21505 Augusta Ave. Port Charlotte, Fl. 33952 Phone: 941.625.5533 Email: info@stcbs.org
The 7 Most Important Student Goals Here At
St. Charles Catholic School
Goal Number 1: Faith Formation
Teaching students how to incorporate Catholic
doctrine and the Gospel message into their daily lives.
Research Shows...
• Parents are the primary educators of their children.
• Teachers should work continuously on their own spiritual
growth in order to effectively model Catholic identity.
• Faith formation should be age-appropriate.
• Teachers and students have roles as missionaries
Here At St. Charles
• Parents assist in religious education and attend weekly school liturgies.
• Teachers attend workshops on Catholic identity and theology, as well as monthly catechetical training.
• Pre-kindergarten children learn about God through biblical stories. In grades K through 4, faith formation is scripture based around the parables. In middle school, students are involved in active ministry, which helps them to practice and broaden their
faith in the real world.
• All classrooms participate in social justice projects and help serve the needs of others, through the Holy Childhood Association, Respect Life Walk, and other classroom activities.
Goal Number 2: Learning to Learn
Becoming aware of the necessary skills and
tools that facilitate learning.
Research shows…
• Skills needed to become a life-long learner include
perseverance, self-discipline, and the ability to work with others.
• Teacher modeling and verbalizing of thinking processes promotes acquisition of learning skills among students.
• Scaffolding, or building upon, a strong foundation of skills reinforces the importance of continual learning.
• A feature of schools that produce powerful learning is the use of interdisciplinary units that are not fractured into
disconnected subjects.
At St. Charles …
• The schedule incorporates ninety-minute reading blocks in lower grades and double periods in Language Arts and Science for middle school classes.
• Students participate in project-based learning experiences to allow an opportunity to apply information.
• Special area classes, as well as all core subject classes, collaborate so that information is learned in context and reinforced.
• Study skills, information literacy skills, time management, and organization are embedded in the curriculum and modeled by teachers.
Goal 3: Expanding and Integrating Knowledge
Connecting methods and techniques, learned
in multiple subject areas, to acquire new skills
and solve complex problems.
Research shows…
• Students are part of a global community and need to integrate and collaborate on an international level.
• Students learn and remember new information best when it is linked to relevant prior knowledge.
• Prior knowledge acts as a lens through which we view and absorb new information. It is a composite of who we are, based on what we have learned from both our academic and everyday experiences.
• By tapping their students' prior knowledge in all subject areas, teachers can plan lessons that will: clarify incomplete or erroneous prior knowledge, determine the extent of instruction necessary in a particular topic area, and discern necessary adjustments to planned independent activities and assessment materials.
At St. Charles …
• Students participate in the Model United Nations.
• Teachers collaborate with each other and evaluate their instruction to ensure they are building on what their students know.
• Teachers use classroom discussions to activate and illustrate students’ prior knowledge, encouraging students to think about their thinking.
Goal 4: Communication Skills
Reading, writing, speaking, and listening to
transmit and receive information.
Research shows…
• Students need support at home and at school, and this process is made much easier through positive teacher/parent relationships.
• Parental involvement can free teachers to focus more on the task of teaching children. Also, by having more contact with parents, teachers learn more about students' needs and home environment, which is information they can apply toward better meeting those needs.
• Students perform better in school when teachers openly communicate with parents, when parents become actively involved in their children’s education and when a healthy school climate is maintained.
At St. Charles…
• Students produce a weekly “Crusader Newsminute” to inform the student body of upcoming events.
• A weekly newsletter is sent home with all students.
• Teachers utilize edline.net to inform parents of upcoming tests, assignments and projects.
• St. Charles utilizes an all-call system that allows for a quick and simple way to relay events or change in the schedule.
• St. Charles also utilizes social media, Facebook, texting & Twitter, to also allow parents and students to remain connected.
Goal 5: Thinking and
Reasoning Skills
Using information effectively to gain knowledge and organize information to justify conclusions.
Generating innovative ideas by working beyond
conventional boundaries. Defining a problem, developing and implementing a strategy and self-evaluating the process.
Research shows…
There are six general thinking and reasoning skills
• Utilizing mental processes
• Applying problem solving skills
• Understanding and applying the principle of argumentation
• Decision Making
• Hypothesis testing and scientific inquiry
• Logic and Reasoning Concept Attainment Strategies include
• Using enhanced reading comprehension
• Focusing on the meaning of a concept
• Studying concepts from narrative/expository texts
• Giving learners precise steps to build their thinking
• Referencing Bloom’s Cognitive Taxonomy of learning objectives
At St. Charles …
• Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) results are used to assess student learning and enable teachers to target specific learning needs.
• A Resource program and Title I services are available for students with additional needs.
• Teachers are encouraged to differentiate instruction to meet a variety of learning styles.
• Students utilize the Accelerated Reader (AR) reading management program.
• Criterion, an online writing program, is used to individualize feedback and instruction in grades 5 through 8.
• Students in grades 5 through 8 participate in a Science Fair.
Goal 6: Interpersonal Skills
Assisting students to successfully interact with
others in the school setting.
Research shows…
There are three key interpersonal skills for elementary students:
• Conflict Resolution
• Communication
• Cooperative Learning
At St. Charles …
• Students are given direction in conflict resolution by classroom teachers, during guidance classes, and one-on-one interventions.
• Teachers foster communication skills through classroom discussion and public-speaking opportunities, and through extracurricular activities such as Model United Nations.
• Students are engaged in cooperative learning through school-wide projects such as the “Water Quality” initiative.
Goal 7: Personal and Social
Responsibility
Taking an active role in understanding
individual obligations and issues relating
to others and the environment.
Research shows…
• When positive attitudes and behaviors are present, students are better able to commit themselves to their work, which paves the way for perseverance, diligence, and ultimately, increased achievement.
• Schools that infuse character education in their curricula and cultures find
improved academic achievement, behavior, school environment, peer interaction, and parental involvement.
• Programs that teach social and emotional skills and character development to elementary school children can improve academic test scores as much as 10% on national standardized math and reading tests.
• Teachers, after implementing character education in their classrooms on a consistent basis, saw dramatic results. Children are more accepting and respectful of one another. They learn to develop compassion and a sense of responsibility for their choices and actions. They feel empowered to make a positive impact on their class and their life.
At St. Charles…
Students participate in:
• Weekly liturgies (including church buddies) • Holy Childhood Association
• Canned food drives for St. Vincent de Paul • Water Quality Initiative
• Drug and Alcohol Program • Bullying Awareness and Prevention
• Respect Life Walk • Middle school peer conflict resolution group
• Rainbows: Divorce/loss support group • Recycling of paper, cans, tabs, and Capri Sun pouches
