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Elementary School

Elementary School at SJC

Our elementary school is a vibrant and nurturing community where children grow academically, spiritually, and socially each day. From morning prayer to engaging classroom experiences, service opportunities, and extracurricular activities, students are encouraged to discover their God-given gifts and develop a lifelong love of learning. Rooted in our Catholic faith, every aspect of the student experience helps children deepen their relationship with Christ while building meaningful connections with their peers and teachers.

Our dedicated educators provide a caring and supportive environment where every child is known, valued, and challenged to achieve their fullest potential. Through rigorous academics, innovative teaching practices, and differentiated instruction, our teachers meet the unique needs of each learner while fostering critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and character. The result is a well-rounded educational experience that prepares students for success in high school and beyond while remaining grounded in faith, service, and community.

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Explore Our Curriculum

Religion

Reading/Language Arts

Go Math!

Science

Social Studies

Religion

Language Arts

Handwriting

Math

Science

Social Studies

Grades/Report Cards

Religion

Language Arts

Reading

Spelling

Grammar and Writing

Math

Penmanship

Science

Social Studies

Religion

Language Arts

Math

Science

Social Studies

Our Goals for Students

Religion

Science

Social Studies

Language Arts

Mathematics

Religion

Language Arts

Math

Science

Social Studies

Life at SJC

At St. John of the Cross Parish School, students are known, loved, served, and inspired to reach their fullest potential. Rooted in Catholic faith and academic excellence, our vibrant community nurtures the spiritual, intellectual, social, and emotional growth of every child.

From meaningful learning experiences and school traditions to prayer, service, athletics, and the arts, life at SJC is filled with opportunities to grow, lead, and thrive.

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Religion

The Religion Program used in kindergarten is “Blest Are We” by RCL Benzinger. “Blest Are We” Kindergarten is a developmental program based on scripture and rooted in the teachings of our Catholic faith. The main unit themes are:

  • God’s Love Creates the Universe
  • God’s Love Makes Me Who I Am
  • God’s Love Gives Me People to Love
  • God’s Love Gives Me Jesus
  • God’s Love Teaches Me to Love

The children will learn that creation is a gift from God, who created all things out of a deep abiding love for us. Each day God will be an integral part of our routines as we begin and end each day with a prayer. We will also pray before eating and will use teachable moments to pray to God to help guide us in making good decisions.

Reading/Language Arts

The reading program kindergarten uses is called Superkids. It is a Rowland Reading Program. The program features a cast of lively characters called the Superkids, whose adventures and activities delight children. The characters mirror the interests of the kindergartners so the program is very engaging. By the completion of the year the students will:
  • Learn and be able to identify 26 letters and sounds.
  • Know all Superkids names and character traits.
  • Know how to write capital/lowercase forms of each letter and write words and sentences. All letters will be written in manuscript form.
  • Learn how to blend sounds to read and how to segment sounds to spell.
  • Read 43 Dolch sight words.
  • Use comprehension skills and strategies applied to short decodable stories.
  • Learn vocabulary and fluency skills.
  • Learn phonemic awareness skills, such as rhyming; identifying beginning, middle, and ending sounds; and adding or deleting phonemes (sounds).

One of the strongest components of this program is the explicit phonics instruction that gives children a reliable way to unlock the written word. The program seamlessly integrates reading, spelling, writing, and other language arts. Also, phonetically controlled vocabulary ensures success, which enables children to really read, not guess. Lastly, the program uses a multimodal approach to practice key reading skills in the modality that suits each child’s individual needs.

Go Math!

Comprehensive Kindergarten program developed to support the Common Core State Standards for mathematics. GO MATH! emphasizes the following content standards, skills and concepts.

Counting and Cardinality – know number names and the count sequence, count to tell the number of objects, compare numbers.
Operations and Algebraic Thinking –  represent addition and subtraction to ten with objects, drawings, fingers, mental images and ten frames.
Numbers and Operations in Base 10 – work with numbers to gain foundations for place value, compose and decompose numbers in more than one way.
Measurement and Data – describe and compare measurable attributes, classify and sort data.
Geometry and Positions – identify and describe 2 dimensional and 3 dimensional shapes, analyze, compare, and create shapes.
Students will be exposed to math projects and games that will enhance and support the curriculum.

