Academics at St. James Catholic School
"Dear Principal Loiselle,
I must take this opportunity to congratulate you and your school, the faculty and staff, and most especially your students on the fine perfomance of you team at the Eighth Annual Bishop Machebeuf Academic Rally...They performed exceptionally well on all academic challenges... The members of our National Honor Society could not say enough about their enthusiasm and their behavior...The students from St. James demonstrated a level of maturity that would do credit to much older students. All of this is reflective of the lessons, academic and moral, that you and your faculty have impressed upon them. Learning happens at you school." --Don Doyle, Adviser, Bishop Machebeuf National Honor Society
St. James Catholic School is committed to providing academic excellence for its students, from preschool age through 8th grade. Our academic success is evident:
- Consistently high ITBS test scores
- Each 8th grade student has been accepted into his or her first choice school
- St. James students go on to represent the school in National Honor Society, National Merit Scholars, and a variety of other organizations recognizing academic achievement.
The faculty at St. James are all certified, committed, and caring individuals with over 100 years of cumulative experience!
At St. James, we educate the whole student: mind, heart, and soul. To that end, students are exposed to the highest academic standards in the basics: reading, writing, math, science, and social studies. At the same time, students have daily exposure to an enriched curriculum from full-time, certified faculty members teaching art, technology, music, Spanish and physical education.
Our Programs:
3 year old Preschool
Our part-time/full-time preschool is available for children who have reached their third birthday by September 15th of the year of their enrollment and who are toilet trained. Preschool offers 3 year old children surroundings that encourage discovery in the utilization of social skills. Special attention is also given to readiness skills through a variety of "hands-on" activities.
4 year old Junior Kindergarten
Our half/full day Junior Kindergarten program is available for children who have reached their fourth birthday by September 15th of the year of their enrollment. Junior Kindergarten offers activities which help students develop fine and gross motor abilities, imagination and creativity, listening and communication skills, and love of God, themselves, their families, teachers, and classmates.
Kindergarten
Our Kindergarten program is available for children who have reached their fifth birthday by September 15th of the year of their enrollment. We offer a full or half-day Kindergarten experience, depending on the desires of the parents and the readiness of the student. In addition to the continuing development of socialization and communication skills, our kindergarten curriculum includes readiness programs in math and reading. We also provide exploratory experiences in religion, science, and social studies. Students also participate in scheduled art, music, physical education, and technolgy classes.
Elementary Grades 1-5
Students in grades one through five spend most of their time with one teacher in a self-contained classroom setting with instruction in seven academic subjects: religion, reading, English, spelling, math, science, and social studies. In addition, they receive instruction from our "specials" teachers in art, technology, music, physical education, and Spanish. Our third, fourth, and fifth grades also receive instruction in health. Our primary emphasis at this level is on developing strong basic skills in reading and math, on acquiring a fundamental knowledge of Catholic doctrine, and on increasing personal responsibility and integrity.
Middle School Grades 6, 7, 8
Our middle school students continue their formal instruction in the academic areas of religion, literature, English, spelling,
math, science, social studies, and Spanish. Middle school students have a homeroom teacher whose classroom provides a home base for the students in his/her charge; however, the students will have several teachers for these academic subjects. Sixth, seventh, and eighth graders are also required to take classes in art, technology, music, health, and physical education. However, these classes are offered as electives, with students choosing from a variety of course offerings each trimester.
