Programs at St. Thomas More School

Academics at St. Thomas More School

• We care about the success of all students, and we use information technology and instructional support resources to insure that all students achieve our performance standards.
• We provide a strong foundation for basic skills development and, at the same time, provide creative problem solving activities that enrich students’ learning and develop conceptual understanding.
• We continuously analyze student performance to evaluate and improve our curriculum, our teaching, and our learning activities.
• Our parents and the St. Thomas More community work with the school in a partnership to reinforce our educational efforts.

Art at St. Thomas More School

The art program encompasses a wide variety of media which encourages self-expression through two- and three-dimensional experiences. Projects frequently integrate current classroom studies. Artists and painting styles are included in the program for enjoyment and appreciation. Every student in kindergarten through eighth grade is scheduled for one art period per week taught by an art specialist.

Physical Education at St. Thomas More School

Kindergarten through fourth grade students are scheduled for one physical education class per week, and fifth through eighth grade students have physical education class twice each week.  The role of our physical education program is to help all students develop health-related fitness, physical competence, cognitive understanding, and positive attitudes about physical activities.  Our physical education program fulfills this role by including:

• Skill development
• Developmentally appropriate physical activities
• Improved fitness
• Integration with other subject areas
• Self discipline, improved self-esteem
• Stress reduction
• Experience with goal setting, leadership, cooperation
• Responsibility for behavior

Health Education at St. Thomas More School

Health education is presented in grades five through eight during the second and third quarters of the school year.  Topics include:

• Fifth grade – Focus on YOU, systems of the body with a focus on the skeletal and muscular systems
• Sixth grade – Smoking and spit tobacco (prevention, education, cost, consequences, and advertising)
• Seventh grade – Drug education – drugs as medicine, OTC – legal and illegal drugs, alcohol, and steroids
• Eighth grade – Stress and anger – identity and coping strategies, basic information on STDs and HIV/AIDS

Music at St. Thomas More School

The music program provides varied opportunities for students in grades kindergarten through eight to understand and appreciate music from many periods in history, as well as liturgical music. Weekly classes, taught by a music specialist, incorporate singing, rhythm activities, movement, and theory with special emphasis on listening skills. Music and other related arts are presented in light of their relationship to social studies, language arts, religion, and other areas of the curriculum.

Plays at St. Thomas More School

Each year, St. Thomas More School presents two musical plays – the annual Christmas play, which is performed by all students in the fifth and sixth grades, and the Arts Festival play in May, which is performed by many seventh and eighth grade students. All students who audition participate in the production.  Rehearsals are held after school. Depending on the play presented, students are featured in speaking, singing, and dancing roles.

Technology at St. Thomas More School

The computer science program prepares students to function within our technological society. Every student in grades kindergarten through eight participates in a weekly computer class taught by a computer specialist. In addition to computers in the main computer lab, computer learning stations are available in most classrooms. A second computer lab is available in the Primary Learning Center for kindergarten, first, and second grade students. Also, a mobile laptop cart containing 26 laptops can be transported to classrooms throughout the main building. All computers have access to the Internet. Its use is controlled and monitored by teachers and restrictive software. Teachers reserve the right to restrict Internet access to students due to improper use. A copy of the school’s Internet policy is sent home for each child, and both students and parents agree to compliance with signatures.

Library at St. Thomas More School

The libraries in the main school building and the Primary Learning Center are open during school hours.  Students are taught to utilize library skills during a weekly library period.  The library collection includes over 12,000 books, as well as a variety of audio-visual materials.  Audio-visual material use is coordinated through the library.  The Internet is accessible in the library and is available for student use with proper supervision.  The library is staffed by a certified librarian who is assisted by volunteers.

Spanish at St. Thomas More School

Seventh and eighth grade students are scheduled for three periods of Spanish per week.  Students study the language and culture of Spain and Mexico. They learn fundamental vocabulary, grammar, and conversational phrases as they gain an appreciation for the Spanish culture through art, dance, song, and cuisine.