Gallery Walk Tour

Early Education

PreK 4

Our full day PreK4 program establishes a strong foundation for learning in the early years.  The structured curriculum uses a variety of strategies and projects to teach the academic subjects including Religion, Mathematics, English Language Arts, Science and Social Studies.  This program is designed to prepare our young learners to enter our Kindergarten Program with a solid foundation.

Kindergarten

Kindergarten students develop the foundational skills in reading, writing, and math as they begin their academic journey. Students work toward becoming stronger readers and writers through their center based learning. The students are introduced to scientific inquiry and begin to explore geography, history, and civics.

Pre-First

Cathedral’s Pre-First curriculum is individualized to give extra support to students who need the “gift of time” to be successful in their academic and social/emotional journey. Pre-First students continue to develop skills in phonics, phonemic awareness, comprehension, writing, and fluency while building confidence. They also make strong advancements in measurement and geometry, working towards a stronger number sense.

Elementary School

1st Grade

Students use literacy centers and small group instruction that are differentiated by level, to enhance reading and writing skills as they work towards achieving personalized goals. Our students learn to read using a phonics-based approach. Mathematics is presented in both whole and small group instruction using multiple resources to meet the Archdiocese of Baltimore standards. Students begin to conduct investigations and make observations through scientific inquiry. Students learn cultural differences and characteristics of places and people of the world and learn to become responsible citizens. Through the basic foundations of Catholic faith, first graders focus on prayer and service in their community.

2nd Grade

Students continue to expand their skills and knowledge with a heavy emphasis on language arts. Second graders focus on becoming independent writers. Vocabulary and spelling increase in difficulty, as do reading and math. With the availability of iPads, second grade students begin to use technology more often in the classroom to complement the more traditional learning styles. Cursive handwriting is taught this year.

3rd Grade

In third grade math, students work in small independent groups as they rotate through several math centers. These centers include a teacher-directed center, a math writing center, a technology center and a hands on learning center that uses manipulatives and fun math games to enhance student learning. Language arts skills also continue to develop as the students complete a Roald Dahl author study and delve deeper into grammar and creative writing through the Words Their Way and Sadlier programs. Expectations for independence and organization are increased as students begin to master skills needed to become high performers in academics and beyond. The use of technology continues to expand as the students are exposed to Google G-Suite to submit assignments and complete classwork.

4th Grade

Students read many wonderful novels, complete a Kate DiCamillo author study, and express themselves through writing. Students’ writing skills increase as they begin to learn how to include quotations and textual evidence in their writing. In math, students create Google Slide presentations at the end of each unit to demonstrate how the skill can be used outside of school. Such skills include multi-digit multiplication and division, understanding fractions and decimals, and 3D geometric figures. Students take an in-depth look at the natural resources, culture and history of the state of Maryland in their social studies classes. They continue to develop their scientific questioning and begin to develop their own experiments to test theories.

5th Grade

The fifth grade English Language Arts curriculum continues to develop reading, vocabulary, and grammar skills through large and small group instruction. Reading and comprehension skills are taught through the use of a variety of diverse fiction novels and current non-fiction material. Writing is an important part of the fifth grade curriculum. Students are encouraged to write daily and leave fifth grade with the ability to construct a five-paragraph essay. In math, students are asked to apply their knowledge to real-world situations that use a variety of skills, such as decimal and fraction computation. Other skills include adding and subtracting decimals, mixed number operations, and analyzing volume and area. In Science, students are exposed to earth, life, and physical sciences in order to prepare them for the middle school curriculum. In social studies, students study European explorers and the early colonization of America. Critical thinking and analytical skills of primary and secondary sources are taught, in addition to the development of their research skills and knowledge.

Middle School

6th Grade

The first week of school begins with a special prayer service to welcome all sixth grade students into the Middle School. At this time, students are excited to be assigned to their Stars and Stripes teams, a student-led organization that focuses on building school spirit and providing service opportunities. Students continue to deepen their questioning and text analysis skills through the use of the novel studies program and increase their vocabulary skills by identifying Greek and Latin root words. Sixth grade students delve into mathematical variables, expressions, and equations with emphasis on real world problems. In Science, sixth grade students examine the earth sciences through hands-on investigation and discovery, while in social studies, the focus is on ancient civilizations. Students participate in National History Day, which allows them to continue to develop their research and presentation skills. As a culmination of their servant leadership study in social justice, all sixth grade students attend a three-day, two-night retreat. The focus of this retreat is to instill self-confidence through a series of team-building exercises at River Valley Ranch.