Go Math! focuses on the students’ ability to record, represent, solve, and explain as they develop and discover new concepts in Math.
Science
We cover the study of:

  • plants
  • seeds
  • force, friction, and gravity
  • measurement
  • magnets
  • animals
  • the human body

We will also visit the science lab once a month to conduct hands-on experiments and activities.

Science

We cover the study of:

  • plants
  • seeds
  • force, friction, and gravity
  • measurement
  • magnets
  • animals
  • the human body

We will also visit the science lab once a month to conduct hands-on experiments and activities.

Social Studies

We will learn about feelings, rules, and consequences using our Second Step Program. Students will learn about community workers and their jobs as well as how we are part of a family and community, where we learn from one another. We will also talk about traditions that are important in our families. Students will explore holidays at the appropriate times during the year. Finally, students will recite the Pledge of Allegiance daily.

Religion

We begin every day with Religion.  We will learn about God, Jesus and our Church.  We will learn many prayers including The Lord’s Prayer, Hail Mary, our classroom morning prayer, the end of the day prayer, a variety of snack prayers and the Prayer of St. Francis which we recite each morning as a school.  We will lead the school in prayer over the PA and attend Mass as well as classroom prayer services.   Each Wednesday the homerooms attend a student lead prayer service in our school chapel.  During Advent and Lent we will focus on the Christmas Story and Easter Story.  We will learn various Bible stories as well as about the lives of the Saints.  Our Second Step program will be used in conjunction with Religion and deals with learning about feelings, emotions and strategies for managing our feelings.  This year as a school we will focus on the three R’s of Responsibility, Respectfulness and Readiness as we consider WWSJCD? (What would a St. John of the Cross student do)  Please see the bulletin board in the main hall for pictures of students who have been recently recognized for their positive behavior.

Language Arts

This year first grade has adopted the Super Kids Reading Program.  This is a balanced literacy program that follows a cast of lively characters through adventures and activities.  This integrated approach to reading is comprehensive as it incorporates phonics, spelling, comprehension, vocabulary, fluency handwriting, grammar and expressive writing.
As classroom teachers we also enhance the Super Kids with many of our own programs and related language arts activities.  The students are engaged in a yearlong creative and expressive writing process as they participate in the following:
*Squiggle of the Week – a scribble that is turned into a picture and then the students write about their creation.
*Class books – written weekly to reinforce the words brainstormed from the phonics rule for the week.
*Author’s Day books – individual books that are completed after the students go through the editing process to actually publish their own books.
*Classroom Centers- nine to twelve monthly centers that provide reinforcement and enrichment of concepts that are taught in the first grade curriculum.

Handwriting

We us the super Kids guide to forming manuscript letters.  We will introduce and practice the proper formation of printed numerals as well as lower and upper case letters, including sizing and spacing.

Social Studies

We will learn about feelings, rules, and consequences using our Second Step Program. Students will learn about community workers and their jobs as well as how we are part of a family and community, where we learn from one another. We will also talk about traditions that are important in our families. Students will explore holidays at the appropriate times during the year. Finally, students will recite the Pledge of Allegiance daily.

Science

We will explore four primary science themes in first grade.  They include Life Science, Physical Science, Space Science and Earth Science.  Some of the concepts we will cover are animals, the five senses, weather, recycling, the environment and planets.  We will visit the science lab each week on Friday afternoon to conduct experiments.

Social Studies

We will cover basic patriotism, history, geography, social systems (families and communities), current events and the economy.  Everyday a student reports on current events through the Newscaster program.  The first grade also studies the continent of Antarctica across the curricular areas.

