St. John’s program strives to offer as well rounded an opportunity as possible for art expression.  In art class it is recognized that different students may have more of an interest in one area more than another. Projects in the upper grades tend to be long term more than in the intermediate, and intermediate’s more than in the primary.  Hopefully, those who enjoy a more careful, precise sort of work feel they can fit it to whatever the project might be. Those who are more free-spirited in technique fortunately also seem to find their way. Technique, skills, effort, interest, thought, and creativity make for positive results. In the upper grades we have two "judged" art fairs each year. Occasionally, a piece of work stands out and is framed and added to our wall display somewhere in our hallways. Eighth graders compete to have their yearbook cover effort chosen by their fellow students. Occasionally a few students find a little time to work on our on-going cabinet murals in the Gerres Building.  Art Group students assist with school bulletin boards.

Reading

Throughout grades K - 8, our ELA program at St. John the Beloved strives to establish a solid literacy experience while providing a myriad of opportunities to develop a love of reading and thus encourage successful, lifelong readers and skillful communicators.  In adherence with the Diocesan Curriculum Guidelines and State Standards, we utilize the "Wonders Reading Program" (McGraw-Hill) that integrates reading, vocabulary, phonics, spelling and writing.  The program is sequential and builds on vital skills for Kindergarten through 5th grade.  The grammar series for grades 2 - 8 is "Voyages in English" published by Loyola Press.

Although these programs are web-based, students also have hardcopy reading/writing text manuals, workbooks and supplementary books.  Middle School Students (grades 6 - 8) use various novels for Reading/Literature comprehension strategies and literary terms.

Reading Comprehension Skills are further supported through our implementation of the Renaissance Reading and Star Assessment Programs in grades K - 8. With these programs, students set reading goals and track their comprehension growth via assessment tests that are administered each trimester.  Teachers derive focus skills from the class results of Star Testing and parents receive Student Growth Reports after each assessment period.


Written Expression

SJB places a strong focus on writing in every class across the curriculum.  Step Up to Writing (Sopris-West) offers a sequential writing program designed for Kindergarten through 8th grade students to improve writing proficiency in all learners regardless of ability level, with multi-sensory teaching techniques and student writing activities.  Detailed guidelines are provided for note-taking skills, organization of ideas, topic and support sentence construction, and composition of logical paragraphs.  Students learn the basics of expositive, informative, persuasive and narrative writing as well as how to appreciate poetry.  Older students learn to extract text-based evidence from various sources in order to support and defend claims in research and analytical writing.  Rubrics are provided for all formal writing assignments and finished student writing samples are consistently displayed throughout the school.

The present library houses a collection of more than 19,000 books as well as a large selection of audio-visual materials. An automated library system is supported by Follett Software Company. Eight search stations with the on-line public access catalog are available for students to use. Students come to the library once a week for forty minutes.  Kindergartners come to the library for story time until January when they begin borrowing one book per week. During the first twenty minutes of their library class, grades one through five learn about the parts of a book, how to distinguish non-fiction books from fiction, the order of books on the shelves, the Dewey decimal
system, book awards such as the Newbery and Caldecott medals, research skills and the use of the automated catalog. The last twenty minutes are spent selecting books. They are permitted to take out two books at a time for a period of two weeks with the possibility of renewal for two more weeks if necessary. 
 
Grades six through eight come to the library for research and to borrow books on their own time with the permission of their teacher.  Teachers and students are encouraged to request books that are not already in the collection. In that way, the needs of the school population are better met. Our library is a place of pride and pleasure for everyone.

SJB utilizes the Sadlier Math program in grades K – 6. The curriculum consists of a sequence of developing concepts, basic math facts, problem solving and introduction to algebraic theory. Concurrent with the development of computational and problem solving skills, students practice mental-math strategies. The overall goal of teaching mental skills is to help students prepare for real-world math challenges throughout their lives.

The middle school also follows Sadlier Math. Concepts emerge from basic math skills to learning integers, algebraic math expressions and equations, linear functions and inequalities, polynomials, quadratic functions and geometry. Teacher web pages outline mathematical skills by grade level.

Kindergarten:  Steady beat, sound recognition, voice quality, movement, musical games, echo singing, singing alone and beginning rhythm.
 
First Grade:  Sound recognition, voice quality, echo clapping, rhythm vs. beat, movement,  musical games, echo singing, singing alone, listening activities and solfege: so,  mi, la.

Second Grade:  Sound recognition, high/low, long/short; rhythm: ta, titi, rest, half note; solfege:  so, mi, la, do re, dictation, form, audience behavior, orchestra verses band, sing seasonal songs and movement.
 
Third Grade: Rhythm, melody, dictation, recorder:  B, A, G C, orchestra vs. band, sing  seasonal songs and movement.
 
Fourth Grade:  Continuation of recorders, instrument families:  orchestra, staff reading,  composing simple rhythmic and melodic compositions, focus on musical elements:  form, tone color, phrasing; singing seasonal songs.
 
Fifth Grade: Rhythm: tika tika; singing in harmony of thirds and fourths, difference between Baroque, Classical, Romantic Period; how sound is produced; major, pentatonic,  hexatone scales; focusing on elements of music  and listening; compose short  rhythmic and melodic compositions.

