Saint Patrick School, founded in 1872, is a Catholic School that is sponsored by the parish and serves students from grades pre-kindergarten to eight. The clergy, faculty, staff, students, and families of Saint Patrick School subscribe to the ongoing building and living of a faith community-not only as a concept to be taught, but as a reality to be lived. Through education, the school community strives to enable its students to assimilate the knowledge, attitudes, and values that prepare them to take their place as active members of society, while witnessing to the Gospel message.
The primary concern and responsibility of our Saint Patrick School community is to meet the challenges of educating the whole child to achieve his or her unique potential spiritually, morally, emotionally, intellectually, physically, and culturally. Acting as role models, the clergy, faculty, and staff communicate a personal love of Christ to the students and build in them an ever, deepening relationship and commitment to Him and a belief that they can achieve. The school sets advanced academic standards for all students while employing varied methodologies to reach each child at his or her own level in order to provide positive, learning experiences. The faculty and parents are expected to be supportive of one another in an on-going partnership that, through mutual respect and communication, works in concert for the continued growth and development of the child.
The expectation is that each student, nurtured within this faith community, attains high intellectual performance commensurate with his or her own ability and demonstrates moral integrity. Saint Patrick School expects the parents to exercise their responsibility for the education of their children and supports them by inviting parents to share in the programs and collaborate in the decision-making process of the school. Saint Patrick School recruits and employs teachers who have the necessary personal, religious, and professional qualifications, according to the norms established by the Diocese and consistent with the mission of the school.
Saint Patrick School is dedicated to the formation of Catholics who, by their faith commitment and their involvement in the school community, will create an educational environment permeated with the Gospel message of love, hope, and service to all
The application process begins on November 11, 2009 and continues through February 5, 2010. Application materials may be obtained at the Open Houses that are held on Wednesday, November 11, 2009, from 9 to 11 a.m. and on Sunday, January 31, 2010, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., from the school office at 973-635-4623, or on the web-site at www.st-pats.org.
Preferences
Whenever available spaces are limited in any given grade level, preference, in order, will be given to applicants of siblings of St. Patrick school students, children of alumni of St. Patrick School, registered parishioners of St. Patrick Parish, registered parishioners of Corpus Christi, parishioners of other Catholic churches, and non-Catholics. Waiting lists are maintained for one academic year. Re‑application is required for the succeeding academic year. Re-applicants will be given preference over new applicants, after siblings or children of alumni. Applications complete with all requirements submitted during the application period will be given equal weight in the admissions process.
Requirements
The following are the requirements for application: a birth certificate with a seal, a Social Security number, a Baptismal certificate, verification of additional sacrament(s), a family interview and a record of completed, state mandated immunizations, the previous two years of report cards, standardized test scores, additional testing (determined by St. Patrick School), and a non‑refundable $100 application fee. Acceptance is determined by the administration and/or faculty.
For the 2010-2011 school year, the following age guidelines are applicable: the Pre‑K 3 child must be 3 years old on or before October 1, 2010, the Pre‑K 4 child must be 4 years old on or before October 1, 2010, and the K child must be 5 years old on or before October 1, 2010. For a child in a district other than Chatham, the age requirements of the school district in which the child resides must be followed. A child must be toilet trained in order to be admitted.
Transfer students will not be accepted one year before graduation or after the beginning of the second semester into other grades, unless a student newly moves into the area and is transferring from a Catholic School. The sending Catholic School will be contacted by the Principal. A student may be admitted on probation in order to determine whether the program at St. Patrick School is able to meet his/her needs. Transfers will be accepted based on the school’s determination that the faculty, program, and resources can accommodate the student’s needs.
Acceptance
Upon notification of acceptance, a $100 non-refundable registration fee, a non-refundable $500 tuition deposit for each child, and a signed transfer records release form are required. In May of 2010, a signed contract, a health history, a statement of medical conditions, a physical examination, and academic records from the previous school are required. Testing for Tuberculosis is required for pupils transferring from another state or country or into eighth grade from any school. In May of 2010, an evaluation and program must be submitted for students in need of special services. In May of 2010, a care plan must be submitted for students with serious or life threatening medical conditions.
