SAINT HELENA SCHOOL
COURSE INTRODUCTION
The motto of Saint Helena School is, “Challenge for Self, Charity for Others,” it is the guiding statement that motivates all we do. As a Roman Catholic School affiliated with the Diocese of Metuchen, we pride ourselves on the fact that we hold our students and ourselves to a high standard of academic success and social responsibility.
Winning the 2018 National Blue-Ribbon Award has had a positive impact on our school community. Not only has our enrollment increased, but many of our new students are non-Catholic. This has afforded us a unique opportunity to keep our Catholic identity while at the same time assuring that all religions are respected and appreciated. Through classroom discussions and school wide assemblies, students are taught that the core values of all religions are similar: respect and kindness. There is an atmosphere of trust and collaboration throughout the community of teachers, parents, and students. Together we build an environment enriched with an understanding of many faiths while continuing our allegiance to academic excellence.
Saint Helena School has implemented a curriculum which highlights a strong base in the foundations of Reading, Writing, and Mathematics. The adaptation of Common Core Standards as well as STREAM (Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Art, and Math) has helped provide a challenging learning environment where teachers incorporate the 21st Century skills of critical thinking and problem solving in school-wide and individual classroom settings. Some examples of school wide projects are “Living with Disabilities” and “How can we use animal mimicry to improve our world?” Activities like these are intentionally designed to provide students the opportunity to consider other perspectives and thought-provoking curiosity that could be used to solve real world problems.
Technology is incorporated into all subjects. The use of Chromebooks in grades Pre-Kindergarten to Grade Eight, Google Classroom, and interactive whiteboards, continue to help prepare students for their future.
Students from Kindergarten to eighth grade use IXL. IXL is an interactive online learning experience designed to assess students and provide individualized instruction. For Grades One to Eight, IXL, in conjunction with MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) system, allows teachers the ability to monitor student growth quickly and assess student performance more readily. Teachers use this information to adjust individual student learning plans that reflect what the student is ready to learn and provides opportunities to support them.
Students compete in a National Handwriting competition each year.
Saint Helena provides opportunities for students in grades four to eight to participate in extracurricular activities such as Research Club, Handbell Choir, and a Drama Production. We continually work to provide new and innovative opportunities that enhance our student’s school experience.