NUACS focuses on religion, robotics in new curriculum for 2018 school year
NEW ULM — For a few weeks, the students in New Ulm have been back to school. The Journal shows you what’s new in the schools around New Ulm.
New for the curriculum at St. Anthony’s Elementary is a religion series for grades 1 – 3, “Alive in Christ”, and “Allelu!” for the Kindergarten students. The series aligns with the new diocesan religion curriculum.
St. Anthony and Cathedral High both received new mobile carts with Chromebooks. Cathedral High teachers will train on Google Classroom and will assess where it can assist in the technology curriculum. St. Anthony students will begin learning Google Classroom applications, with grade 4 piloting new applications using Google Classroom and other G-Suite features, to meet the elementary technology curriculum standards.
Further robotics and coding news include additional enrichment activities in robotics and coding into the grade K – 3 curriculum and the continuing of Cathedral High’s VEX Robotics class and club this year, due to high participation numbers last year.
A new full-time Resource Room has been added as well for students of all academic abilities to support them with additional assistance in any subject, help with organizational skills and provide them with an opportunity to be challenged with above-grade-level activities.
Shelly Bauer, the principal of St. Anthony’s Elementary School, said in an official statement that “There are several new and exciting initiatives taking place at St. Anthony Elementary School this year. I am grateful to our staff for sharing their creative skills and talents to meet the diverse needs of our students. I am proud of our students and their willingness to learn and challenge themselves each day.”
St. Anthony students grade K – 2 began the year with an Anti-Bullying program called “Habits of Mind” to teach and model critical-thinking and problem-solving skills through the use of engaging animations and activities. Grades 3 – 6 will continue to use the ‘Safe and Caring Schools’ and Virtues program to improve school climate and student behavior.
A new club, the St. Anthony Elementary News Hounds, was added, too. The club is open to students grade 4 – 6 and the members will be responsible for broadcasting daily announcements to all of the classrooms. A new studio with a news set, green screen technology, teleprompter, and work space for reporters and guest anchors has been added to the computer lab.
New assessments for both schools include NWEA MAPS growth and skills assessments for the K – 6 students. The interim assessments will be given three times per year in reading, language arts, and math. The skills assessments will be given as deemed necessary by the teachers to provide them with information about potential skill gaps that the students might have in particular curricular areas.
Upcoming events for the schools include the Homecoming Parade on September 28th and the 2018 Hall of Fame Banquet today (Sept. 29). On Oct. 7th there will be the Pumpkinfest at St. George. In November, the 2018 Annual Appeal Donor Recognition Dinner will take place on the 3rd, Give to the Max Day on the 15th and an Alumni Tournament is scheduled for Dec. 22nd.