Kindergarten Curriculum Highlights

Reading
• Open Court
• Word Families
• Decodables
• High Frequency Word Flash Cards
• Applied Reading Strategies (K-5)
• Reading First Program

Writing
• D’Nealian Handwriting
• Follow the Writing Process (K-8)
• First Name and Last Name
• Numbers
• High Frequency Words

Social Studies
• Demonstrate good citizenship
• Recognize national and state symbols
• Job Descriptions
• Compare/contrast diversity of cultures
• Conceptualize historical events

Science
• Physical, Life, and Earth Sciences
• K-8 Scientific Method: Experimentation/Investigation
• Hands-on activities
• Visuals
• Field trips

Religion
• Daily Prayer / Weekly Mass
• Familiarity with Bible stories
• Recognize our relationship w/God
• Follow Christ’s footsteps
• Participation: Schoolwide community service projects

Math
Number Sense
• Count to 100 or more
• Count by 2s, 5s, and 10s
• Identify numbers 0-100 out of order
• Write 0-100 with no reversals
• Copy patterns ABAB, ABB, ABBC
• Identify money values
• Solve addition facts to 10
• Solve subtraction facts to 10
• Place Value (Tens and Ones)
• Fractions (Whole and half)

Algebra
• Sorting, classifying, identifying

Statistics, Data Analysis, and Probability
• Sorting by common attributes: Shape, Size, Color
• Data Collection
• Recording with pictograph
• Solve patterns ABAB, ABB, ABBC

Measurement / Geometry
• Tell time to the hour/half hour
• Calendar: days of the week, months of the year
• Geometric shapes
• Planes and solid objects

Mathematical Reasoning
• Critical Thinking (Problem of the day)
• Use tools, strategies, and manipulatives to model problems
• Explain reasoning (Orally, drawings, number sentence)

Reading First Program (K-3)
We have chosen to participate in the Reading First program, which is federally- funded through the No Child Left Behind Act. This program earmarks funds for the target grades K-3. Through this funding, our St. Sebastian teachers (Grades K-3) and administration work extra hours to receive special program training, additional literacy support, and laptop computers for student assessment. Our goal is to provide the strongest literacy foundation for students in primary grades to ensure their academic success in high school, college and beyond.

Middle School (Grades 6-8)
St. Sebastian School offers a departmentalized schedule for our Middle School Grades. The middle school is departmentalized in the following way: Social Studies/Religion, Math/Science, and Reading/Writing. Students benefit from having a variety of teachers who focus on a particular area.

Each student has three or four teachers for the core subjects. This will prepare students better for the high school days ahead.

Middle School Honors Math (Grades 6-8)
Because Math is one of the fundamental core subjects, we have created a Middle School Honors Math Program to give our students a chance to reach their full potential. Smaller grouping allows our teachers to focus better on individual student needs, and the class pace can be accommodated appropriately. Because the classes are divided, math class size does not exceed 20 students and some groups are as small as 12 students.

Our 6th graders prepare for pre-algebra, our 7th graders take Pre-Algebra, and all of our 8th graders take Algebra I. Students who do well in our Honors Algebra I/Algebra I program are able to “pass out” of Algebra I in high school. These students can then begin high school math with Geometry in the 9th grade.

Music: Education Through Music – Los Angeles (ETM-LA)
We have a fantastic partnership with a music education program based on the successful Education through Music (ETM) model that was started in New York City fifteen years ago. Our ETM-LA director, Victoria Lanier, is Julliard-educated. Moreover, we have teaching artists from Boston University and USC.

Every K-8 student receives quality music instruction:
Kinder and 1st grade: General Music
2nd-4th grade: Violin
5th – 8th grade: Guitar

We have had many special music events throughout the year. We took a group of 7th graders to the Sony Studios in Culver City to watch a scoring session for the summer Pixar blockbuster, Ratatouille. We then had a special visit by Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated Ratatouille composer, Michael Giacchino, who has also composed music for The Incredibles, Lost, Mission: Impossible III, and Alias.

Michael brought in a cellist and visited classes to teach our students about creating mood with music, working in the film industry, and scoring for television and movies. Our students and teachers had a fantastic time watching the scoring process in action and meeting with Mr. Giacchino.

High School Prep Program
Our High School Prep Program includes preparing our students for standardized testing, inviting representatives from local Catholic high schools, and actively guiding students through the high school application process. Although there is an ongoing national debate regarding the proper place for standardized tests, the reality is that our high schools and universities expect students to take these tests to meet entrance and/or graduation requirements. We have a strong relationship with Loyola High School, wherein our students are invited to their campus for six Saturdays in the fall semester for intensive test prep. We also invite local Catholic high school representatives to our campus to give presentations to our junior high students. We also encourage parents to visit local high school Open Houses so they can see the campuses for themselves. Finally, our faculty and staff actively guide not only our students, but our parents as well, through the network of components required by the high school application process.