Academics
1/2 Day Hours 8:00-11:15 | 3 or 5 days a week
Full Day Hours 8:00-3:20 | 3 or 5 days a week
Saint Monica School’s 3K program provides a strong Catholic foundation in a play-based, loving environment. We hope to nurture a love of learning, so we honor individual differences as students experience life in a classroom community. Mathematical thinking, foundations in literacy, and Catholic traditions and values inform instruction each day. Per the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, we base our curriculum on the Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards.
Uniforms not required; hot lunch not available; child must be toilet-trained before the first day of school.
1/2 Day Hours 8:00-11:15 | 5 days a week
Full Day Hours 8:00-3:20 | 5 days a week
Our 4K program continues to foster a love of learning by encouraging problem solving, teamwork, and critical thinking. Our faith-filled days are centered around prayer and community.
Students are immersed in Early Literacy and Mathematics in an age-appropriate, play-based environment. Catholic traditions and values aren’t an extra lesson: they are THE lesson! Our faith guides the conversation and results in a beautifully rich daily experience.
Our four-year-olds experience a sense of community by being a part of the vibrant Saint Monica family and all it has to offer.
Uniforms are required; hot lunch available; child must be toilet-trained before the first day of school.
Full Day Hours 8:00-3:20 | 5 days a week
The focus in 5K is on building social skills needed to be successful in a classroom setting. We encourage students to work together in order to develop cooperative and problem solving skills.
Our experienced teachers create lessons that foster reading skills, number sense and curiosity. Phonological awareness is deepened as students develop a strong foundation that prepares them for first grade and beyond.
By attending Mass with their classmates and through daily religious lessons, our students are immersed in Catholic tradition and values.
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus." Hebrews 12:1
SMS offers Competitive Team Sports: 5th -8th
Cross Country
Volleyball
Basketball
Track & Field
"Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." ~ Matthew 25:35-40
Students participate in religion classes from 3K through eighth grade. There is a daily focus on prayer. All grades participate in a Religious Education curriculum which focuses on character traits, service, and leadership in living out our Catholic faith.
Our students attend Mass every Wednesday and serve in various liturgical tasks.
“Buddy Classes” attend Mass and work together to grow our school community, and participate in various activities throughout the year.
Our Catholic values, teachings, and traditions provide the foundation of our school.
Saint Monica students grow in skill and understanding because of a math curriculum that strategically builds from year to year. Real-world problems, combined with direct instruction and strategic group work in fundamental math skills, create a rich learning environment. Foundational skills such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division prepare older students to approach more advanced concepts.
In upper grades, math instruction will carefully consider student acquisition and mastery of math standards in developing appropriate pathways. Our Math Department, consisting of THREE junior high teachers, is one-of-a-kind in the North Shore. We’re proud to say that Saint Monica students have and will continue to be well-prepared for mathematics classes in high school and beyond.
A rigorous curriculum focusing on writing, speaking, reading, and listening allows our students to develop the robust skills necessary to be successful in any high school program.
The fundamentals of writing and grammatical ideas are introduced in the primary grades and carried all the way through eighth grade. Writing is emphasized across the curriculum, and students learn to present their ideas in a variety of ways for a variety of audiences.
Saint Monica students are exposed to many types of literature and are challenged to consider plot, characters, theme and conflict from a Catholic perspective. Public speaking, developing an argument, and effective debate are all focused areas of instruction in our program.
Saint Monica School’s Science curriculum teaches through firsthand experiences such as investigation, design, and modeling. Instruction emphasizes scientific exploration and experimentation. The upper grades have an updated science lab in which students are immersed in investigative experiences that help to develop crucial critical-thinking skills.
With an intentional integration of our Catholic values, we discuss our beliefs as we work through scientific exploration. For example, we incorporate ways we can take care of God’s creation while researching habitats. This type of instruction is unique to a Catholic School, and we pride ourselves on this deliberate, multi-faceted approach to teaching and learning.
Students are challenged to think in terms of communities and how human beings affect each other. Critical thinking is emphasized as we weave the ideas of Catholic Social Teachings into lessons. Students are immersed in a Social Studies curriculum that inspires us to think beyond ourselves. Each grade level’s focus incorporates various elements of Geography, Behavioral Science, History, Political Science, and Economics.
"Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation."
Psalm 95:1
Music class is an important part of the the curriculum for all of our 4K-8th grade students. In addition to grade level music classes SMS is looking to incorporate an orchestra (strings) program in the near future.
Recognizing the importance of music to our sacred celebration of the Eucharist, and with the goal of fostering a heart ready to serve, our students may audition to be cantors for school Masses.
Throughout the year Saint Monica students through a curriculum rich in beauty, history, and all-out fun. Music class focus on the study of rhythm, instruments, note reading, and vocal techniques.
Schedule:
4K and 5K - Once per week
Grades 1st through 5th - Twice per week
Grades 6th through 8th - Once per week
“But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.” - Isaiah 64:8
We value an education that supports the whole child. Art class is offered once a week at Saint Monica. Students explore a variety of materials, the history of art, and art in a religious context. Students produce a rich array of artwork and projects that are proudly on display throughout the school.
“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
All Saint Monica students participate in creative and energy-filled units ranging from roller skating to jump rope. Kindergarten – 3rd grade emphasizes “mini-units”, games, and general physical fitness development. In grades 4th – 8th, units of study include volleyball, basketball, football, floor hockey, and soccer.
Schedule:
3K - during 2nd or 3rd trimester, begin going once per week
4K and 5K - Twice per week
Grades 1st through 5th - Twice per week
Grades 6th through 8th - Once per week
“And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together, and were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language.” Acts 2:6
Saint Monica School offers Spanish for all students in grades 1 through 8. Studies include basic language acquisition, culture, and geographical context.
Schedule:
Grades 1st through 5th - Once per week
Grades 6th - Twice per week
Grades 7th and 8th - Three times per week
“But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.” -Matthew 10:30
We offer student support to children in need of additional assistance (as determined by classroom teachers and academic data). Grade level teachers work directly with the support team to help every child learn and grow. This instruction is provided as deemed necessary in a variety of structures and environments. Our team prides itself on paying attention to and loving the unique gifts each child brings to our school.