Academics

St. Andrew Avellino Catholic Academy’s caring and dedicated faculty is committed to your child’s academic success. Students develop a strong foundation by engaging in differentiated coursework that allows them to become critical thinkers and problem solvers. Their academic success is achieved by providing advanced coursework, developing communication skills, collaborating on projects, and giving them opportunities in public speaking. By using these strategies, students continually achieve above-average scores in standardized exams and New York State testing.

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Children in Pre-Kindergarten are offered the opportunity to grow in faith and learning while exploring the world around them. Our goal is to foster a caring community of learners through a rich learning experience that encourages participation, develops vocabulary, fosters positive self-esteem, and invites exploration and curiosity. We use a multi-disciplinary approach to learning that integrates social, cognitive and academic domains. Our program aims to develop a foundation in the following areas:

Religion – Faith formation begins with prayer and learning that they are cared for and safe in the knowledge of God’s love. Bible stories, craft song and prayer further develop this knowledge.
Math – Children learn about math concepts through active play art and song: sorting, shapes, counting/comparing patterns.
Science – We explore the world around us, outside, in the classroom and through the use of technology and experiments.
Language and Literacy – Through literature, students learn academic skills that promote reading readiness: letter/sound recognition, vocabulary development, rhyming, elements of literature, sight word recognition. Crafts, song, dance, charades and writing are used to promote letter recognition and phonemic awareness. Storytelling and play acting help to nurture a love of reading.
Art – Students are introduced to some of the classical art forms as a means of learning how to write, draw, and express themselves.
Music – Music is integrated into the classroom curriculum to include math concepts, science, vocabulary, rhymes, rhythm and movement. Children attend music class weekly.
Physical Education – Children attend gym class twice a week. Exercise helps both fine motor and gross motor development while students engage in structured activities designed to be fun and safe.
Emotional Literacy – children are taught the language of feelings to promote the values of empathy, friendship, tolerance, cooperation, and respect.

Our Kindergarten students begin to transition to the primary learning years, through a structured day of learning the different disciplines. Assessments are taken to track the students’ progress in each area.

Religion – The children learn that God made everything; learn how God wants us to be kind to people, animals and nature; and learn basic prayers and songs. When possible, they will attend Mass.
Mathematics – The students learn to identify, write and count 0-20; to do addition and subtraction and measurement; to identify two-dimensional and three-dimensional shapes, ordinal numbers, positional words; and to count to 100 by tens and ones.
Language Arts – The children focus on letter recognition, letter-sound correspondence, and short and long vowel sounds; learn to identify the sounds in different parts of words, to blend the sounds into words and read simple sentences, and identify sight words. They are also exposed to different types of text such as poems, nursery rhymes, fiction and non-fiction selections.
Writing – The children learn to write their first and last names, to write letters (uppercase and lowercase), numbers 0-20, and simple words. They learn to write simple sentences about a chosen topic.
Science – The children explore the four seasons, weather, healthy habits, the food groups, and arctic animals. They also learn in the STEM lab about tools used in science, measurement, symmetry, and the five senses.
Social Studies – Students learn about the different holidays in the year and important people in history, community helpers and families, as well as fire safety skills.
Music and Art – The children attend music class once a week. Music and Art are also incorporated into all of the other subjects as well.

Common Core curriculum lessons are given in mathematics, writing, reading, science and social studies. Students also receive instruction in religion, and participate in enrichment classes (art, music, physical education, and library).

Mathematics – Focus is placed on addition and subtraction strategies, numbers and operations, and algebraic thinking in base ten. Additional skills include measurement, data collection and interpretation, geometry and three dimensional shapes.
Writing – Lessons encompass basic grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, phonics and spelling. Students will practice reading fluently, work on reading comprehension, and work in guided reading groups.
Science – Students deepen their understanding of plants, animals, weather, magnets, the earth’s land and water, and what it means to be fit and healthy. Experiments will be conducted in the STEM lab, and students will become familiar with the scientific method.
Social Studies – “Preparing Tomorrow’s Citizens Today” is the theme of the social studies curriculum. Students learn about the different kinds of communities, jobs, what it means to be a good citizen, geography, different landforms and the importance of taking care of our environment and natural resources.
Religion – students learn about God’s creation and love for all people. We focus on the Greatest Commandment that Jesus taught, “love thy neighbor as thyself,” and become familiar with religious vocabulary, the sacraments, and how to be better followers of Jesus.