Grades/Report Cards

Students in first grade receive three progress reports as well as three report cards throughout the year.  Grades given are as follows:

  • M = mastered- consistently demonstrates
  • S = successful – frequently demonstrates
  • E = emerging – occasionally demonstrates
  • NY = not yet – rarely/never demonstrates
  • NE = not evaluated

Two parent/teacher conferences will also be held this year (November and February).  This is an excellent opportunity to discuss your child’s progress.  However if we have concerns that need to be discussed, we will contact you when they arise throughout the year.
Please contact us if you have any additional questions.  We look forward to working with you this year.
The First Grade Team

Religion

Of course, two of the most important faith moments of second grade at St. John of the Cross School are the reception of the sacraments of First Eucharist and Reconciliation. In our Religion class we discuss the concepts of belonging to a Christian community, showing responsibility for ourselves and others, listening to God’s Word through Bible stories, and participating more fully in a Christian life through the sacraments of Baptism, Eucharist, and Reconciliation. Children are introduced to many different kinds of prayer, and classroom discussions allow them to learn more about respect, integrity and our responsibility to care for God’s creation. We actively participate in school liturgies, including liturgies directed toward the primary grades in particular, and we learn music to enhance our worship.

Language Arts

We use the Superkids program as the basis for instruction in the Language Arts disciplines.

Reading

Great emphasis is placed on Reading instruction in second grade. Reading is taught daily as a component of a comprehensive Language Arts curriculum. Our program includes instruction in phonics, word-attack skills, comprehension, oral reading, critical thinking and appreciation of various forms of literature. Flexible grouping will allow the children to advance at their own pace and enjoy stories at their own instructional level. Opportunities are provided frequently for recreational reading, alone or with a partner. The students visit the school library weekly, enjoy making selections from our extensive classroom collection of books, and the teachers read to their class on a daily basis.

Spelling

Our spelling program has as its inherent goal making every child a speller. Each week a word list will be sent home. This list is meant to be kept at home for practice. We also practice our through Daily Routine activities. Most of the words feature phonetic or structural elements that are being taught in the unit. Others are Memory Words (sight words). Students practice their skills in spelling through the study of pattern words and memory words. Pattern words are phonetically regular or apply predictable patterns or rules. Children can spell pattern words by writing the letters for the sounds they hear. Memory words are not phonetically regular or have letter options for their sounds. Children must learn the spelling of each memory word by heart. As the year progresses the children will be held accountable for the correct spelling of these words whenever they are used.  The children are also provided with experience in using a dictionary as a writing tool.

Grammar and Writing

In addition to helping students with speaking and listening skills, our curriculum focuses on the mechanics of our sometimes complex and difficult language.
We will learn about sentence types and sentence structure. We will identify nouns, verbs, and pronouns and their correct usage. Instruction about adjectives and adverbs helps to enhance student stories. Proofreading and peer editing exercises allow students to make improvements before writing a final draft. Many opportunities will be provided for children to practice their newly emerging writing skills. Journaling allows the students to respond on a daily basis to writing prompts.
We emphasize the writing process as a means of applying attributes of good writing to students’ work: ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency and conventions. Students are provided with frequent opportunities to publish their work.

Math

Math is taught daily in second grade. We will use the Go Math program again this year. Some of the concepts covered in the program are number sense and place value, addition and subtraction, measurement and data, and geometry and fractions. An emphasis is placed on mastering basic addition and subtraction facts. Manipulatives are often used to bring a concept to a more concrete level. We frequently integrate literature into our math program, enjoying stories where math concepts are an important part of the story.

Physical Education

We begin the program with a review of the proper formation of printed upper-and-lower-case letters, including size and spacing. During the second semester of the year, the cursive alphabet is introduced. Children learn the proper formation of letters and the joining of these letters to form words in cursive. We ask that the students do not try to write in cursive until it is formally taught in class.

Science

Our second grade Science program is full of discovery. The children will use a hands-on approach in all of our Science units, participating in a lab experience once a week. We will cover many concepts, including nutrition, weather, plants, the environment, force and motion, and states of matter. Our program promotes critical thinking, decision-making, and an awareness of the scientific process. Children will also come to realize the correlation between Science and Math concepts.

Social Studies

The second grade Social Studies program focuses on living together in a community, sharing goods and services. The children learn through our text, maps, charts, projects and related literature. They learn about famous Americans and the impact they have had on our lives. They are introduced to basic concepts of history and geography. They discuss current events by sharing Time For Kids magazine. Second graders will also discover many interesting things about the continent of Australia, its people and the animals that are specific to the region.