7th Grade

Seventh grade marks a transition to a more focused preparation for high school. Students concentrate on different styles of essay writing and quantitative dimensions of text complexity as they read several classic novels throughout the year. In math, students take pre-algebra or algebra, while in social studies, students delve more deeply into world government and geography and participate in National History Day. Seventh grade students focus on life science as they conduct weekly experiments in the science lab and begin to write formal lab reports. Finally, at the end of the school year, students are given the opportunity to engage in a week-long mission trip to grow as stewards of our community.

8th Grade

Eighth grade students enjoy the benefit of being the leaders of the school. They begin to prepare for the high school application process by drafting and writing their high school essays and resumes. Students also partake in mock interviews in preparation for their high school shadow visits. In math, students are placed in either Algebra I or an Algebra I/Geometry hybrid class. In language arts, students are exposed to more classic novels along with current well-written works that will boost their love of reading. In social studies, students will focus on U.S. history; understanding the experience of many peoples and issues by analyzing primary and secondary sources. Science focuses on the physical sciences including real-life problem-based learning through hands-on experiments and discussion.

The School of the Cathedral Campus

Playgrounds

The school is situated on a beautiful 25-acre campus with two playgrounds, a Gaga Pit, a turf field and an athletic grass field. We believe students need time outside. Our students go outside twice a day.

Athletics Fields

Kindergarten through eighth grade students are encouraged to participate in our school-sponsored sports of soccer, basketball, track, and lacrosse. A number of our sports teams have even won championships in recent years!

Music Room

Every student takes a general music class, where they learn music from different cultures, styles, and time periods. Students get experience singing and playing a variety of percussion, string, and electronic instruments. We also offer band, Guitar Club, Drum Circle, and Ukulele Club.

Art Room

Students create artwork in each of the following media: drawing, printmaking, ceramics, painting, collage, and fiber arts (weaving and stitching). At the end of the year, Fine Arts Day celebrates students’ accomplishments with artwork on display from each student in the school. Families are invited to visit our gallery!

Science Lab

Our state-of-the-art science lab allows classes to explore and learn in science class. Our students to learn how to use scientific equipment such as the microscope and balance.

Video Production Room (SCMOQ TV)

The SCMOQ TV program allows students to explore opportunities outside of the classroom. Students can become hosts of the show, work on the production, or do one of the numerous other tasks for our afternoon announcements. The program is broadcasted every afternoon, which fosters a sense of community and tradition.

Library

Scheduled library classes provide opportunities for students to participate in educational activities that promote reading for pleasure and learning that satisfies their curiosities. Students are given time to check out books to bring home and enjoy! They also gain information and digital literacy skills through core-content, project-based learning.

Gymnasium

Gym class teaches our students about fitness, movement, spatial awareness, sportsmanship, and skills for cooperative games and activities.

Learning Garden

Our students love spending time in the Learning Garden! Each class plays a part; the garden is a student-designed and student-led project. The Student Council and a parent volunteer do a wonderful job working with classes as they determine what to plant in each plot.

Cafeteria

The Yay Company provides lunch for our school. Lunch is pre-ordered and paid for through a registered account. There are four lunch shifts: Kindergarten and Pre-first, Grades 1-2, Grades 3-5, and the Middle School.

The Cathedral

All students attend Mass weekly, where the homily is geared toward a topic relatable to the students.  Kindergarten, pre-first, first, and second grade students are paired with a middle school student as their “prayer buddy.” Prayer buddies stay together throughout their time at Cathedral, sitting together in weekly Mass and participating in monthly classroom activities. All are welcome! Religion is taught in every grade.

Discover The School of the Cathedral

Located in Baltimore, Maryland The School of the Cathedral is a private Catholic school for students in kindergarten through eighth grade. To learn more about our school and the admissions process for the upcoming school year, we encourage you to schedule your private tour today.