K-2nd Grade

Curriculum
Reading/Writing: Journeys - Houghton Mifflin/Harcourt
Math: Go Math - Houghton Mifflin/Harcourt
Printing: Continuous Stroke - Zaner Bloser Religion: Image of God - St. Ignatius Press
Science: FOSS Science Kits

Daily Structure
Breakfast for Your Brain - As children arrive in the morning, they are engaged in learning or social development activities.
Morning Meeting - Students join together to greet each other, talk about their lives, pray together, and build community.
Math - Students engage in both large and small group lessons that provide activities that appeal to children of varying learning styles and skill levels. Some examples of topics covered are number sense, addition, and 2D and 3D shapes. Religion - Children learn about prayer, bible stories, the Saints, Mass responses, and Church holidays. We also attend weekly Mass with our 6th grade buddies.
Reading - Students engage in small and large group lessons to work on phonemic awareness, concepts of print, alphabet skills, phonics, word skills, and much, much more! Lessons are differentiated for the various abilities and skill levels of the students.
Writing - Students learn basic grammar and are able to construct a sentence using phonetic spelling by the end of Kindergarten.
Lunch - Kindergarten through second grade eat lunch together. Our hot lunch program is run through Lancer Dining Services. Milk is available for purchase daily. A peanut free and nut free table is available for students with allergies.
Printing - Students learn basic strokes and formation for uppercase and lowercase letters and numbers.
Science - Hands on Science lessons help children explore the world around them as we study trees and animal life throughout the year. We also learn the basics of the scientific method.
Social Studies - Students learn more about the world they live in as we learn more about our communities and the holidays we celebrate!
Art - Students learn basic art skills and terms and get their creativity flowing through fun an engaging art projects.
Spanish/Physical Education/Music - Students go to a specialist for Spanish, Physical Education and Music. Students attend one of the three each day on a rotating basis.
Library/Computers - Kindergarteners will attend library and computer class weekly. Students check out books and have story time. Students learn basic computer skills such as using a mouse, how to log in, and some basic keyboard skills.
Free Choice - Each day, students are given the opportunity to engage in activities that build on their creativity, fine motor skills, and social skills.

In First Grade we enhance our curriculum by learning about and celebrating Christmas and Holiday’s Around the World, count up to and celebrate the 100th day of school, participate in the Flat Stanley Project, write, polish, illustrate and publish a story into a book, attend field trips on a rotating basis to the Apple Orchard/Pumpkin Patch, Children’s Theater, Minnesota Zoo, and the Children’s Museum. We love being friends with our 7th grade Mass buddies!

Second Grade is a very special year! Students learn and prepare for two sacraments. In January, students celebrate their First Reconciliation, and in the spring their First Holy Communion. Throughout the year, students build and deepen their knowledge from the previous years in all academic areas. In reading, we have a strong focus on comprehending the stories we read and developing fluency in our reading. Students are taught to write and read in cursive. In the spring, students learn to write their first research paper on an animal.

We're excited to be participating in Believe and Read, a Catholic Schools Center of Excellence (CSCOE) program. CSCOE, a nonprofit organization with a two-part mission of achieving excellence and increasing enrollment in Catholic preschool to eighth-grade schools, has named Transfiguration a Believe and Read school. Believe and Read seeks to transform the lives of thousands of students by bringing a best-in-class literacy program to Catholic elementary schools across the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Powered by CSCOE, and in partnership with Groves Academy and Cretin-Derham Hall Catholic High School, the goal of Believe and Read is to ensure every student is at or above grade level reading – because we believe that God calls every child to greatness. Take a look at their video below for more information. We hope you are as excited as we are to bring this great program to Transfiguration!