District:Diocese of PatersonCurriculum and Methods
PRIMARY LEVEL
Religion
The school assists the parents in their role of Christian formation. Through scripture, prayers, and attending weekly Mass, beginning in first grade, the children are reminded of our Christian values and how they are part of the Catholic traditions. In second grade, the students prepare for the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist. Religion is understood through Scripture, prayer, crafts, activity books, and sharing life experiences.
Reading/Language Arts
In 1st and 2nd grades, the program combines the skills of reading with spelling, phonics, grammar, writing, speaking, and listening with intent. Reading comprehension skills develop understandings in which students need to recall, predict, infer, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate text. The students begin to understand word parts, such as roots, prefixes, and suffixes. Phonics skills are applied to reading and writing tasks to develop fluency. While inventive spelling is initially accepted, the goal is to reach conventional spelling. The students begin writing sentences and transition to the development of paragraphs while applying proper grammar and writing mechanics. Opportunities are provided for each child to experience public speaking through projects or reports. Teaching methods include whole class and group instruction, as well as activities. Skills are reinforced through the overhead projector, show and tell, flash cards, games, music/songs, dance, culminating projects, videos, learning centers, computers, and arts and crafts. Students are evaluated through observations, oral and written work, games, and tests.
Mathematics
In 1st and 2nd grades, the students develop number sense through the counting, sequencing, and reading of numbers. The students work with ordinal numbers and identify number patterns. An understanding of place value leads to the addition and subtraction of one-digit, two-digit, and three-digit numbers, in which regrouping is necessary. Students experience the appropriate instruments to measure length, weight, and the capacity of objects in standard or metric units. The skills of time and money are experienced and expanded as students advance through the grade levels. Students identify the characteristics of geometrical shapes and progress through math concepts by using manipulatives and then transferring to paper and pencil calculations. Throughout the study of the mathematical concepts, the children practice diverse strategies for problem solving. Observation, homework, and class work, as well as individualized and group testing are used to evaluate students.
Social Studies
As the children progress through grades 1 and 2, they expand in their knowledge of the world around them. The basic needs and wants of people in the community are studied and evaluated. The students recognize patriotic symbols of our country and the traits of good citizenship. The students extend their understanding of community to the level of state, country, continent, and world. The physical features of the earth are explored using map skills. The students study our country’s past through historical events and learn about significant people and holidays celebrated as a nation. Teaching methods include reading, discussion, activities, crafts, art, and field trips. Students are evaluated through tests, projects, observation, assignments, and class participation.
Science
In 1st and 2nd grades, the students explore life, earth, and the physical sciences through hands-on experimentation. The students investigate various life forms and their habitats; then analyze their personal impact on these environs. The students discover the importance of the earth’s movement and its relation to the sun, moon, and stars. The students experience the states of matter and how different objects move. The scientific method is developed in theory and practice throughout the exploration of these three sciences. Evaluation of students is accomplished through tests, observation, class participation, and projects.
INTERMEDIATE LEVEL
Religion
Students continue to build their faith on their previous knowledge, experiences, and outreach. Students deepen their knowledge of the Kingdom of God, the Catholic faith, the sacramental life of the Church, the Commandments, the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy, and Scripture. Students in grades three and five research the lives of the Saints as heroic role models. Fourth grade students reach out to the community by visiting a nursing home and leading the school with the St. Jude Math-a-thon. Through the study of God, Church, and Scripture, the students come to recognize the importance of living our lives as Catholic/Christian. Students pray, attend mass, participate in service, and broaden their relationship with Jesus.
Language Arts/Reading
Through reading and language arts, the students continue to expand their previously learned decoding skills, comprehension, critical thinking, vocabulary, grammar, spelling, and writing skills. Students read a variety of materials and develop fluency and comprehension. By reading novels and trade books and acquiring study skills, the students continue to develop their command of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Students learn to write for a variety of purposes using clear, concise language and correct grammar. Students utilize a variety of graphic organizers and outlines to use as tools for speaking, writing, and studying. They write personal narratives, descriptive and persuasive essays, expository writing, and friendly and business letters. Students write poetry, such as limericks, poetry with similes and metaphors, cinquains, and haikus.
Mathematics
Students expand their knowledge of all previously learned math concepts and begin multiplication and division. Students advance in problem solving skills and apply mathematical concepts to experiences in their own lives. Basic skills are emphasized and reinforced. Fractions, decimals, percents, and basic operations are drilled daily through practice, repetition, and testing. Students learn to select and apply numerical operations, systems of measurement, estimation, statistics, and probability. Geometric patterns and relationships are investigated. The students learn to grow with confidence towards an algebraic mind set. In the fifth grade, all students begin Advanced Mathematics.
