Curriculum

SVDP Preschool

Saint Vincent de Paul Catholic School offers both Traditional and Montessori Preschool programs.   The Montessori Method is a child-centered approach that has the child’s innate desire for learning at its foundation.  Traditional preschool offers developmentally age-appropriate curriculum that is teacher-led, play-based social-emotional learning in a positive and productive classroom environment.  Both the Montessori and the Traditional classrooms teach academic preparedness for SVDP Kindergarten.

SVDP participates in the Denver Preschool Program. Preschool students who are Denver residents and are 4 years old by October 1st, are encouraged to enroll. The program provides graduated scholarship amounts based on financial eligibility, but every student receives a scholarship! In addition to the direct benefit to the student, our preschool program receives financial support and educational opportunities for the teaching staff.

Grades K-8

SVDP’s rigorous, time-tested curriculum, taught by committed faculty in a faith-based and nurturing environment, results in measurable academic achievement.  Catholic teachings, faith and traditions are integral to a curriculum that reinforces what is taught in the home, including virtues of discipline, respect, perseverance and responsibility.

Curriculum Overview

21st Century Learning Initiatives

What does it mean to be a 21st Century Learner? Cultivating intellectual virtues is not a 21st Century idea, but an ancient one.  So how do we integrate traditional pedagogical approaches with the gift that is modern technology, itself a series of curious discoveries? In a time increasingly characterized by isolation and focus on the self, SVDP students are guided in ways to relate to each other and to God in a manner that rests on traditional foundations but prepares students for the future.  To that end, SVDP fully integrates the following 21st Learning Initiatives into its curriculum:

 

Technology

SVDP is a technology rich school that strives to use technology with intentionality and in a developmentally appropriate way.  Our state-of-the-art computer lab, with 30 stations, was updated in 2018. Every classroom is equipped with Smartboards, and our iPad ratio is 1:1 in the upper grades and 2:1 or 3:1 in the lower grades, with iPad accessibility in each classroom.

 

Lego Robotics

Established in 2016, the robotics program at SVDP allows students to explore concepts of science, technology, engineering, and math through interactive, hands-on experience while engaging the learner in relevant tasks.  Robotics is also a vehicle for challenging and developing the learning styles of each student.

 

Students in grades 1-5 build a variety of robotic mechanisms from the LEGO® Education WeDo, and middle school students use the LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Education EV3 robotic systems. The students first build the Lego® based robots, incorporating all the appropriate bricks, parts and robotic sensors. Once built, they design programs on the computer to instruct the robots to perform specific tasks and multistep challenges. Lastly, the students test and redesign the programs until the robot completes the assigned tasks. Throughout the entire process, the students work cooperatively with partners, recording observations and communicating their results.

 

Outdoor Learning Lab

Debuted in 2017, the Lab is a unique outdoor space that enhances the hands on learning of students in science and other academic disciplines.  The lab includes a fully outfitted chicken coop and irrigated raised garden beds, and will eventually include a greenhouse, sensory garden, pollinator garden, and weather station.  Curriculum related to the Lab will be debuted in the fall of 2018, though students are already engaged in care of the space and inaugural plantings. We currently have five hens clucking around, laying eggs, and entertaining students and neighbors alike. More hatchlings coming in Spring 2018!

 

New Media

Information and communication seem to take new forms by the day.  At SVDP, we understand that students are curious to explore the vast amount of information at their fingertips, and that they need guidance to learn to search for and use information responsibly.  Through our curriculum and resources, such as the Sister Mary Dolores Library, students discern the value of various media sources and become skilled in research.  Our librarian focuses on library and research proficiencies, including academic topics such as proper citation and plagiarism.  Within the medial literacy curriculum, a unit on journalism further ensures that SVDP students are prepared to succeed in high school and, as importantly, to engage in the critical conversations that await them beyond our door.

Strong Curriculum = High Achievement

Annual and periodic assessments tell the administration and the teachers that the SVDP curriculum is working!  Consistently, year over year, students perform, on average, at or above grade level across the disciplines. This graphic provides an encouraging illustration of the average performance of our 8th grade students topping out above the test metrics.  At SVDP assessments are a snapshot of student academic progress, and a helpful tool, which enable teachers to intentionally continue pedagogies that give high-achieving results, or to provide interventions and scaffolding in identified areas in which individual students need additional support.