Co-Curriculum Classes

Art Class

Students attend art class weekly. For our younger grades, projects are chosen to develop fine motor skills as well as relating to the current area of study. Projects allow for creativity and uniqueness while developing already growing fine motor skills. Our older grades attend art to learn about the elements and principals of art and how to use them in their own projects. Special techniques are combined with many types of media to work on craftsmanship and problem solving through art. The creative process, creative expression, culture and heritage, artists and art history are touched upon at various times during each project.

Music Class

Kindergarten through 8th grade experience music class weekly. Music class is design to help a children explore their world through music, and focuses on the structure and use of music in everyday life. Students learn about instruments and their sounds, how music is structured (musical forms, reading music, musical styles). Students learn to play simple instruments, construct simple melodic passages, and more. Students discover and develop their natural signing voice, and how to sing simple harmonies.

Library

The school library is open every day from 7:45 am - 3:00 pm. The library is computerized for check out and contains over 18,000 books. Library concentrates on building basic library skills and developing reading proficiency. Students are taught how to select and check out a book, as well as locate and evaluate books for personal reading and for achieving goals in the Accelerated Reader program. Students have regular weekly visits to the library for instruction and book checkout but also have access on an “as needed” basis during open library hours.

Birthday Book Club

St. Barnabas School has a Birthday Book Club for all students in Grades K-8. A student may donate a favorite new book or make a monetary donation to the library on the occasion of his/her birthday. This donation should be given to the librarian and she will ask the child his particular interests and a book will be purchased in honor of your child. A bookplate will be inserted in the book on the inside cover as a permanent remembrance of the child’s birthday. Also, a birthday book club paper hot air balloon will be put on display in the library, and include the name of the child and donated book.

Accelerated Reader Program

The Accelerated Reader (AR) Program thru Renaissance Learning is managed by the Library. Accelerated Reader is an innovative computerized learning information system that provides teachers with data to help and motivate every student to dramatically increase reading practice. Students use the program by reading a book of their choosing at their color-coded reading level. They then take a short quiz on the book on the computer. Quizzes are multiple choice and are anywhere between 5 and 20 questions. This is a web-based program and includes over 150,000 titles to choose from.

The computer scores the quiz and provides the teacher and student with reports on student progress. Students must pass at 70% and up. For Grades 3-8, it is counted as part of the student’s reading grade. 1st graders are recommended by their teachers and through parental request by way of teacher, if they are ready. They must be able to read the questions on the quiz without any help. All 2nd graders participate in the AR program through their reading day in the library. The librarian reads the leveled books and then all must take the quiz, providing them all ample preparation for 3rd grade requirements. Since this program is optional for 1st and 2nd graders, it is not considered a part of their reading grade.

Students are given incentive prizes for the amount of books they have read. Prizes are given for 5, 10, 20, 30 books etc. Students write their name on the “Reading Wall of Fame” door and the highest readers are honored at the end of the year awards assembly. Students who have read 100 books or more are honored with a gift certificate.

Renaissance Home Connect

Parents may monitor their child’s AR progress thru the Renaissance Learning Home Connect. Your child's teacher will send a letter home with your child’s username and password and you will be able to monitor your child’s bookshelf and scores from home. Also, you will be automatically notified by e-mail when your child completes the AR quiz. Your child will not be able to take AR tests from home with this program.

AR Bookfind

Another way to expand your child’s parameters with reading is to visit arbookfind.com. Check this site to find AR books from any library or do the advanced search for certain subjects and levels of reading. This is a great way to find books according to your child’s interests.

Computer Technology

Our technology program is driven to develop a computer literate student properly prepared for future technologies. We want to teach the students the power of technology and how it can impact our society, while continuing to support our students with learning state-of- the-art skills for tomorrow’s world.

We have identified technology goals for students at each grade level:

In Kindergarten students should become comfortable using the computer and learning new vocabulary.
In grades 1 – 3, students should become familiar with Google spreadsheet tools.
In grades 4 – 5, students are to improve keyboarding skills, continue developing skills using Google docs, and other technology (3D printers, video editing, etc.)
Our junior high students are to begin using technology to solve increasing complex problems.

Physical Education

Our Physical Education curriculum is on the well-being of our students being physically fit in mind, body, and soul. Classes are structured to begin with a variety of basic exercises, and fun games to work specific area of skills, eye/hand, eye/foot coordination, under/over hand throwing, spatial awareness, and body positioning. These skills plus good sportsmanship, teamwork, respect and leadership steer a student to a lifelong learning of good health.