Curriculum and Methods

St. Bernadette School offers the full range of required curricular offerings mandated both by the State Department of Education and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The faculty offers these courses within the framework of a variety of teaching methods designed to meet the needs of today’s students, preparing for tomorrow’s world. Critical thinking and problem solving skills are integrated into the mastery of the material.

Early Childhood

The school offers a three-year old and a four-year old program both in the morning and in the afternoon. The children are exposed to social activities such as sharing, caring for their personal belongings, following directions and working both individually and in small groups. They are progressively exposed through songs, stories and activities to phonetic sounds and simple vocabulary; through the medium of bright colors and stimulating movement and hands-on activities, they learn about their world.

Kindergarten

The progression continues in the kindergarten where parents have a choice between half and full day sessions. The kindergarten children learn to print their names; they begin simple reading readiness activities and math; they master counting and adding small numbers and cause and effect as well as sequencing; all of the activities at this level are meant to be fun and stimulating, while preparing them for the exciting world of first grade.

Primary Grades

The primary grades begin a thorough exposure to Integrated Language Arts activities through listening, speaking, reading and writing activities; they move forward in the math skills according to the guidelines for each grade level; as they progress through the grades, they receive more formal instruction in science and social studies.

Upper Grades

The students in the middle and upper classes continue to follow the curriculum specific to each grade level. As they progress through the grades, they are exposed to higher level thinking skills and more independent learning. Accelerated Math is available to students in grades seven and eight.