In addition to learning the academic material, students in grade 2 prepare to receive for the first time the sacraments of Communion and Reconciliation. As such, in religion they will learn about the parts of the Catholic mass, basic prayers, the Sacraments of Baptism, Eucharist, the Gospel stories, the Ten Commandments, and the New Testament. Students also participate in enrichment classes (art, music, physical education, and library).

Mathematics – Lessons build upon their foundation in grade 1. Using manipulatives, they learn to add and subtract 2 and 3 digit numerals with borrowing, carrying and place values. They also learn linear and liquid measurement, time, money, metric system, multiplication facts, and solving multi-step problems.
Reading and writing – Our curriculum encompasses two basic readers, workbooks and independent readings from the library, book report and creative writing assignments, and whole language activities. Spelling is a valued component, and students are tested weekly on the words they learned. Grammar lessons continue with students learning parts of the sentence, parts of speech, antonyms, synonyms, homonyms, prefixes and suffiexes. Students attain dictionary and research skills as they learn vocabulary words. Students also learn manuscript and cursive writing skills.
Social Studies – The curriculum centers on community with an emphasis on New York State and Queens. Students learn to compare other communities around the world; develop map and globe reading skills; and understand citizenship, rules and laws of the government, environmental issues, and communications and transportation around the world. They also learn some of American History and the country’s holidays.
Science/health – Students learn about the interaction of living things, animals, plants, the different environments, phases of matter, dinosaurs, and light and color. As a supplement to the syllabus, students participate in the LabLearner lesson in the STEM Lab.

Third grade Common Core curriculum lessons are given in mathematics, writing, reading, science and social studies. Students also receive instruction in religion, and participate in enrichment classes (art, music, physical education, and library).

Mathematics – We continue to build the foundation by practicing skills and learning new concepts in addition/subtraction, multiplication/ division, fractions, measurement, geometry, rounding, area and perimeter.
Language Arts – students work on spelling, phonics, grammar, and reading comprehension. They work to enhance their writing skills daily, and begin to read chapter books as a class.
Science – Topics of focus are Life Science, Physical Science, Earth Science, and the Human Body. Students receive LabLearn lessons in the STEM Lab.
Social Studies – Students explore about communities, and learn to compare and contrast different countries and cultures.

Fourth grade Common Core curriculum lessons are given in mathematics, writing, reading, science and social studies. Students also receive instruction in religion, and participate in enrichment classes (art, music, physical education, and library).

Mathematics – We continue to build the foundation by practicing skills and learning new concepts in addition/subtraction, multiplication/ division, fractions, measurement, geometry, rounding, estimation, area and perimeter, and decimals.
Language Arts – students work on spelling, phonics, grammar, reading comprehension, and vocabulary. They work to enhance their writing skills daily, and begin to read chapter books as a class and independently.
Science – Topics of focus are Life Science, Physical Science, and Earth Science. Students receive LabLearn lessons in the STEM Lab.
Social Studies – Our main focus is New York, and how it came to be where we live today. Topics covered include colonial New York, geography, Iroquois/Algonquians, economics, government and 21st century New York.

Fifth grade Common Core curriculum lessons are given in mathematics, writing, reading, science and social studies. Students also receive instruction in religion, and participate in enrichment classes (art, music, physical education, and library).

Mathematics – We continue to build the foundation by practicing skills and learning new concepts in addition/subtraction, multiplication/ division, fractions, measurement, geometry, rounding, estimation, area and perimeter, and decimals.
Language Arts – students work on spelling, phonics, grammar, reading comprehension, and vocabulary. They work to enhance their writing skills daily, and begin to read chapter books as a class and independently.
Science – Topics of focus are Life Science, Physical Science, and Earth Science. Students receive LabLearn lessons in the STEM Lab.
Social Studies – Students explore about communities, learn to compare and contrast different countries and cultures, geography, world history and economics.

Sixth thru eighth grade Common Core curriculum lessons are given in mathematics, writing, reading, science and social studies. Students also receive instruction in religion, and participate in enrichment classes (art, music, and physical education).

English Language Arts (ELA)

Beginning in Grade 6, students build on the foundations of grammar and learn to identify parts of a sentence. They learn and practice the writing process, which includes prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, proofreading, publishing and presenting. They learn about effective sentences and word choice, sentence variety and structure, and paragraph organization and unity. Different types of essays are studied, such as informative/explanatory, argumentative, narrative and compare/contrast essays. Students also practice presentation skills through poetry recitations each month.

