Academic Life

Students in grades K-8, in partnership with teachers and staff, engage in a challenging academic program grounded in Diocesan and state requirements.

Students at all grade levels study religion, mathematics, English language and literature, history, and science. Students in the first through fourth grades take classes in Italian, while those in grades five to eight take Spanish or Latin. Most academic classes meet daily. Extracurricular “special” classes are physical education, visual arts, music, computers, and (for preschoolers through fourth graders) library.

The school’s program reflects the school’s goal of fostering academic excellence, faith formation, and development of the whole student. Elementary school students read widely, learn to organize their thoughts and put them down in Standard English, and master whole-number arithmetic with an emphasis on problem-solving. Middle schoolers engage with challenging texts, write across genres, complete their study of arithmetic and begin to tackle algebra, and gain thorough general knowledge of history and science. Students’ spiritual development is supported with religion classes, infusion of Catholicism into other subject areas, and regular in-school practice of the faith through prayer, attendance at Mass, and seasonal events. The program promotes the development of the whole student with physical education, arts classes, technological instruction, and extracurricular offerings.

St. Joseph provides nonacademic programs consistent with its mission: physical education, cross country, and sport-stacking to promote students’ physical development; art class, music class, choir, and drama to promote students’ aesthetic development; and computer class and yearbook club to help students develop their technological skills.

Grades Six and Seven Religion

Grade Eight Religion

Grades 5 - 8 Language Arts and Literature

Grades 5 - 8 History

Grades 5 - 8 Math

Grades 5 -8 Science