Academics

Through our value-oriented curriculum we provide the opportunity for each student’s spiritual, intellectual, psychological, social, physical, and aesthetic growth.  We guide students toward responsible, moral decision-making in a world of challenged Christian values. Our curriculum meets and exceeds California state standards. 

The following basic subjects are taught at Junipero Serra School:  religion, mathematics (concepts, computation, application, and drill), language arts (reading/literature, spelling, handwriting, and grammar/composition), science, health, safety, social studies, physical education, art, and music.  

The core curriculum is enriched by classes in advanced math, Spanish, computer skills and application, library, musical productions, art docent program, Accelerated Reader and the D.A.R.E. program.  In addition to the full academic schedule, there is a rich variety of programs designed to complement our academic structure:  Student Council, after school athletic program, student-prepared liturgies, sacramental program, rosary recitation, May Crowning, altar servers, choir, Rosary Club, scouts, community service projects, visual and performing arts, talent show, yearbook, school newspaper, junior high dances, Mini-Olympics, science fair, spelling bee, field trips, and seventh and eighth grade retreats.

Art Docent Program
Art is an important part of every child’s education.  Junipero Serra School students enjoy the benefit of an Art Docent Program which fosters creativity and appreciation of the visual arts.  Art Docent volunteers work with the faculty and staff to teach a different hands-on art project each month.  A variety of subjects are covered, including collage, painting, drawing, and paper sculpture. 

In a program parallel to the Art Docent Program, students at each grade level are presented with a different masterpiece each month.  Students have an opportunity; to learn about the life and times of the artist who created each work of art featured in the Picture of the Month.

Technology
Computer technology skills are part of the general curriculum in kindergarten through eighth grades and are integrated throughout the curriculum. The computer classroom features 31 workstations using updated versions of popular productivity and multimedia software. Each classroom has wireless Internet access with workstations available for students to use. Multimedia projectors and interactive whiteboards are available for teachers to use in their curriculum.  

Kindergarten and First Grade students attend weekly, while Second through Eighth Grades have computer class two periods per week. Skills introduced by our technology teacher include word processing, keyboarding, Internet Research skills and safety, multimedia drawing and painting skills, digital photography editing/videography, the use of spreadsheets, and the creation of multimedia presentations and webpages. Learning skills are reinforced with computer programs appropriate for each grade level. 

Library

Students come to the library weekly to check out books and to learn library skills and research skills. 

Book acquisitions are substantial through Book Fair proceeds, Adopt- a -Book Program, and strong community support. In addition to information literacy skills the library reinforces our Accelerated Reader Program. Accelerated Reader is an electronic reading program in  which students in grades 3 – 8 are required to participate.  The program helps students increase their reading comprehension through goal setting and self-directed quizzes.

Music Program
The music program at Junipero Serra School commences in kindergarten with the joy of singing emphasizing beat, tempo, and pitch.  Basic music theory is begun then and broadened in second through fourth grades.  A study of composers alternates with a unit on Shakespeare in sixth and seventh grades.  Seventh and eighth grades put on full-length musicals in fall and spring.  All students participate in the Christmas Program in December and in the Performing Arts Night in May.

Physical Education

Physical education is an integral part of the general curriculum for all grades.  The program complies with the State of California Teaching Standards.  students learn game strategies and rules; conditioning and stretching exercises.  Good sportsmanship is practiced and stressed in all game situations.

Junipero Serra School offers an afterschool sports program to our middle school students. Fall sports include Girls Volleyball, Boys Volleyball, and Boys and Girls Soccer.

During the Winter we offer Boys and Girls Basketball open to 6th - 8th grades and Boys and Girls Flag Football for 7th and 8th grade only. Each Spring our students play coed golf in a very large version of the Mission Trail Junior Athletic League(MTJAL).

