All people are sons and daughters of a loving God and share equally in God's unconditional love. All of our programming for the students at St. Dominic Catholic School reflect this loving, inclusive experience where children feel safe to take risks in order to reach their full potential.
St. Dominic Catholic School provides instruction for children 3 years of age through grade 8.
Curriculum
Teachers at St. Dominic Catholic School follow the curriculum of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee Office for Schools, Child and Youth Ministry. This curriculum is in line with that of the Department of Public Instruction. If you would like to view the curriculum, please visit the archdiocesan website.
Religion
The teachings and traditions of the Catholic faith are at the core of our instruction at St. Dominic Catholic School. Formal instruction in the faith exists in every classroom and is infused throughout the day. This does not negate or replace the instruction by parents in the home. The faculty, staff, and administration recognize the parents are the primary educators of their children. Therefore, we strive to:
- present the Catholic faith in a way that is consistent with the age and readiness of the students.
- empower the student with Catholic knowledge and the way to best practice their Catholic faith.
- engage the family and students in faith sharing and Scripture reflection.
Early Childhood: Grades K3-1
At. St. Dominic Catholic School we ground our early childhood programming in the Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards (WMELS). All K3 and K4 students receive instruction with licensed and trained teachers every day. Students participating in the full-day kindergarten experience will receive a continuation of those standards through the Kindergarten Connection.
WMELS specify developmental expectations for children from birth through entrance to first grade. The standards reflect the domains of a child’s learning and development. The domains include: Health and Physical Development; Social and Emotional Development; Language Development and Communication; Approaches to Learning: Cognition and General Knowledge. Each domain is divided into sub-domains which include developmental expectations, program standards, performance standards, and developmental continuum. Through our early childhood programming we are committed to a strong religious and academic foundation for all future learning environments. We hope to foster, through hands on experiences and intentional play-based curriculum, a sense of wonder and curiosity aimed at developing the social, emotional, physical, intellectual and spiritual aspects of the whole child.
Our students will engage in:
- Higher ordered thinking in a creative environment using sound, developmentally and age appropriate practice and curriculum based on sound research
- Intentional age appropriate faith formation
- An environment in which the Catholic Christian virtues of Faith, Hope, and Love are taught, demonstrated, and modeled
- Relevant and meaningful play that stimulates the intellectual, social, physical, emotional, and spiritual development of the whole child.
Kindergarten Connection Program
The mission of Kindergarten Connection is to blend academics of the classroom with social interactions and play-based learning that is crucial to the formation of young children. Kindergarten Connection provides an environment where children can explore new things, practice skills acquired, and make new friends under the supervision of experienced childhood educators. The activities experienced in Kindergarten Connection will continue to build student communication skills, virtue, character, and faith. Attending Kindergarten Connection provides children with more opportunities to learn and practice the social skills necessary to be successful in school and life.
Elementary Grades: 2-5
Core Subjects:
Religion: The teachings and traditions of the Catholic faith are at the core of our instruction at St. Dominic Catholic School.
Language Arts: Language skills and concepts include reading, writing, spelling, penmanship, and grammar. These skills are incorporated throughout the curriculum and taught at grade level.
Math: The basic concepts of numeration, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division are introduced, reinforced and mastered in these grades as well as application of problem solving skills related to daily usage.
Science: The objectives of this program are to encourage discovery and observation. There will be many hands-on lessons and experiments.
Social Studies: Instruction includes community life, geography, history, map skills, and interpretation of graphs and charts. The focus in on the expansion and development of the United States. In grade 4, there is a special emphasis on the State of Wisconsin.
Middle School: Grades 6-8
Instruction in the Middle School is departmentalized. Each teacher is responsible for his/her area of expertise. Academic core areas are science, math, literature, social studies, religion, and English.
Science: Project Lead the Way: With the support of our Home and School Association, eighth grade students at St. Dominic Catholic School are able to participate in Project Lead the Way (PLTW). They will participate in the program entitled "Medical Detectives" as part of their education at St. Dominic. Through PLTW, students play the role of real-life medical detectives as they collect and analyze medical data to diagnose disease. They solve medical mysteries through hands-on projects and labs, measure and interpret vital signs, examine nervous system structure and function, and investigate disease outbreaks. More Information
8th Grade Options
Geometry: Students in eighth grade have the opportunity to receive geometry instruction during the course of the school day. This course will run parallel to required algebra instruction for those students who meet the prerequisites for the course.
Advanced Science Foundations: Advanced Science Foundations is a course for eighth grade students who wish to dig deeper into high school level science. It is offered as an opportunity to explore biology and chemistry through more in-depth hands-on activities than what typically occurs in science class. It is an opportunity to explore high level science in a low pressure environment.
STEM: Seventh grade students have the opportunity to explore science, engineering, and technology topics more in depth through STEM class. Led by the middle school science teacher, middle school math teacher, and the media facilitator, students learn coding using online resources.
Eighth grade students have the opportunity to engage in performance-based learning to expand on concepts taught in core classes. The students link their content knowledge with 21st century skills such as critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication and technology use. All projects are completed during class time due to the hands-on nature of the class. Students often work in small groups to create models and designs to solve real world problems.
Specials
St. Dominic Catholic School is grateful in being able to provide additional programming for students in Spanish, physical education, music, and art.
Spanish: Spanish is presented to children in grades 1-8. The Spanish curriculum involves skills development, speaking with fluency, and cultural awareness.
Physical education: Physical educaton is provided at least twice per week by a physical education specialist.
Music: Music is provided twice per week by the music specialist for children in K5 through grade 5 and once per week for students in grades 6-8.
Art: Formal art instruction is provided once per week for students in grades K5-grade 8 from a certified teacher.
Learning Support
The faculty and staff of St. Dominic Catholic School work to provide a God-centered, student-focused approach to instruction. Academic support teachers and volunteers are available to assist classroom teachers in meeting the specific needs of students to the best of their ability.
Technology
We strive to "meet students where they are" in terms of the use of technology. We provide lo tech and high tech approaches to classroom instruction. Students are exposed to interactive white boards, personal computers, laptops, chrome books and iPads throughout the course of the day. Teacher utilize applications and websites for instruction and production throughout their courses.
Our students learn basic programming, 3D modelling, coding, and robotics through the technology integration throughout the building which supports our science programming.