Social Studies
Concepts, such as geography, history, economics, natural resources, culture, and government, are developed through the study of communities, the United States, New Jersey, and the Western Hemisphere. As they understand the relationships among these concepts, students explore the discovery, settlement, and development of civilizations in these regions by native people and colonists. Students reflect on how living in many different areas and cultures can impact people’s lives.
Science
Through the study of the environment, the students are able to learn about their surroundings. Topics are diverse and include classification, plant structures, animal systems, the skeletal and muscular systems of the human body, earth’s ecosystem, weather, features of the earth, plate tectonics, the solar system, states of matter, forces, and types of energy. In the introduction to elementary physics and chemistry, students use the scientific method, to discover simple machines and matter. Students learn about scientists and their discoveries.
MIDDLE LEVEL
Religion
The Middle School religion program provides the students with an in depth look at their faith by examining the Hebrew Scriptures, the Christian Scriptures, and Church History and culminates with a study of contemporary Christian/Catholic morality. This provides students with the opportunity to examine their faith and recommit themselves to a faith filled life and to become educated members of the Church of the new millennium as we face the challenges of our time. The course of study provides the students with Biblical support for our Catholic sacraments and teachings. It provides the students with a vision of the Kingdom and challenges them to take up their role in building it. Religion is taught using textbooks, class discussions, student led presentations, guest speakers, the daily and weekly Scripture readings, weekly celebrations of mass, and daily prayer. Assessment is accomplished through quizzes, tests, and research presentations.
Language Arts/Literature
At the Middle Level, writing is integrated with a variety of literary genre. The sixth grade course outline consists of the students writing poetry, descriptive pieces, persuasive essays, and research reports. The skills of planning, organizing, and writing essays and a research paper are taught. Student reading focuses on an advanced anthology that includes short stories, poetry, biographical sketches, drama, fiction, and non-fiction. The students read novels and are taught active reading strategies, the appreciation of literature, literary elements of story, and critical writing. Seventh and eighth graders continue to build these skills and read novels, such as A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, To Kill A Mockingbird, and Lord of the Flies. These books are read independently and studied as a group in class, including their social implications, vocabulary, and thematic content. Midsummer Night’s Dream and Hamlet are read, acted, and studied as a vehicle to encourage the love of language and appreciation for the theater. The seventh grade adds the researching and writing of a children’s book and their family genealogy. In eighth grade, writing a research paper is mastered from developing a thesis statement to the final publication. At all levels, these assignments are complimented by the study of grammar and vocabulary. Assessment is achieved through quizzes, tests, essays, discussion, projects, papers, questions, and portfolios. The use of videos, study guides, photographs, posters, stories, tapes, books, texts, and discussion enhance a student’s appreciation for the written word.
Mathematics
Our Middle School mathematics program correlates with the Diocesan guidelines and the NCTM standards. Abstract math processes are introduced and developed using student led discovery, lectures, and practice. The sixth grade student masters addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and raising to a power of all rational numbers. The students will relate fractions and decimals to proportions and percents. Geometry is integrated into the study of algebraic concepts and the students will explore perimeter and area, circumference, and the coordinate plane. The seventh grade continues to build on this knowledge by solving two-step equations, finding volume, and calculating probability and statistics. In eighth grade all students take Algebra I. They learn to graph linear equations, to solve word problems dealing with weighted averages and distance, and to perform all operations with monomials. They will add, subtract, multiply, and factor polynomials. Geometry and statistics are incorporated into our course, and students will study right triangles and trigonometry, combined probability, and measures of central tendency. In Honors Math, students will also graph and solve quadratic and exponential equations, divide polynomials, add, subtract, multiply and divide polynomial fractions, and perform all operations with radical expressions. The students are evaluated through homework, class work, quizzes, and tests.