Throughout the three years in junior high school, students expand their vocabulary through the use of vocabulary workbooks and readings of literature stories. In addition, they read various genres of books (fiction, nonfiction, dramas, plays); learn how to cite textual evidence to support analysis of text; determine themes/central ideasdiscuss plots; describe character responses to changes as plots develop; determine the author’s point of view; and compare and contrast texts.

Mathematics

Students continue to build on their foundation by practicing skills and learning new concepts in addition/subtraction, multiplication/ division, fractions, measurement, geometry, rounding, estimation, area and perimeter, and decimals. Pre-algebra concepts are introduced as well.

Select students in Grade 8 participate in the Algebra I Regents-level class.

Science

The foundation of the science curriculum in grades 6 to 8 is centered around the meaning of science (skills, attitudes, reasoning, processes, knowledge, tools, engineering and design process, and communication). Lab Learner lessons that coincide with the syllabus are given weekly in our STEM lab, where students conduct experiments and collect and interpret data.

Grade 6 learns about the scientific method and physical science topics such as matter, energy, waves and electromagnetic radiation, electricity and magnetism, information technology, atoms and the periodic table, chemical reactions, and forces and motion.
Grade 7 syllabus entails life science topics such as classifying organisms, cells, genetics, DNA, viruses, bacteria, plants, animals, the human body, ecosystems and biomes, study of evolution, and more.
Grade 8 gains an understanding about earth science, and explore topics such as minerals and rocks, earthquakes, weathering and soil, the atmosphere, weather, solar system and the universe, human impact on the environment, and more.

Select students in Grade 8 participate in the Living Environment Regents-level class.

Social Studies

The social studies curriculum in grades 6 to 8 meets the Common Core’s goals, which include being able to identify the locations of places and regions in the world; understand the characteristics of cultures in the world from the past; analyze how societies have interacted with one another in the past or present; understand a variety of forms of government from the past; analyze and interpret historical materials from a variety of perspectives in ancient history; understand how cultures in ancient civilizations contributed to world history; learn American history starting with the Native American cultures, European exploration to the New World to the Vietnam War; and learn the birth of American democracy.

Grade 6 learn the history of the world and explanation of historical relationships; development of historical perspectives by analyzing issues that affect the present and future, and examining change and continuity over time; the foundations of our political systems; sociology concepts through the discussion of the interactions among individuals, groups and institutions; anthropology concepts through the study of the cultures in various times and settings; major scientific discoveries and technological innovations and their social and economic effects on society; and the development and concepts of major world religions.
Grade 7 learn about the beginnings of American history and the geography of North America. They learn about the colonies and the events leading up to the Revolution, the sources of American democracy, the principles of the Constitution, the freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights, the duties and responsibilities of citizens, and the organization and work of each branch of government. They also learn about the themes of geography: place, location, region, movement and human-environment interaction. This is done by examining how geographers look at the world in order to draw conclusions and make inferences; different landforms and major climate zones; key elements in a people’s culture and how people have impact on the environment; and major physical features, different climates, and main features of the economy of the United States, Canada and Europe.
Grade 8 continue with the American history curriculum at the pre-Civil War era. They learn about the differences between the North and the South that led to the secession of most slave states from the U.S.; the Civil War strategies; the reconstruction policies and their effects on the former U.S. Confederacy; educational and social reforms and early women’s movement; the development of the West; the industrial revolution and its impacts; governmental and social reforms during the late 1800s and early 1900s; how and why the U.S. expanded its economic and political influence in the Pacific and Latin America; the causes, course and outcome of World War I; the events of the 1920s and its effects on American culture and the causes of the Great Depression; how the New Deal changed American economy; causes of World War II and the role of the U.S.; the causes and results of the increased tensions between the U.S. and Soviet Union after WWII; the economic, social and cultural distinctions of the U.S. during the 1950s; the U.S. civil rights movement; and the causes, course and effects of the Vietnam War.

Religion

Grade 6 and 7 students continue to build upon their knowledge of the Bible precepts and gain a deeper understanding of scripture readings. Grade 7 students begin to prepare for receiving the sacrament of Confirmation when they are in Grade 8.

Grade 8 students continue to prepare for receiving the sacrament of Confirmation. They will delve more into the parts of the Catholic mass, the Sacraments of Confirmation, the Ten Commandments and the New Testament.