Religion

The importance of our Catholic faith is stressed each day through prayer, song, Bible stories, and discussion.  Our religion series, Blest Are We Faith in Action, reflects what it means to be a Catholic from the core teaching of our Faith. It also emphasizes discipleship, liturgy, worship, and unity in our Church community through:

The Church Is One
The Church Is Holy
The Church Is Catholic
The Church Is Apostolic

The Church Has a Mission to the World
As a vehicle for more scripture and liturgical-based Religion lessons, each third grade student will be presented with a personal copy of the New American Bible (which will ‘travel’ with him/her through future years at St. John of the Cross Parish School).

Language Arts

Our Language Arts Program integrates reading, writing, grammar, and spelling. The McGraw Hill Wonders literature anthology is designed to ignite the spark of inquisitiveness present in every child by using classic, contemporary, and multicultural literature to build motivated and successful readers and writers.  Along with reading, vocabulary, and word analysis, the following strategies will be taught: Story Elements, Cause/Effect, Main Ideas/Details, Making Inferences, Story Mapping,  Classification, Summarizing, Figurative Language, Using Context Clues, Biographical Reading, Comprehension Monitoring, Predicting Outcomes, Fact/Opinion, Sequence of Events

Math

GO MATH! supports the Standards for Mathematical Practices through a carefully sequenced arc of learning where students develop deep conceptual understanding, and then practice, apply, and discuss what they know with skill and confidence in four content strands:
 

Whole Number Operations
 Add and subtract within1,000; represent and interpret data; understand multiplication, multiplication facts and strategies, use multiplication facts; understand division, division facts and strategies.
Fractions
 Understand and compare fractions.
Measurement
 Time, length, liquid volume, and mass; perimeter and area.
Geometry
 Exploring 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional shapes and other geometric concepts.

Science

The Pearson Interactive Science Write-in Student Edition nurtures the inquisitive side of students and engages them in new and varied ways.  Organized into three distinct pathways – reading, inquiry, and digital – Interactive Science makes learning science in three major blocks – Life, Earth, and Physical Science – personal, relevant, and engaging.  Interactive Science provides support for multi-dimensional learning of the Disciplinary Core Ideas, the Crosscutting Concepts, the Science and Engineering Practices, and the Performance Expectations.

Social Studies

The focus in third grade social studies is communities.  Pearson myWorld Social Studies We Are Connected focuses on exploring concepts and building knowledge about Our Communities, Our Environment, Communities Build a Nation, U.S. Government, Citizenship, A Growing Nation, Working in Our Communities, Celebrating Communities; transferring learning beyond the classroom
We will also study our own state of Illinois through a unit on the ‘Prairie State’, and the Village of Western Springs is explored through an expeditionary learning experience.
Each grade level (1 thru 8) focuses on one of the seven continents.  The third grade continent of study is South America.  During our exploration of this fascinating continent, students will be able to learn more about its people, cultures, geography, rainforests, and animals.

Our Goals for Students

  • To deepen your child’s faith and commitment
  • To improve grammar and writing skills
  • To develop confidence in oral skills
  • To encourage writing for enjoyment and purpose
  • To foster a love for reading
  • To implement innovative problem solving and computation skills
  • To create an awareness of global issues facing our Earth
  • To spark excitement and discovery of science and new technologies

Religion

Our book, Blest Are We, covers the four pillars of Catholic doctrine in every unit: What Catholics Believe, What Catholics Worship, How Catholics Live, and How Catholics Pray. Parents are encouraged to review the “Take Home” page at the beginning of each chapter. Every fourth grader has a Bible to use in school during his/her remaining years at SJC. We also use a program called, “Steps to Respect”. The objective of this program is to help students recognize and prevent bullying.   The Archdiocese “Family Life” series is taught in the spring. This year we will introduce “Called to Protect” which increase students’ safety awareness.

Science

We will be using the Pearson Interactive Science text. This program incorporates hands-on experiences. There are also examples of scientific knowledge in Illinois and correlates to the Next Generation Science Standards.

