Specialists

General information:

A school library provides a place for students to connect to the world through literature and digital resources. Here at St. Charles we have access to a variety of resources for student use. Digital resources include World Book Online, Discovery Education and our Destiny Library Catalog that provide safe Internet access while searching at grade level. Our collection consists of 18,000 titles at all reading levels.

Your student will learn to navigate the library to independently find books they want for enjoyment and research purposes. Students will also learn how to approach research from books and online sources, using learned tools to identify accurate and reliable information from trusted sources. Your student will also get opportunities to explore different fiction genres, graphic novels, nonfiction and biographies. They will learn how different types of books serve different purposes in our lives. Most importantly, your student will get the opportunity to embrace a love of reading, and find what brings them joy as a growing reader here at SCB.

STEAM Projects:

Working collaboratively with Technology, we do a variety of research and hands-on activities throughout the year that support the curriculum standards.

Examples:

• Engineering Noahs’ Ark – Students learn about buoyancy which results in them engineering their own boat to evaluate how much weight it can carry.
• Follow Me Project – Students learn about facts and cultures in a non-English speaking country which results in creating a translation app and photo editing a green screen picture of themselves.
• Mystery of the Rosary – Students learn about the Mysteries of the Rosary and reflect on a virtue which results in creating a 3D model of a rosary cross and making a rosary for them to take home.
• The Next Big Idea – Students learn about inventors of the past and come up with their own inventions. They create a prototype by 3D modeling and build their invention with a combination of 3D print and recycled material. They will present their invention at St. Charles’ Inventor Fair.

Accelerated Reader Program:

1st grade through 5th grade implement the Accelerated Reader program in their classrooms. You can use the www.arbookfind.com website to search books you have at home to see if your books are an AR book, as well as check the reading level on that site as well. The books in the school library have a blue tape on the spine that identify it as an AR book for your child. It will also have a sticker on the inside cover page that gives info on the reading level as well. Reading levels correlate with your child’s grade. For example a 3.5 reading level is equivalent to middle of third grade reading. If you have any questions about AR, please let your teacher or librarian know.

General information:

We offer a quality Music program as part of the general curriculum at St. Charles Borromeo School. Our program utilizes Quaver Music General Music Curriculum – a comprehensive set of resources built on a foundation of standards-based lessons full of interactive elements and lesson plans. Lessons are packed with singing, moving and playing instruments to address the musical concepts, vocabulary and skills outlined by state and national standards at every grade level.

Highlights:

We offer a unique opportunity to instill a lifelong appreciation of the arts, build self-esteem and confidence and help develop well rounded students. Our long and rich tradition of excellence in our musical programs includes:

• Annual School Musical
• St Charles Singers
• 12th Street Singers
• Boys and Girls Choirs
• Annual Variety Show
• Bellarmine Parochial School Band Program

General information:

A quality Physical Education program is offered to students as part of the general curriculum at St. Charles Borromeo School. The Physical Education program utilizes lessons, activities, videos, and assessments from SPARK (Sports, Play, and Active Recreation for Kids) curriculum. This curriculum has evolved from a National Institutes of Health study. SPARK has been proven effective by objective research and field testing with tens of thousands of students and their teachers.

General Information:

St. Charles’s technology program is a robust program that revolves around coding mastery and STEAM project based learning. Students learn coding concepts in primary with block based coding and then transition to line based coding in Jr. High. The tech lab is a maker space in which students can learn and explore engineering and fabrication interests. There are 3D printers for students to print 3D models that they have designed. There is also a laser cutter for students to engrave or cut wood and other types of materials.

For students interested in taking their coding skills further, there is Coding Club right after school for grades 1-8. Coding Club is a fun way for students to code by making games in 2D and 3D virtual reality environments.

Highlights:

Highlighted STEAM projects –

• Engineering Noahs’ Ark – Students learn about buoyancy which results in them engineering their own boat to evaluate how much weight it can carry.
• Follow Me Project – Students learn about facts and cultures in a non-English speaking country which results in creating a translation app and photo editing a green screen picture of themselves.
• Mystery of the Rosary – Students learn about the Mysteries of the Rosary and reflect on a virtue which results in creating a 3D model of a rosary cross and making a rosary for them to take home.
• The Next Big Idea – Students learn about inventors of the past and come up with their own inventions. They create a prototype by 3D modeling and build their invention with a combination of 3D print and recycled material. They will present their invention at St. Charles’ Inventor Fair.
• Make a Computer – Students learn about computer hardware and the relationship between each computer component. They will be taking computers apart and also building a computer with computer components.
• Mars Rover Project – Students research the types of surfaces on Mars. They work on a campaign for NASA to design and create a rover for the surface Mars. They will create their Mars Rover with recycled products accompanied by coding hardware to operate the rover via a remote.

General information:

Located in Feist Hall, the resource room provides a quiet space for testing and small group instruction as well as our classroom for Study skills. Study skills is a middle school elective in which students complete homework, study for tests and learn organizational skills.

Highlights:

Working collaboratively with classroom teachers, the resource teacher provides assistance with:

• Testing across grade levels (Dibels testing, MAP testing)
• Small group support to students grades K-8 across subjects.
• IEP Support with our public school partners
• Oral proctoring of exams and reading support