Jr High - Grades 6,7, & 8

Jr. High

Junior High Overview

Our Junior High students begin each day in their homeroom classrooms before transitioning through a structured daily schedule. Following a departmentalized model, students change classrooms for each subject, fostering independence and preparing them for the academic routines of high school.

We are proud to have a dedicated team of five Junior High teachers, each specializing in their subject area. The core curriculum includes:

English

Mathematics

Spanish

Social Studies

Science

Religion

To support a focused and engaging learning environment, we maintain a maximum of 22 students per grade level. Our current Junior High consists of one class each in Grade 6, Grade 7, and Grade 8, allowing for a close-knit community where students are known, supported, and challenged.

Technology is an integral part of the learning experience in Junior High. Chromebooks are available to students for instructional use as needed, supporting research, collaboration, and skill development. While we embrace the benefits of digital tools, our teaching remains rooted in traditional, teacher-led instruction, providing students with a balanced and well-rounded academic foundation.

Academic Achievements

At the end of each academic quarter, we recognize and celebrate student success through our Honor Roll and High Honors distinctions. These achievements reflect outstanding performance in all subject areas, as well as consistent effort and exemplary conduct.

Certificates for Honor Roll and High Honors recipients are distributed during a designated morning announcement, led by our principal. This special moment allows us to acknowledge our students' hard work and dedication in front of their peers and teachers.

English (ELA) & Literature

In junior high English, there is group instruction with note-taking and review, individual work, small group or paired work. Tests & quizzes are provided as well as assigned papers/projects and homework. Worldly Wise is an integral part of the curriculum. Students complete spelling and vocabulary assignments to expand their knowledge and for weekly tests.  There is an emphasis on grammar and how it relates to writing. This allows students to improve their writing skills in sentence structure as well as longer writing assignments.  In Literature, the focus is on getting a deeper understanding of the material.  Skills that have been learned in previous years are applied to a variety of writing styles, including fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and plays.  
 

Religion

Junior High Religion is focused on students gaining a stronger relationship with Jesus and opening their minds up to the influence of the Holy Spirit and church on their lives. Each grade starts their day off with a journal reflection to get them thinking about how they can strengthen their faith and become better students, friends, siblings, and community members. 

Students will be given homework prompts to get them thinking about their role as a Christian and how they can better serve and share their love of Jesus. Throughout the year, students are given opportunities to express their faith in praying at Mass, the rosary, confession and adoration.

Social Studies

Mr. Bernard's Social Studies curriculum per grade is listed below:

 Grade 6- World History
 

Grade 7 - US History starting at the Revolutionary War
 

Grade 8 - Civics and US History 

Students take notes in class. Historical novels are also introduced. Maps are used in classroom instruction. Quizzes and tests are included.  

Science

Junior High Science takes a hands-on approach to learning, giving students the chance to build awareness through exploration, hypothesizing, and evidence-based inferences. Students work on team-building as they participate in weekly labs, case studies, and quest exploration topics that get them to focus on self-awareness and the world around them. 

Students will follow the class expectation of being respectful, responsible, and safe as they explore new materials like microscopes, STEM materials, and use chemistry to demonstrate cause and effect. 

We will end the year with a Science Fair based on what students have learned as they develop skills in planning, presentation, and ultimately demonstrating a detailed understanding of their student-selected topic.
 

Math

Junior High Math is based on the Diocesan and State Standards.

Grade 6 focus is on: ratio and rate reasoning, rational numbers, expressions and equations, geometry (area and perimeter), and statistical thinking.

Grade 7 focus is on: developing understanding of proportional relationships, operations with rational numbers (fractions and decimals), linear equations, geometry (area, surface area, and volume), and statistics and probability.

Grade 8 focus is on: 9th Grade Algebra 1: quantities, expressions, equations and inequalities, functions (linear, exponential, and quadratic), and statistics and probability.

The Junior High has five math periods and a math lab. Homework is given Monday-Thursday. Extra help is offered as needed.