With the study of basic Principles and Elements of Art the child will increases his/her sensitivity to the beauty of his world. His visual repertoire is expanded. By studying famous works of art, a child will appreciate the unique gifts of each artist and see the variety of ways color, line, shape, texture and form can be used. He will be more aware of the many cultures represented around the world and their influence on art. He can gain new insights into the history of man through his art.

Art helps give a child a sense of pride and accomplishment. When he learns about a new medium, of new way to use a medium or new way to use a medium that he’s already familiar with, he is filled with excitement. Upon the completion of a project he enthusiastically awaits sharing it with someone else. He loves to tell about what he’s done. Even a simple drawing can become a special gift to a friend or a parent.

The first grade art curriculum helps the students increase their awareness of the elements of design around them and develop their own self expression in their art work

• By the end of the year the students will be able to develop an understanding of the elements of design; that is line, form, color, texture, pattern, and space
• By the end of the year the students will be able to develop greater skills of observation of the things around them
• By the end of the year the students will be able to create a better appreciation for the different mediums in Art
• By the end of the year the students will be able to respond verbally to their artwork and that of the masters.

The OLPH Math Curriculum is centered around 7 core standards. Students will:

1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
4. Model with mathematics.
5. Use appropriate tools strategically.
6. Attend to precision.
7. Look for and make use of structure and patterns.

The OLPH Primary School Math Curriculum focuses on:

• Mastering number recognition through the thousands place
• Acquiring proficiency in addition, subtraction, and multiplication
• Learning concepts such as time, money, and measurement (US System)
• Analyzing graphs
• Learning two and three-dimensional shapes
• Connecting and modeling mathematical concepts in real-life situations

Mission: OLPH music department gives all students the opportunity to participate, experience, and celebrate music as a part of a growing Christian faith while acquiring a foundation of music knowledge.

Music helps to build skills for life:
Discipline and Focus
Psychomotor Skills
Left brain/Right brain
Teamwork, community, respect
Communicating feelings symbolically

Highlights
Prayer Services allowing for student participation

• Students will learn and demonstrate the difference between beat and rhythm
• Students will learn how to read and write different rhythms (ta, ti-ti, and rest), and solfege (sol and mi), and apply them to several instruments
• Students will discover a new composer every month
• Students will learn and perform music for their Medal Ceremony and Grandparents’ Day, as well as for the all-school liturgies throughout the year

Our physical education mission is to provide an opportunity for all students to experience a wide variety of activities that contribute to a healthy lifestyle. We strive to develop the total child, both mind and body. Emphasis is on active participation, skill development, and the improvement of individual fitness while developing good sportsmanship, responsibility, respect, and self worth in a Christian environment.

• Demonstrate responsibility for safe movement practices, body control and balance
• Continue to develop basic locomotor and non-locomotor movement
• Continue to develop manipulative skills and motor skills
• Participate in health related fitness activities
• Identify activities that will change your heart rate

The Primary Reading program is new. We are using Macmillan/McGraw Hill Treasures series. This series reflects current best practices in reading instruction and is aligned with the Common Core Standards for Reading. Our goal with this series is to increase reading outcomes/learning skills.

Main areas covered in all grades:

• Informational Text- This builds foundation of knowledge.
• Text Complexity- Students can be leveled into Approaching, On Level, and Beyond. Reading is guided as needed and the scaffolding approach is used.
• Text Evidence- Students learn to use terms and stategies such as genre, main idea, details, problem solving, predictions, and more.
• Collaborative conversations- Students interact in many different listening and speaking groups.
• Phonemic awareness- Students receive a phonics foundation which allows for decoding skills.
• Fluency- Phrasing, intonation, expression, and pronunciation are reinforced.

Skills are defined, modeled, and practiced through the various resources available. Leveled database readers, visual cards, retelling cards, workstation flipcharts, CDs, and other materials are in the classrooms. Students are assessed after each story, weekly unit, and story theme.

Teachers, children, and parents are able to access this program online both at school and home. The benefits of the website are reflected in the students’ progress.

Our religious education program is designed to help students deepen their faith life and formation through participation in worship and the sacraments as well as through a growing understanding of the traditions and Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Religious Education in the Primary Grades

• In the primary grades the focus is to celebrate Jesus and to share in his life
• Students will learn about the ways that Jesus shares his life and love with us through the sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist
• Students will pray as Jesus did, celebrate God’s love and choose to follow God’s law by loving God and others
• The students will also learn about the Mission of the Church and how the Apostles, with the help of the Holy Spirit, started the Church

The OLPH Science Curriculum is based on two goals: Students will grow in their understanding of processes of scientific inquiry to investigate questions, conduct experiments, and solve problems. Students will learn fundamental concepts, principles, and interconnections of the life, physical, and earth and space sciences.

Primary Curriculum
Subjects covered:

• Plants
• Animals
• Earth and Space Science
• Weather

Our social studies program mission is to help students understand the world in which they live and to see their role in it. Students will learn to think critically about the facets of community, geography, civics, and culture that shape human interactions throughout history.

The First Grade Social Studies curriculum explores the following topics:

• Families (What makes a family, how they celebrate and where they live)
• Where We Live (Communities, brief introduction to Geography)
• Good Citizens (What makes a good citizen, following laws, good leaders and making votes count)
• All Kinds of Jobs (Jobs and brief into to Economics)
• Americans Long Ago (Influential inventors and their important inventions)
• Current events will also be discussed through the inclusion of Scholastic News magazine.

The goal of the Spanish program at OLPH is to introduce the beauty of the Spanish language and of Spanish-speaking cultures to all students. Students interact with the language and culture through spoken language, reading, writing, and song.

Primary Grades

• The OLPH Spanish program begins in Pre-Kindergarden and continues through 8th grade
• The goal of the Spanish program in the primary grades is to lay the foundation for a lifetime of language learning
• Students meet for Spanish class once a week, where they can experience authentic Spanish in an immersive environment through interactive games, storytelling, and song

Grades 1-5

• Spelling is an integral part of the reading program
• It is based on a word study program that includes Phonics Spelling Vocabulary