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Welcome to Nativity of Our Lord School
1900 Stanford Avenue • Saint Paul, Minnesota 55105 (651) 699-1311
Welcome to Nativity of Our Lord School |
Presenting the Middle School at Nativity School The middle school years are important years in the lives of our students. The students spend this time preparing for high school. Developmentally our oldest students are growing and maturing into young adults. As they become independent learners they also shape their core values and more clearly define their character. We encourage our middle school students to become actively involved in their classes as well as extra-curricular activities including athletics, fine arts and academic and leadership experiences.
Presenting Our Sixth Grade Program The Teaching Staff:
Math Teaching Assistant: Sixth grade is the first year of middle school. This is a year filled with change, as the students move from classroom to classroom throughout the day, and are tied to daily changes in their schedules. Sixth graders move through their day as a homeroom group. The fall of this first year of middle school is an ideal time to focus on study skills, to help the students cope with the responsibilities of tracking all of their assignments. The study of the Old Testament and God revealing Himself to man is the core of the religion program. We relate the Old Testament to the New Testament with Jesus as its fulfillment. The Bible and religion textbook are the foundation of discussion and instruction. As members of our Christian community, our goal is for each student to respect everyone in our Nativity family. In English, the students study grammar in a meaningful context, and analyze and use different writing strategies. The students give oral reports and write a research paper during their sixth grade year. In reading, students continue to work on reading skills and use novels as the basis of their literature study. Our aim is to help the students grow in their ability to read as well as encourage life-long reading. The math program is a continuation of learning the processes begun in the lower grades, but with greater competency in the areas of place value, decimals, fractions, ratios and percents. The text book is supplemented with a basic introduction to pre-algebra. Through this program the students learn arithmetic skills in algebraic form. It is a very important step in helping the students be prepared for the algebra skills of the next few grades. Sixth grade science focuses on physical science with an emphasis on matter, force and motion. The students will be learning to develop their own lab procedures, write detailed lab reports, and will practice using the scientific method during their experiments. Sixth grade students also participate in the Nativity Science Fair. Our highlight is the annual sixth grade trip to Camp St. Croix in Hudson , Wisconsin . During this three day adventure, students strengthen old and develop new friendships as they discover the great outdoors. The curriculum for sixth grade social studies is World Cultures, beginning with ancient civilizations and continuing up to present times. A multi cultured perspective enables all students to identify with the story of people in different times and places. In discussing various cultures, religions, music, art and literature, we help students to appreciate diversity among all earth's people today. Presenting Our Seventh Grade Program The Teaching Staff:
Math Teaching Assistant: Mrs. Kelly Bundy We are a Christian community who work, play, pray, and learn together. Our goal is for all students to respect the members of our Nativity Family. We encourage the students to develop their gifts and talents to share with our community. In Religion, the seventh grade will focus on the life of Jesus and Confirmation preparation. Students will reflect on the person of Jesus through the New Testament. Our students prepare for Confirmation by studying church laws and beliefs and performing community service hours. The students continue the tradition of incorporating writing, spelling, grammar, and oral presentations in their Language Arts program. Specifically, students are given creative writing opportunities, formal research report writing, a children's book (an art/computer/English project), speech and poetry writing. Students practice speaking skills in a formal how-to speech as well as additional informal oral presentations. Using novels and biographies as the basis of study, the students read and react to various authors, and themes. They learn to recognize and then write using common literary devices, figurative language, and formats. Additionally, they practice reading skills with subject-based selections. The Mathematics program in the seventh grade has two main focuses. We make use of a skill maintenance program so that students do not forget the basic skills they have learned in earlier grades. We also use a pre-algebra curriculum to teach many of the beginning algebraic concepts. Along with these ideas, problem solving, logical reasoning, and critical thinking techniques are taught. Seventh grade History encompasses the study of our country's development from the American Revolution to World War II. Through the study of history and related social sciences, students are provided with essential knowledge that will develop their understanding of themselves and others. In addition to the main text, other sources of information include audio-visual materials, supplemental texts and current events. Seventh grade Science focuses on living things and examines them at many different levels and in many different forms. Our main units of study in Life Science are: cells and cell processes, DNA and heredity, diversity, and a bit on the human body. Students have the opportunity to work with compound microscopes throughout the year and will dissect some organisms late in the school year. Presenting Our Eighth Grade Program The Teaching Staff:
Math Teaching Assistant: Mrs. Anne Ragatz We are a Christian community of eighth graders who work, play, pray, and learn together. Our goal is for the students to respect all members of our Nativity family. We encourage all students to develop their gifts and talents to share with our community. During eighth grade, students will participate in a Confirmation retreat, and those who have been prepared in seventh grade will receive the sacrament of Confirmation. In religion classes, study will center on prayer, discipleship, morality and social justice. The English instruction includes further opportunities to develop written and oral expression. Nativity students utilize grammar and spelling skills in their many writing experiences. In the course of the school year each student will write four major papers and make four formal, oral presentations. Eighth grade literature is a combination of teacher directed and independent reading. The students will read and enjoy specific novels as a class. Students also have the opportunity to explore novels of their own choosing. This allows them to further develop their own tastes in reading, and it enhances the idea that independent reading is a valuable experience. Eighth grade Mathematics follows much the same approach as the seventh grade. The key difference is that eighth grade is the first time that two different courses are offered. One course is a rigorous comprehensive algebra 1 course. Students who successfully complete this class will have the opportunity to go directly into high school geometry in the ninth grade. The other class introduces all of the algebra 1 concepts, providing a solid foundation in the essentials of algebra. In eighth grade Earth Science, students will study Earth and its place in the universe. The curriculum is divided into four areas: oceanography, geology, astronomy, and meteorology. The goal of this course is to better understand the planet we live on, how it works, and why. Throughout the year, students will be exploring area geology and the impact Earth Science has on their daily lives. Eighth grade science students also participate in the Nativity Science Fair. The main focus of eighth grade Social Studies is the study of geography. Map skills and geographic themes learned in the first few weeks are applied in lessons about regions and countries throughout the year. The students also participate in a program utilizing CNN reports on a daily basis to gain a better understanding of the current events of our world today. |
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