Grade 6 || Grade 5 || Grade 4 || Grade 3 || Grade 2 || Grade 1 || Kindergarten || Pre-K

Principal - Miss Cathleen Carney

The focus of sixth grade is to give the students a strong foundation of organizational skills, writing and math skills, facts, and concepts, which will enable them to be successful in middle school. To accomplish this goal:

1.  Students are required to keep all of their assignments in an organized binder. This system gives students a way to categorize their work for many subjects into one convenient notebook. Many students who have gone onto middle school from this classroom tell me that this system, or a variation of it, has helped them deal successfully with the problems of having many different teachers and classrooms.

2.  Students learn how to write essays and term papers. The students are taught the various forms of nonfiction writing. First, they learn how to write a logical, informative paragraph that includes appropriate transition words. Next, they learn how to write compare and contrast paragraphs and cause and effect paragraphs. Third, the students learn how to connect paragraphs to form a coherent essay. Finally, the students learn how to write long reports, such as term papers.

3.  Students learn many facts, concepts, and skills. The curriculum is designed to lay a strong foundation for both middle school and high school Regent’s courses.

  STUDENT AWARDS:

Diocesan Speech Competition: 

                       Anthony Mariano  Second Prize 2001

                       Diana Santino    First Prize  2002

                       Molly Worden     First Prize  2003

Diocesan Spelling Competition:   

                       Kay Leigh Stacy  Fourth Prize 2002

                       Diana Santino    Third Prize  2003

  Individual students have also won scholarships to middle school.

  TEACHER AWARDS:

Channel 10 2002 Educator of the Week

Channel 13 2002 Educator of Excellence

 

        5th grade is an important transition year from elementary to middle school. As students focus on  the New York State Learning standards, they also develop organization skills they will use throughout their educational career. Students are well prepared to take on future learning challenges.  As an alumni of St. Jude School, Mrs. Lyons knows what it takes to succeed and knows how to help each student reach their potential.

Marie A. Foley

Planning and preparation for the New York State Assessments has already begun as we kick off our new school year. Our goal is to be completely prepared in English, Language Arts, Math and Science in order to achieve the best possible scores!

One of Mrs. Foley's primary goals for her class is to learn to use the computer and the Internet to gather information. Mrs. Foley believes the most important thing her students can learn from her is that there are many ways to gather information and learn.

Social Studies will focus on New York State.  We will learn to read a map efficiently and accurately, study the American Indians, European Exploration, geography and state government. As part of our English curriculum we will write in our journals, and fill them with events, ideas, thoughts, and perceptions. We will also work on creative writing, grammar, and sentence and paragraph structure. We will also become proficient in our Math tables, and our science concepts. Most of all we will embrace diversity and learn the importance of respect, tolerance, kindness, and love.

 

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Denise Foley

Third grade is a time of transition for elementary students. A primary goal for Mrs. Foley is to increase responsibility and independence in learning. She plans to develop basic skills while introducing more complex topics. Mrs. Foley believes the most important thing her students should learn from her is to know why; she wants them to be able to explain their answers and thereby become better thinkers.

Kris Reardon

As a Catholic school, children in the second grade prepare for their First Holy Communion. Ms. Reardon considers this to be a primary responsibility for her and her class. Another important goal is to teach the children to be respectful and considerate of others. Ms. Reardon says she wants her students to learn "that hard work pays off".
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Colleen Pasquale

 An adventure in first grade learning encompass many areas, but we focus primarily on reading. Each child in the class will improve his/her reading skills in the areas of phonics, sight words, and comprehension. The children will read a wide range of materials including poetry, fiction, non-fiction and plays. The children will read individually, with partners and in groups. Books will be our tickets to new places and people.

View our 1st Grade Web Site to discover the current happenings in Grade 1.

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 Lisa Murray

Miss Murray uses a balanced literacy program to teach reading. Reading aloud quality children's literature, small groups reading leveled books, word and letter study, along with shared reading and writing are the cornerstone for this approach. Thematic units inspire learning across the curriculum and allow students to experience the topic through art, dramatic art, graphing, reading, and writing. Kindness, caring, and respect are themes that we learn in Religion and practice at all times.
 

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Pre-K                     

Erin Magnano- Early Childhood Director, (4) Year Old Full Day Classes

Veronica Gasca- (4) Year Old Full Day Classes

Kristina Dunham- Full Day (3) year old Classes

Lisa Stanko- Half-Day AM & PM

Kelly Howley- Half-Day Classes

 Early Childhood Program
 

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Computers Grace Reuter

I am currently instructing Computer technology here at St. Jude the Apostle School.  I am enjoying my role in helping the students to gain a better understanding of technology, while learning to take advantage of our fantastic resources here at the school. Students in grades 1-6 receive instruction in technology related concepts, such as basic skills, vocabulary, and rules and ethics related to computers. The younger students are busy learning how to use the mouse, and using productivity software designed for their age level. Older students will learn how to use software programs such as Microsoft Word, and Excel. They also will use the Internet, and computerized encyclopedias to sharpen their research skills. Time in the lab also involves using educational software to enhance math, and reading skills.
 
 

Health and Physical Education, Carol Larkin

Ms Larkin wants her students to understand the importance of exercise and realize that exercise can be fun! They should understand that the choices we make affects our health and that the human body is an incredible creation! Ms Larkin says "Life is to be enjoyed -- smile!"

Recipient of the 1996 Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Distinguished Teacher Award given by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany

This award recognizes a teacher who promotes a school's Catholic education and who has strong awareness of a school's Catholic identity and mission. The teacher has to demonstrate excellence in teaching skills and have a positive effect on the moral growth of the students.

Miss Larkin demonstrates exemplary teaching abilities as evidenced by her innovative teaching techniques and wide range of multi-sensory materials that she uses in her classroom on a daily basis. Miss Larkin instructs children in grades PreK through sixth in an enthusiastic and motivating manner. She varies her instructional content on a weekly basis to maintain the children's attention and offers a wide range of learning opportunities to develop children's physical skills and endurance. She has the ability to integrate learning across subject areas by combining the learning objectives of health education with physical education. She enhances her teaching with slide presentations, videos and guest speakers whenever possible. She has an excellent command of the subject matter and a high degree of interest from all of her students. In the younger grades Miss Larkin integrates music and movement experiences into her physical education classes with innovative games which facilitate non-competitive cooperative learning experiences. She coordinates her teaching activities with classroom instruction as often as possible and works closely with other faculty members to support each student's individual growth. Her classes are filled with positive affirmation statements and words of encouragement. She corrects in an uplifting yet straightforward way and motivates students to "TRY AGAIN".

Nicholas Ascioti           

Our music classes cultivate joyful participation in singing and musical movement, as well as prepare our children for a lifelong interest in music and the arts.  Age appropriate musical concepts are studied including sight reading, study of the piano keyboard, musical staff and also basic elements of music such as melody, rhythm, and harmony. 

 Books, books, and more books! A goal of the library is for the students to have the opportunity to enjoy a variety of   books and to develop an appreciation for books and reading! the students will discover how to use the library and its diverse research tools, and to become independent learners, able to find needed information on their own. through library classes, the students will gain the confidence they need to conduct research and enjoy it!!

Spanish   
Senora
  Hola Estudiantes, Padres y Amigos!

This year we are focusing on improving our Spanish vocabulary through repetition, games, and music. For some of the older students, we will also work on our communication, reading, writing skills. My goal is to teach students not only to learn basic grammar and pronunciation, but also more about Spanish speaking countries and their cultures.  Throughout the year we will be celebrating Spanish and Latin American holidays, listening to their music, and trying their cuisine.