual development continues to grow in kindergarten with special emphasis on being a friend of Jesus and a member of the Church.
Primary 1-3
Primary grade students are challenged to learn through creative activities that accommodate multiple learning styles.
Respect for all people and God’s creation permeates the lessons taught. The Religion curriculum centers on moral values and traditions of the Catholic faith. Second grade students prepare for and celebrate the sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist through shared instruction in school and at home with their families.
Hands-on science activities encourage children to question and discover. A variety of media enlivens an understanding of science and the world.
The social studies program includes a multicultural focus on communities and people, both locally and worldwide. This focus enhances the children’s awareness of their importance as active community helpers. Mathematical skills in the primary grades stress a working knowledge of basic facts and an understanding of problem solving strategies. Manipulatives help students move from the concrete to the abstract. An additional daily fifteen-minute drill strengthens computation skills.
Components of the language arts curriculum include reading, phonics, English, spelling, penmanship, writing, and public speaking. Reading includes the use of a basal reader with a strong emphasis on phonics. Writing, grammar, spelling, and reference skills are developed across the curriculum. Cursive writing begins in the second grade. The language arts program also encourages creative writing and reading for enjoyment.
In addition to academic subjects, the primary children participate in library, art, computer, physical education classes and music appreciation. The school provides the children with a well-rounded selection of subject areas.
Intermediate 4-5
Fourth and fifth grade students follow a carefully planned curriculum at St. Stephen. In preparation for middle school, responsibility and self-direction are stressed. Natural curiosity is cultivated by guided inquiry and discovery across discipline areas.
Questions about growing social concerns are guided through Scripture and Church teachings. Students are then challenged to apply their understanding to personal decision making, to classroom issues, and to planning prayer services in school, parish, local and global communities.
Intermediate students build and refine mathematical knowledge of computation, problem solving, and critical thinking skills. Schedules allow for small group instruction designed to meet the needs of each student through various teaching methods. Am additional daily fifteen-minute drill strengthens computation skills.
The social studies program enables the student to extend and apply previous knowledge. Maps, charts, and globes, as well as primary and secondary resources, enable students to understand the delicate relationship between the land and its people. The historical study of North America begins with the pre-Columbian age and continues through its colonization, independence, government, expansion and relationship to current times.
Process skills, as well as content, are stressed in the science curriculum. Experimentation, cooperative learning, journal writing, field trips, and a hands-on approach are methods used to stimulate students’ knowledge of life, physical, and earth sciences.
Critical and creative reading and thinking skills are taught through the context of literary works, basal readers, and phonics based spellers designed with content connections. English, as a separate discipline, fine-tunes grammar, mechanics, composition, and creative writing. English and reading are applied across the curriculum. Reference skills introduced in primary grades are further developed to assist independent research.
In addition to academic subjects, the intermediate students participate in library, Spanish, art, computer, and physical education classes.
Middle School 6-8
In the middle school religion program, students study the Old and New Testament. They also explore personal and communal prayer, Church history, and social justice issues to identify their place in the Catholic community. Students participate in cooperative group activities, artistic interpretations, service projects, and liturgical celebrations. Parish preparation for the sacrament of Confirmation begins in seventh grade and culminates with the celebration of the sacrament in the spring of the eighth grade year.
The humanities at this level consist of an inclusive program ranging from ancient civilizations through current social justice issues. The course of study includes World History in sixth grade and U.S. History in seventh and eighth grades. Current events help students make connections between the present and the past. Creative expression is cultivated through poetic, artistic, and dramatic responses. Students can conduct independent research utilizing the resources of the library media center and the Internet. Information is processed through formal writing assignments. The utilization of literary works compliments the content of the social studies program. The literature program includes the study of various genres and themes. Vocabulary, including the study of word origins and structural analysis, is an important component of instruction at this level.
The math curriculum offers small group instruction. Students study general math, pre-algebra, algebra, and geometry. Problem solving strategies are developed in each area. Calculators, drill and practice, math software, and manipulatives provide models for all styles of learning.
Earth, life, and physical sciences are studied. Software, labs, and models provide visual and tactile experiences. The science program encourages students to use the scientific method to explore and research areas of interest.
The middle school curriculum also includes library, art, Spanish, computer, and physical education.
Students interact with the parish community in social activities, service, outreach, and extracurricular activities to enhance their total development.