Group 2

Art

Lisa Young

Girls in Groups 2 and 3 will learn exercises at the barre which are essential to ballet technique and poise. Dancers will learn combinations across the floor and in center to help strengthen and condition them for more challenging steps along the way. Students will also learn proper ballet terminology and flexibility exercises. Some dance combinations learned during the year, and for Showcase Day 1 on Friday, May 12th, will be in a more contemporary ballet style, which is a fusion of classical ballet and contemporary ballet, which allows more freedom and creativity of movement.

Dance attire needed:

• pink ballet shoes that fit snugly

• leotard & tights (any color), or a fitted top and leggings / fitted shorts

Fitted dancewear allows the teacher to gauge proper alignment and correct technique. Students change into regular clothes after dance class.

Faith & Drama

Brenda Santana

(Combined with Group 1)

2022-23 Description Pending. 2021-22 Description: Based on the Virtues in Practice curriculum by the Dominican Sisters of Saint Cecilia, Group 1 & Group 2 Faith will focus on the great saints of the liturgical calendar, the seven deadly sins, and the virtues that defeat them.

The year begins with an overview of the concept of virtue according to Aristotle and the three Theological Virtues. The theme of virtue and vice is continued through video object lessons and the study of classic pieces of children’s literature. For example, generosity and greed will be discussed through Oscar Wilde’s “The Selfish Giant.”

Biographies of saints will carry out the theme of a virtuous life including Saint Hildegard, Saint Martin de Porres, Saint Jerome, and Saint Benedict, among many others. Students will keep a personal Saint Scrapbook to be worked on throughout the course of the year. Prayers to be learned are the Act of Faith, the Act of Hope, and the Act of Love. Free moments will be filled by drawing the signs and symbols of the Catholic Church.

Fun opportunity for boys to learn sports and sportsmanship as well as engage in exercises and fitness challenges to develop strength, stamina, and agility.

American folk songs will be featured along with religious music, much of it particularly Catholic, including Gregorian chant. A featured “composer of the month,” from October through April, will be studied. It is hoped that these classes will be supplemental to parents’ providing the other kinds of music learning that are important for all children: private instrument lessons, music listening and history at home, attendance at concerts, and participation in church choirs and other performing ensembles.

Group 2 students will work on rhythm (keeping a beat and recognizing and repeating rhythmic patterns), pitch (finding a true singing voice, singing "on pitch,” recognizing the difference between "high" and "low," and beginning "sol-fege") and note-reading. Group music making with Orff instruments and the singing voice will be emphasized. Children will dance, march and sing. After Christmas, the Group 2 class will begin to learn the recorder, and a modicum of home practice will be expected. Families may provide their own instrument, or purchase through the teacher. 

Our instructor, Martha Nowik, is a home-schooling mom of 10 who holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Church Music from Westminster Choir College where she studied organ, voice and children's choir methods and earned a Level I ORFF-SCHULWERK certificate. Martha holds both the Colleague and Choir Master certificates from the American Guild of Organists. She has taught general music in Catholic schools, and has 42 years of experience working with children's choirs. This is her eighteenth year teaching music with our group.

Science

Jessica Locke

(Combined with Group 1)

This year we will study botany based on the Apologia curriculum. This class will start with a short, simple lesson from the textbook, followed by a hands-on experiment or project that young learners will enjoy.