Religion
Students enjoy a faith-based, Catholic curriculum that enhances their understanding of our dynamic faith. With guided reading and reflection of biblical principles, each student has the unique opportunity to strengthen and deepen their relationship with God. Exploring the life of Jesus and the writings of the New Testament, each student learns their part of the vital new covenant made between God and his devoted followers. The year culminates with curriculum directed toward making moral decisions with their faith and deep worship of God at the heart of those decisions.
Mathematics
All students at Seton Catholic School are on an advanced math sequence in which they complete Algebra I by the end of their 8th grade year. Regular attendance and homework completion are crucial to students’ success in this advanced sequence. Students in sixth grade will take Math 6 as their introductory middle school math course. Students in seventh grade will take either Pre-algebra or Algebra. Students in eighth grade will take either Algebra or Geometry.
Placement in the accelerated math courses (7th Algebra and 8th Geometry) will be determined by teacher recommendation, MAP scores, and overall work habits. Placement in Algebra does NOT guarantee placement in Geometry for 8th grade. Our program focuses heavily on Algebra since it is the foundation of all future math courses; we require our students to have a solid Algebra foundation prior to advancing to Geometry. Both the Algebra and Geometry courses will move at a vigorous pace.
Language Arts
Students complete a challenging curriculum designed to prepare them for freshman year of high school. Students strengthen their reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills through various units aligned with the ELA standards. Students develop a strong foundational knowledge of the mechanics of the English language through grammar and vocabulary independent reading units, along with in-class readings of non-fiction, poems, plays, and novels, which play a vital role to the success of each student. Students demonstrate their knowledge through a variety of hands-on projects.
In Writing, students are exposed to various styles of writing, as well as the writing process, six traits of writing, and modes of writing. Through the use of a Writer’s Notebook and Morpheme Lexicon, students are given the opportunity to learn root words and affixes, explore writing ideas, and demonstrate the tools used when writing. The purpose of this class is to help students think like authors and to prepare them for writing in the future, while also making writing fun. Our program begins with introduction to skills and strategies in sixth grade, and intensifies as students progress through seventh and eighth grade. This is a class intended for students to explore ideas, develop organized writing pieces, and learn to enjoy writing…even just a little!
Social Studies
Sixth grade starts the year with the basics of geography and will create island maps. The remainder of the year will be devoted to ancient world history, holidays, and special projects.
Seventh grade will begin the year learning about economic concepts and prepare for the Stock Market game. The remainder of the year will be devoted to the study of world history from the Middle Ages to the Cold War, and will work on special projects.
Eighth grade will begin the year studying and taking part in sociology experiments. They will also study the Constitution and U.S. Government. They will elect class officers and learn debating skills. They will study U.S. History from European settlement to the Great Depression.Students participate in a rigorous curriculum designed to fully prepare them for freshmen year of high school.
Science
Middle School Science is broken into three content levels. Sixth grade studies Earth and Space, seventh grade studies Life Science, and eighth grade focuses on Chemistry and Physics.