Physical Education is an integral part of St. John the Beloved School’s total education program. As such, it strives to develop qualities which enable students to “play a constructive role in the changing world” through the study of physical, affective, cognitive, and social-emotional development. In an atmosphere that encourages self-confidence, students are able to make decisions, work cooperatively, and engage in new experiences which will enable them to make healthy lifestyle choices. Recognizing God’s gift of life and movement, participation in physical activities contributes to the acquisition of physical, social and psychological skills.

Every year, all students in grades K - 5 are screened for competencies in word decoding, reading fluency and comprehension.  Students who score below benchmark are eligible to participate in the Reading Assist tutoring program.

Reading Assist is a systematic, multi-sensory, phonetic-based approach to teaching reading to struggling readers in grades one through four.  This program offers support for basic phonemic skill development, decoding skills and comprehension.

Reading Assist instruction is sequential.  Progress is made by going from simple to the more complex tasks.  One skill is introduced per lesson.  The next lesson begins with a review of the previous lesson and then another new skill is introduced.

Students meet with a trained mentor two to three times weekly.  The coordinator of Reading Assist guarantees a continuity of instruction for students being tutored 

Because of the step-by-step progression that is used, students gain confidence in their ability to become more successful readers.  The children move forward as they gain proficiency in the skills that are taught.  Students are given time if more practice is needed.

The Scholastic Reading Counts Program enriches the existing Language Arts curriculum in grades two to eight.  This is a user-friendly, motivational, and flexible software program that assesses and improves the students’ reading skills.  Reading Counts exposes students of all ages, grades, and accomplishment levels to exceptional literature.  Students choose a book from a wide selection of children and young adult works, read it thoroughly, and check their knowledge with a computer-generated comprehension quiz.  The reports provided help teachers track, troubleshoot, and assess individual student performance.  This resource builds enthusiasm and self-esteem and encourages
students to read for pleasure.

Our expectation at St.John the Beloved School is that our graduates are not only successful academically, but are also confident young people with integrity, grit and a solid knowledge of their Catholic/Christian faith.  The school mission flows from Franciscan Spirituality as the school was initially staffed by the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia.  This foundation demands faith in God and attitudes consistent with the Franciscan values of:  Hospitality, Right Relationship, Covenant with Earth, Peacemaking, Perfect Joy, Justice, Forgiveness, Simplicity, Conversion, Inclusion and Prayer.

The religion curriculum begins in our Pre-K and continues through 8th grade with a firm commitment to daily communal prayer as we start and end each day with school-wide prayer led by school administrators or student leaders.  The school community participates in monthly school liturgies, Lenten Stations of the Cross, rosaries in October and May, and the Spring May Procession to honor our Blessed Mother.  Students in grades 4 - 8 participate as altar servers and lectors.

Religion textbooks include the "We Believe" series published by Sadlier (through 5th grade) and "Christ Our Life" by Loyola Press for Middle School.  All students are scheduled for daily religion classes and are expected to participate in seasonal service opportunities.

Science educators have the responsibility to develop the natural curiosity of their students for scientific exploration and knowledge. Scientific skills and processes are an integral part of this education. The purpose of the study of science is to empower the individual to make rational, responsible decisions today and in the future. In light of our Catholic belief, the message we wish our students to embrace is that of stewardship of God’s creation.
 
Our Science program in grades kindergarten through grade five offers a sequential program that includes lessons in life, earth, physical and human body sciences that correlate with National Standards.  Each unit provides lessons, hands-on activities and assessments for the student. Students in grades six through eight study earth science, physical science, life science and the study of the human body.

Social studies is a multi-disciplinary subject that includes the study of history,
geography, civics, economics and mapping skills. Living in a democratic
republic, our students must be educated as citizens who have knowledge, skills
and personal attitudes necessary for participatory citizenship. Moreover,
students must have an understanding of other countries and cultures as they
prepare for their future opportunities in our society.

The Social Studies curriculum is covered in this sequence:

Kindergarten: Self and Relationships
Grade 1 Cities, Communities, Goods & Services, Recycling
Grade 2 My Community: Cities, Maps, Budgets, Wants & Needs
Grades 3 – 5 Follow an Online Program: My World Interactive
Grade 3 Early Explorers, Economics, Environment, Citizenship
Grade 4 United States Regions and Delaware History
Grade 5 Building Our Country: Geography and Colonization
Grade 6 Geography and Ancient Cultures – Eastern Hemisphere
Grade 7 U. S. History: Revolutionary & Civil Wars, Reconstruction
Grade 8 U. S. History: Post Reconstruction through 1970’s

The primary goal of the World Language curriculum is to develop the students’ communication skills in listening, speaking, reading and writing within the target language in a developmentally appropriate manner, thus fostering cultural awareness and appreciation for the global community. Throughout the course of the year, students will apply basic vocabulary, idiomatic expressions, grammar techniques, and an appreciation for a variety of Spanish- speaking cultures.  Spanish is taught once per week in grades K – five and twice per week for grades six - eight.

All grades attend computer class once a week. Primary level students are taught mouse control, computer literacy and basic commands. In the Intermediate courses, students develop word processing skills, and learn introductory Power Point, spreadsheet, and desk top publishing skills. Students in Middle School develop, perfect and apply their skills in Internet searches, researching information for different content areas and producing PowerPoint presentations, spreadsheets, and reports. All students are encouraged to use the computers in their classrooms and the lab.