Social Studies

Our text is titled My World, Our Country’s Regions. It covers the eight strands of social studies: economics, citizenship, geography, government, history, culture, technology and social studies skills to better understand the world around us. The students will also be participating in the Regional Fair, which will be in March this year.

Language Arts

The program used in fourth grade is called Wonders by Macmillan/McGraw-Hill. The series is composed of the following skills and concepts: phonics, word study, vocabulary, comprehension, fluency, and writing. Many different genres and instruction will be used this year.

Mathematics

The fourth graders will use the Go Math series. Units of study will include: naming and constructing geometric figures, finding perimeter, area, and volume of different shapes, using numbers and organizing data, multiplication and division, number sentences, decimals, estimation, fractions, and probability. Please continue to work on mastering basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts at home.

Religion

Our religion series, Blest Are We, was developed according to the four pillars or parts of the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

  • What Catholics Believe
  • How Catholics Worship
  • How Catholics Live
  • How Catholics Pray

The essentials of Catholic teaching are presented to the students in an integrated and balanced approach, reinforced year to year as the students expand in their knowledge and practice of their faith.
In every grade level the same format and catechetical process is followed:

  • “Take Home” page that encourages family involvement
  • Introduction to the theme and sharing
  • Scripture stories
  • Passages from Liturgy
  • Saint of the week
  • Student’s response and activity
  • Review
  • Connection to Catholic Social Teaching
  • Assessment

The fifth grade curriculum focuses on The Seven Sacraments. Each unit goes into detail about specific sacraments. The text includes a summary of our beliefs and traditions, a list of the seasons of the Liturgical year and a section of the traditional prayers that Catholics have prayed for years.
Students experience different prayer forms and participate in planning Liturgies throughout the year.
We ask that the children bring a canned good for the food pantry on all Liturgy days.
The students use Family Life, by RCL Benziger. The series focuses on five themes of Catholic family living

  • God’s Gift of Family
  • God’s Gift of Self
  • God’s Gift of Life
  • God’s Gift of Love
  • God’s Gift of Community

Language Arts

Language Arts: Reading
The fifth grade literature-based reading program extends to all areas of Language Arts including reading, writing, speaking and listening.  Students will be exposed to many genres and their characteristics.  Reading consists of stories from the Macmillan/McGraw-Hill anthology Wonders series, in addition to novels and nonfiction text through which we teach reading skills and strategies, vocabulary study, critical thinking skills, creative responses, and fluency.  Students are expected to respond to text in class discussions and through thoughtful written responses.  Reading aloud is an integral part of fifth graders’ Reading class.
 
Language Arts: Written and Oral Communication
Although children write across the curriculum on a daily basis, a LA Notebook and instruction in the craft of writing provides students with opportunities to write about a variety of topics in narrative, expository, and persuasive formats.  Students will continue their use of graphic organizers for planning and organization, and, as in previous grades, they are expected to use the writing process to produce written pieces.  Writing instruction will focus on developing and improving the seven traits of effective writing:  ideas, organization voice, word choice, sentence fluency, conventions, and presentation.  Efficient keyboarding skills and legible cursive handwriting will be practiced throughout the year.
Students will practice formal and informal communication skills across the curriculum and throughout the year in the following classroom situations:  cooperative group communication, whole group communication, and oral presentations.
 
How is Language Arts instruction differentiated for individual children’s needs?
Although students will be taught the same skills and strategies in Reading, Writing, Oral Communication, and Spelling, they will apply and develop them with appropriately leveled reading materials, assignments and assessments.

Math

Our math textbook is Go Math! published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. This series is used from kindergarten through fifth grade at our school. Students are engaged with learning, focused on working smarter, and ready for the future. Math lessons begin with problem-based situations and then build to more abstract problems. ‘Go Math’ builds student problem-solving proficiency and confidence, along with the skills needed for success on Common Core assessments. The skills to be covered in fifth grade are as follows:

  • Place Value, Multiplication and Expressions
  • Dividing Whole Numbers
  • Adding and Subtracting Decimals
  • Multiplying and Dividing Decimals
  • Adding and Subtracting Fractions
  • Multiplying and Dividing Fractions
  • Algebra: Patterns and Graphing
  • Measurement and Data
  • Geometry and Volume

Science

The new 5th Grade science series is Inspire Science from McGraw Hill. Unlike in grades 6-8, the students will cover all the main topics of science: Life, Physical, and Earth/Space. The sixth through eighth graders use a Junior High version of Interactive Science from Savvas focused on one of these.