Spanish
Spanish instruction is provided to students in all grades.   Students learn basic vocabulary, sentence structure, pronunciation, basic conversation, and use questions.  Students progress into conjugation of verbs (present, past, imperfect, and future tenses), as well as writing, conversation, and vocabulary.  In  sixth, seventh, and eighth grade, students are able to ask and answer questions correctly, write simple compositions, and develop conversational skills.  Graduating students are often ready for Spanish 2 in high school.

Advanced Math 
Advanced math is available for approximately half the Junior High students.  In advanced math sixth graders take a slightly enriched course of instruction.  Seventh graders take eighth grade math/pre-algebra, and eighth graders take algebra 1.  Students who are successful in Algebra 1 are eligible to be placed in geometry when they apply for high school.  If they continue to be successful with their math studies, they may take calculus as a high school senior and test out of basic calculus as a college freshman.

Student Activities

Choir
Choir meets once a week to practice for school liturgies and monthly school Masses. 

Newspaper
The school newspaper is published quarterly. Each grade submits articles of activities occurring in the classroom.  Students on the newspaper committee compile and prepare the paper for publication. 

Rosary Club
Rosary Club meets weekly during lunch.  Students reverently recite the rosary as well as learn the mysteries of the holy rosary. 

Sports
Grades 6, 7, & 8 participate in after school sports. Practices take place on campus.  The program includes competitive games within a private school league.   

Student Council
Student Council members are elected by the student body.  Student body officers must be in grades 6 – 8.  Class Representatives participate in grades 4 – 8.  The student council plans one fun activity a month to promote school spirit.  Some of the activities are fundraisers with proceeds going to charity, community outreach, and assemblies. 

Yearbook
The school yearbook planning begins in January.  Work continues through the spring with publication and delivery at the end of the school year. 

Examples of other extracurricular activities:

Spelling Bee
Academic Decathlon
Science Fair
Mathletics
Art Competition
National Language Arts Olympiad
Poetry Contests

Core Curriculum

Kindergarten 

Entering kindergarten students must be 5 years of age by September 1^st. 

Kindergarten instruction uses a combination of educational approaches.  The classroom activities are both academically and developmentally appropriate. Academic goals are to recognize and be able to sound out letters of the alphabet and to discover various math concepts.  The classroom is  a developmentally appropriate environment where the needs and development level of the students are taken into consideration.  Out goal in kindergarten is to encourage educational and social growth by creating an inviting learning atmosphere. A love of God and spiritual values are present in all learning activities. 

What to do to help your child prepare for Kindergarten: 

1.      Provide a positive home atmosphere and attitude towards learning.

2.      Encourage your child to do his/her best.

3.      Participate in activities that require parental involvement.

4.      Talk with your child about shared experiences.

5.      `Read aloud to your child and listen to your child read or retell stories and poems to you.

6.      Show your child the importance and use of reading and writing in daily life.

First Grade 

The first grade program includes the basic subjects of reading, writing, math, science, social studies, art, music computers, physical education, and library.  Daily religion instruction is integrated throughout the curriculum through literature, writing, art, projects, and prayer. 

Students become confident and fluent readers through explicit systematic instruction in phonics, comprehension strategies and rich authentic literature experiences.  Writing is incorporated daily as a form of learning and personal communication.  The math program develops a strong foundation for success through the use of manipulatives.

Second Grade 

Second grade is a year of learning and fun.  Work continues on reading skills, especially silent reading and silent comprehension, phonics (decoding new words), as well as emphasis on sentence and paragraph writing, including parts of speech.  The math curriculum includes number facts, time, money, place value, two and three column addition and subtraction with trading.  Social studies includes learning about the world, the country, and its history and customs.  Science is enriched with a hands-on program. Most important in second grade is the religion program.  This is the year students prepare to receive the sacraments of First Penance and First Communion.  They become closer friends with Jesus and our church community.  Every week includes instruction in music, physical education, library, computers, and a fine arts class once a month, in  addition to the classroom art experience.  Field trips and special class activities enrich the learning process and are an integral part of the students’ total development.