Social Studies
In the sixth grade students acquire historical understanding of the political, social and economic forces that shaped eight ancient civilizations in Europe and the Far East. Students study Europe in the middle ages and continue through the renaissance and reformation. The curriculum emphasizes the role of government, geography, and cultural influences in these civilizations as well as the role of morals, ethics, and religion in their development. The above is accomplished through in-depth study, group projects, and oral presentations. In the seventh and eighth grades, students concentrate on U.S. history and strengthen their understanding of America’s beginning and its role in shaping world events over the past two centuries. Students learn to draw conclusions, categorize ideas, show relationships, and organize thoughts. Students are introduced to America’s native inhabitants, the early settlers, the Revolution, and Civil War. Students then focus on reconstruction and continue through World War One and Two. Students also explore the Cold War, and the Civil Rights Movement through the 1960’s. The students use a text with an interactive CD-Rom to explore America’s past through a variety of activities. Evaluation is based on homework, quizzes, tests, group discussions, and projects.
Science
The Middle School field of study is determined by the diocese, which develops the curriculum in alignment with the NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards. This curriculum is maintained through teaching materials that correlate with the standards. The 6th grade students explore weather and planet Earth. The focus is on the various life spheres of the planet, as well as Earth’s biomes and climate zones. The 7th grade focus is on the dynamic nature of the planet, the process of evolution, the structure and processes within the cell, and an examination of the classification system for living organisms. The functioning of the human body is discussed at length in the first semester of 8th grade. Beginning with a unit on proper nutrition and diet, the course of study follows through each of the major body systems. The second semester focuses on the study of matter and chemistry, especially the organization of the periodic table and the nature of chemical bonding. In each grade, the methods consist of lecture, reading the text, a variety of classroom activities, and hands-on investigations. Assessment activities include quizzes, review games, oral discussions, lab reports, computer activities, and chapter tests.
Art
In art class, students learn drawing skills, the elements of design, and the use of a variety of media, such as acrylics, watercolor, and pastels. Students create projects with mixed media, origami, and sculpture. Students learn to appreciate paintings by studying artists and imitating their style. All students participate in an annual art show and art contests. Students explore their creativity through the Art Resource Center.
SPECIAL SUBJECTS
Computer/ Library
Students in kindergarten to grade five have a half a period of computer and a half a period of library every week. Listening skills are a focus with the primary students. Skills in utilizing the library are presented yearly, as students progress with research skills. Students in grades two to five also read trade books and discuss their reading. In computer, students experience a wide variety of subject specific software, write and illustrate stories, and create timelines and maps. Beginning in kindergarten, students learn mouse dexterity and keyboarding. Microsoft Word is introduced in grade two, PowerPoint in grade four, and Excel in grade five. Before students utilize the Internet for research purposes, they learn about Internet safety. Beginning in sixth grade, the class is expanded to a full period.
Latin
In grades six through eight, students’ intellect is stimulated through the deductive process of learning Latin. Students translate readings, study vocabulary, and learn grammatical functions of Latin words, as well as structural devices, conjugations, conjugations, and syntax. Students learn about the culture of the Romans through stories of family life. Students acquire a better command of English through comparisons of the grammar and enrich their English vocabulary through word derivatives. Students take Latin for two, forty-five minute periods a week in grade 6 and one semester in grades 7 and 8.
Music
Every class is in one musical program every year: grades kindergarten to three perform in a Christmas concert, grades four to six perform in a spring concert, and grades seven and eight perform in a musical. Students learn to sing, to read musical notes, to understand rhythm, about the instruments in the orchestra. By experiencing a wide variety of music, students learn to appreciate this art form.
Physical Education
In the primary grades, students play a variety of games that develop eye-hand and eye-foot coordination and body position. Students play parachute games, scooter games, as well as soccer. From the third to eighth grades, students learn about and practice good sportsmanship and physical fitness. They play team sports, such as ultimate Frisbee, sideline soccer, “college” football, team handball, volleyball, and badminton.
Spanish
Students in grades Pre-K 4 through grade 5 take Spanish for two, thirty-minute periods every week. In grades, 7 and 8, students take one semester of Spanish for two, forty-five minute periods. The objective of the Spanish classes is to develop listening, speaking, reading, and writing proficiency. In listening, the students will comprehend basic vocabulary, structures, and expressions essential for everyday communication. In speaking, the students will be able to respond to simple questions, statements, and commands using words, phrases, and short sentences. In reading and writing, students utilize a workbook for reading and writing Spanish and study the cultures of Spanish speaking people.
Sunday Bulletin