Although we have a prearranged day in the science lab, we do quick labs and many longer projects and activities directly in the classroom.
 
The four units we study are:
Investigating Matter
Ecosystems
Earth’s Interactive Systems
Earth and Space Patterns
 
The children are encouraged to bring into class anything that would enrich scientific knowledge for their classmates. Examples would be evidence of labs they have done at home or interesting observations (pictures are always great) they’ve experienced on family outings. With their iPads available at home, they have my permission to use that as a tool to gain knowledge of current science events to share with the class.
 
We use several science apps that have already been installed on their iPads. We watch the news continually to see what is happening in the world around us. Often, a parent has an expertise in a subject we are studying, and we always welcome these talented guest speakers! We use videos and several tech resources such as Newsela, Mystery Science, Generation Genius, and Science Court. We also have access to Time For Kids.
 
Grading is done on a point system. Grades are based on daily work, labs, quizzes, and activities/projects. Tests will be announced at least one week in advance. In addition to reviewing notes, worksheets/pages, etc., the children are expected to reread the material in the chapters we cover.
 
Activities/projects are done almost totally at school, with occasional parent involvement in brainstorming. STREAM (science, technology, reading, engineering, art, and math) projects are incorporated throughout the year in conjunction with the 5th grade curriculums.
 
 My expectations for my students are:
 
• Be respectful and sensitive toward others.
• Acknowledge that everyone has something to contribute.
• Cooperate on group activities.
• Listen attentively to anyone who is speaking.
• Be prepared for class by bringing all materials.
• Complete homework and class assignments on time.
• Use iPads for a variety of purposes directed by the teacher.
• Don’t worry about making mistakes.
• Remember that science is about trying new things.
• Don’t expect to always get the results that you expected.
 
To conclude, I always like to add this quote from John Whitsett, at NSTA:
“To succeed in the 21st Century, students have to learn how to be creative problem solvers who can work in collaborative groups. These new-world students must have the ability to think critically, use technology efficiently, and communicate effectively.

Social Studies

August/September

  • The First Americans and European Exploration
  • Totem Pole projects
  • Commemorate Patriot’s Day-9/11
  • European Colonization of North America
  • Spanish, English, Dutch colonies
  • Exploration “Want- Ad ” posters

October

  • Significance of Columbus Day
  • Continuation of European colonies
  • Establishing the 13 colonies- economy, trade, government, religion
  • 13 colonies group rap
  • Current Event League Match #1
  • The election process during election years

November

  • The election process during election years
  • The French and Indian War- Cause/effect
  • Resentment towards Britain.
  • Revolutionary War

December

  • Winning the Revolutionary War
  • Gaining Independence

January

  • Creating the Constitution
  • Articles of Confederation
  • Federalists vs. Antifederalists
  • The Bill of Rights
  • Create Students’ Bill of Rights
  • Current Event League match #2
  • Commemorate Martin Luther King birthday

February

  • Beginning of the United States
  • Analyzing presidents from Washington to Jackson
  • Creation of political parties
  • Louisiana Purchase
  • Lewis and Clark expedition
  • Lewis and Clark journal entry

March

  • War of 1812
  • Moving westward
  • Oregon Trail, New Spain, Mexican-American War ,Texas
  • Manifest Destiny
  • Current Events League Match #3

April

  • Industrial Revolution
  • Student invention
  • Current Events League Match #4
  • Railroads , Gold Rush etc.

May

  • National Social Studies Contest
  • Civil War and Reconstruction
  • Emancipation Proclamation
  • Gettysburg Address
  • Assassination of President Lincoln
  • Reconstruction

June

  •     Review of the year