Third Grade 

Third grade is a transitional step for students - a bridge from the primary to the intermediate grades.  Developmentally, the students are eager to assume more responsibility for themselves and their schoolwork.  Study skills, organizational and time management skills, and other “life” skills are significant components of our curriculum.  Basic subjects also reflect the transitional nature of the third grade year.  The students begin learning multiplication and division skills.  They also learn cursive handwriting.  The reading program integrates reading, writing, speaking, spelling, and phonics skills, so that the students learn language the way it is used in everyday life – holistically.  The wholeness of knowledge is also acknowledged by integrating and making connections between what we learn in  all subjects, including social studies, science, religion, art, and literature.

Fourth Grade 

Fourth Grade is a transitional year: it is the second semester of fourth grade that students are eligible for Honor Roll. 

Mission projects, reports and a field trip to Mission San Juan Bautista make up an important part of California History studies.  

Math curriculum is based on the Saxon math text, an incremental math program. 

Religion is integrated in all subject areas through liturgy preparation, prayer, reading, writing, and creative projects. 

The fourth grade curriculum includes language arts, hands-on science, Spanish, computer science, art, physical education, music and library.

Fifth Grade 

The fifth grade curriculum builds upon previous years of learning.  It enables students to continue developing spiritually, academically, athletically, and artistically.  By the end of the year, students are expected to master basic skills in grammar, composition, spelling, reading, and vocabulary development.  Literature is an important component of the reading program using a literature text and novels. 

The math curriculum focuses on fundamental skills in addition, subtraction, multiplication, fractions, decimals, problem solving and basic geometry.  

In social studies, the students examine the world ---  past and present.  The emphasis is on exploration of North America, formation of the thirteen colonies, Westward Expansion,  Revolutionary War, reconstruction of America,  Civil War and American Government. 

Daily religion instruction is an integral part of the curriculum and is integrated throughout the curriculum through reading, writing, discussion and activities.  Family Life, ACRE Test, (religion assessment exam administered every year to fifth graders), and  D.A.R.E. (Drug Awareness and Resistance Education) are also part of fifth grade curriculum. 

Other subjects include science, Spanish, physical education, computer science, library, art and music and are key components to the fifth grade curriculum.

Sixth Grade 

The sixth graders at Junipero Serra School have an integrated curriculum.  The science curriculum includes the study of Earth’s ecosystems, Earth’s riches, climate and atmosphere, and the plant kingdom, which ties in with the hands-on learning at outdoor science school. Electricity and magnetism are studied and students participate in the school science fair. 

Studies of Ancient civilizations studies include Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, India, Greece, Israel and Rome. Geography is also part of the social studies curriculum. .  The Saxon math text is used for both accelerated and regular math classes.  Language arts includes daily journals, writing/composition skills, mechanics and grammar, reports, spelling, vocabulary, creative writing, literature comprehension and appreciation, reading fluency and analytical thinking skills.  Students read and study several novels; for example, Where The Red Fern Grows, Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry, Julie of the Wolves, Esperanza Rising. 

Religion is integrated in the curriculum through literature, writing, art, and discussion.  Spanish, computer science, library, art, music and physical education are part of the sixth grade curriculum.  Field trips, report writing, oral presentations, and Socratic seminar participation enrich the curriculum in sixth grade.  A main task in sixth grade is to develop and utilize study skills that prepare the students for junior high and high school.

Seventh and Eighth Grades 

The Junior High Program at Junipero Serra School includes the core subjects of religion, mathematics, English, literature, social studies, science and Spanish. Religion is integrated throughout the curriculum through literature, writing, and art. 

The standard skills are stressed.  Thinking skills, term papers, English grammar, advanced mathematics, hands-on science, and a core literature program are some examples.  All students take physical education, computer, and library.  Drama and art are also an important part of the curriculum. 

The Junior High has an active student council whose members provide exciting activities for the entire school.  These events help the student council members develop leadership qualities and a sense of responsibility. 

Working and growing in a Christian environment is an important goal of the entire school.  The students have the opportunity to attend two retreats during the school year, and they participate in many kinds of school prayer.  Junior High students also are required to complete thirty hours of service before graduation.