Primary Grades

St John Vianney School follows the standards and guidelines of the Diocese of Madison. As a result, our curriculum for kindergarten through second grade seamlessly blends Catholic values with rigorous academics. We use enrichment and remediation as needed to help our students succeed academically while always challenging them to achieve their best and to become strong Catholic members of society. We partner with parents to assist them in the process of giving their children a strong Catholic education.

Religion

The mosaic in the St John Vianney school entry states these three important principles: learn, pray, serve. These are the building blocks of our faith. Our primary-grade-level religion program is We Believe, a Sadlier program. It is approved and supported by the Diocese of Madison. We attend weekly Mass and Benediction and there are many opportunities during the year for children to help plan and participate in prayer services and to be involved in service projects.

Reading and Writing

Our primary-level grades use the Houghton Mifflin series, Wonders. This series is full of a variety of rich literature and focuses on higher-level thinking skills. We use Jolly Phonics, UFLI, Haggerty, and Secret Stories for phonics instruction at various grade levels. These are excellent programs that incorporate movement, music, and stories when teaching sounds. Students take home leveled books weekly to improve and reinforce the reading we are doing at school. We hope to foster life-long readers who love books and learning.

Math

Our math classes use the Saxon Math curriculum which is a very hands-on, manipulative based program at this age. Students use manipulatives to learn math concepts and basic math skills. The program utilizes a spiraling approach so students are practicing key concepts over and over to achieve mastery. We also use Rocket Math to learn our basic facts. Each child works at his or her own pace to achieve set goals.  We provided teachers and students with the computer program called Freckle. Freckle allows teachers to differentiate the math practice of their students at a level that is best for them.

Science and Social Studies

Students are actively engaged in experiments and hands-on education activities to learn about science, famous inventors, and how science impacts our world. Our social studies program teaches children about the world we live in including geography, history, famous Americans, government, and our economy.