St. Mary’s Catholic School Announces Transition to Classical Curriculum

St. Mary’s Catholic School announces plans to transition to a Catholic Classical Education in the Fall of 2021.

The transition to the Classical model will include:

Faith Integration: Faith will be further integrated into all academic subjects and a Catholic worldview will permeate the school.

Historical Emphasis/Integrated Curriculum: History is presented with Christ as the center and the key for understanding time. Students will become well-versed in the great ideas of Western civilization: democracy, science, art, and literature, all while learning how these ideas unify our culture.

Age-Appropriate Methods: In the earlier grades, children's brains develop in such a way that they can memorize and be taught enormous amounts of information. This is referred to as the "grammar stage" of education. The "logic stage" of education begins in middle school when their ability to reason develops. Students will learn logic and reasoning skills while delving deeper into the information they had mastered in earlier grades. Students will learn how to think critically, debate and reason.

Emphasis on Language: There will be a strong emphasis on reading, writing, phonics, and vocabulary. Students will read the great literature of Western civilization and be exposed to Latin at all grade levels.

Original Sources: Modern education is almost totally based on textbooks. Students will read original sources, not just interpretations through textbooks. For example, rather than reading about the "Declaration of Independence," or the "Constitution," they will read and study the actual documents

Classical Education will be phased in over several years, as teachers introduce the methods and content into their classrooms. In the first year, the focus will be on deeper faith integration, History, and Language Arts.  To learn more about Classical Education please visit  https://classicalacademicpress.com/pages/what-is-classical-education 

The mission of St. Mary's Catholic School. The mission of St. Mary's Catholic School is the commitment to academic excellence and the spiritual development of our students toward a life of prayer, service, and love.

For more information, please call (254) 778-8141 or go to www.stmarys-temple.org.