St. Mary's Catholic School

Curriculum

St. Mary's School faculty is composed of various religious and lay people. We are composed of a 21 member staff with a 16 to 1 student/staff ratio. St. Mary's offers a strong academic program in a Christian environment.  In addition, the faculty provides religious instruction in the Catholic faith.  Students in grades K-8 are required to attend Mass each week.  Students in K3 and K4 will attend on designated days. 

The Early Learning Center uses a program that is committed to developing and preparing the young child for elementary school.  Students in grades 1-8 receive instruction in religion, language arts (reading, English, spelling, writing, handwriting, phonics, library skills), math, social studies, science, computer literacy, Spanish, music, art, and physical education.  They may also participate in extra-curricular academic competitions throughout the year such as NTIL (North Texas Independent League) and/or PSIA (Private Schools Interscholastic Association).

St. Mary's students score well above the national average on the Stanford Achievement Test. St. Mary's 7th grade students regularly have representatives participating in the Duke University Identification Search, which recognizes students who have scored above the 95th percentile in a variety of academic competitions, including spelling, geography, science fair, Bible and speech. The school has expanded its level of academic competition through participation in the North Texas Independent League, with member schools including St. Mary's, Sivells Bend, Walnut Bend, Immaculate Conception, Sacred Heart and Denton Calvary. In 2006 SMS also joined the Private School Interscholastic Association which includes the opportunity to compete in various academic events including One Act Play, speaking events and many others. 


ACCELERATED READER PROGRAM
St. Mary's offers the Accelerated Reader Program to all students in grades 1-8.  This program is designed to promote reading.  Some teachers may require students to earn AR points.  For other students, it is an extra-curricular program.  Any student who earns AR points will be allowed to redeem them for special rewards.    

AWARDS AND HONORS

St. Mary's is proud of the many accomplishments of its students and strives to give recognition in academics, sports, and special achievements.  The following is used for recognizing the academic achievements of the students:  Principal’s Honor Roll-an average of 95 or above; Honor Roll-an average between 90 and 94; B Honor Roll-an average between 80 and 89.  The different honor rolls are sent to the local newspaper each reporting period.  
 

CONTENT MASTERY PROGRAM

The Content Mastery Program offers both enrichment activities and remediation for students in grades K4-8.  The program is staffed with a certified teacher.  Classroom teachers must recommend students for the program.  There is constant communication between the content mastery teacher and each classroom teacher to ensure that the needs of each individual student are met.