Academics
Holy Trinity School endeavors to provide a well-balanced curriculum through which the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed for daily living can be acquired. The students are challenged to develop their full potential with an open, inquiring mind while always realizing a sense of accomplishment.
Religion
Holy Trinity’s religion curriculum teaches the Catholic faith skills needed by the individual students to become mature members of the church and community. Starting in kindergarten, students begin to gain an appreciation for the unique gifts God has given each of them. The students become familiar with Scriptures from the Bible and the church’s teachings. The students gain knowledge about the establishment and history of the Roman Catholic Church.
Students in all grade levels actively plan and participate in Mass. The Bible, textbooks, daily prayer, discussions and individual and group projects are used at each grade level to enhance each student’s talents and abilities.
Holy Trinity also provides a Bible study class for non-Catholic students in grades 5-8. This gives these students an opportunity to study, discuss, interpret and apply the word of God to their daily lives.
Reading
Reading is a major component of most subjects taught at every grade level at Holy Trinity School. In the primary grades, instruction focuses on developing vocabulary through sight words, read-aloud sessions and phonetic awareness. As the students’ reading abilities increase, they begin to acquire strategies used in the reading process such as summarizing, sequencing, cause and effect and character development.
Through large group, small group, independent reading and computer software use, students develop fluency and confidence in their reading skills. By the time students reach grades 4-8, they are using both efferent and non-efferent reading to do research and explore the various genres of books.
Assessment through testing, comprehension, written responses to reading, participation in literature circles, projects and classroom discussions evaluates the students’ progress. In addition, the school-wide Accelerated Reader assessment encourages and challenges students to become lifelong readers as they independently select and read books at their individual levels of ability. Consequently, reading continues to be an area of growth and excellence at our school as a result of the emphasis placed upon our students’ reading achievements during the past few years.
Spelling
All students receive spelling instruction at Holy Trinity School. Younger students develop an awareness of spelling patterns through phonics, spelling games and drill and practice of list words. They demonstrate recognition and comprehension of new spelling words through weekly testing, sentence construction and usage within various subject areas. As students progress, they learn more complex words and word patterns through vocabulary book practice and usage. Students in grades 5-8 prepare for participation in spelling bees at the diocesan level.
English and Writing
Holy Trinity School has a very comprehensive English and writing curriculum. Beginning in kindergarten, students begin to recognize sentences, basic punctuation and nouns and verbs. They experience examples of sentences and write in journals to the best of their ability. In the primary grades, this is expanded to identifying adjectives, capitals, synonyms and homonyms. They begin to journal more and share their writing. An awareness of the writing process is introduced and further supported through the middle grades. By fourth grade, students are taught the process of writing paragraphs, friendly letters and essays with emphasis on sentence structure, mechanics and response to writing prompts.
All grades participate in Daily Oral Language drills each day. By middle school (grades 5-8), students recognize compound and complex sentence structure and use of a variety of sentences in their writing. Along with more advanced grammar instruction, students become proficient in their language and usage skills. They experience three modes of writing: narrative, expository and persuasive. Evaluation is based on individual progress. Seventh and eighth-grade students write research papers and learn to write thesis statements. Through the use of rubrics, modeling and the writing process, students learn the value of editing and rewriting to perfect their writing.
Mathematics
The mathematics curriculum at Holy Trinity School encompasses approximately one sixth of our daily curriculum. In the lower elementary level (grades K-2), students study numbers up to 99 with the operations of addition and subtraction. They are exposed to plane and solid geometry, organization of data and graph models. The use of manipulatives helps students explore the big ideas presented, and the use of games reinforces the learning. The students are held accountable through the use of tests, observation in individual and group participation and projects.
At the middle level (grades 3 and 4), students investigate multiplication and division with basic facts relative to addition and subtraction. Problem solving skills are beginning to develop. Time, measurement and money are explored in a more in-depth manner. Manipulatives, rulers and other mathematical tools are used for exploration and concept development. Students are held accountable through testing, group projects with rubrics, class participation and homework assignments.
At the upper elementary level (grades 5-8), proficiency in computation skills expands to fractions and decimals. Percent is stressed, and the use of calculators is permitted. The students develop number sense, deductive logic and algebraic thinking. A deeper understanding of problem solving through exploration of real world examples and individual projects continues throughout these grades. The use of manipulatives — including centimeter cubes, geoboards, miras, English and metric measurement tools, and algebra tiles — helps students to visualize concepts that are more abstract. The use of graphing calculators also enables students to grasp difficult concepts. Architectural design, geometric tessellations and fractals are also introduced. By the end of eighth grade, most students should be able to further their mathematics education through algebra II or plane & solid geometry. Students are held accountable through quizzes, tests, class participation, projects and daily homework assignments. Enrichment and remediation are provided with the Accelerated Math program.
Science
The science curriculum emphasizes an understanding of the natural world, scientific laws, theories and principles. Students are taught to make observations and inferences in developing hypotheses. A variety of skills are developed including predicting, experimenting, measuring, identifying variables and control groups, making models, drawing conclusions, constructing data tables and using technology to find solutions to problems. Subject areas include life, physical and earth sciences as well as astronomy. Multiple strategies are employed to construct scientific proficiency including investigations and experiments, demonstrations, group and individual projects, textbook reading, hands-on experiential learning, Internet queries and drawings. Evaluations take the form of written tests, lab reports and classroom and science fair presentations.
Social Studies
Social studies is taught to all students in grades K-8. Students learn about themselves, families, communities, states, the United States and other countries. As they expand their knowledge through these different levels, they also learn how to create, use and interpret maps, charts and time lines. The students connect the past to the present and learn about current events. They also gain knowledge of governments, economics and geography. In order for students to meet the objectives we have in place, the teachers use a wide variety of methods such as discussions, picture books, reports, map creation and interpretation, Internet research, PowerPoint presentations, individual and group projects, individual discovery, guest speakers, field trips and practice exercises. The students are evaluated through observation, written and oral assessment, projects, class discussions and participation and rubrics.
French:
When learning a native language, children learn to speak first. It should be the same approach with a second language. The program at Holy Trinity is basically divided into two groups: K-3 and 4-8. In the primary grades, students work on creating an ear for French. Activities are based on listening and repeating using small songs, stories and movies. Students also learn to act out small everyday situations. As the children grow older and master their reading and writing, they are then introduced to French grammar and writing in combination with that which they have been doing since kindergarten. Students also complete research and presentations on French culture. There are three aspects in the learning of a language: speaking, reading and writing, and understanding. They all tend to the same goal — communication.
Art
The art curriculum at Holy Trinity School teaches the students about art History, artists’ techniques and concepts such as line, shape, form and perspective. It introduces the students to different media and the manipulation of the media. Each lesson is tailored to the grade level and the individual’s ability. Every lesson encourages creativity and involves the students in using a wide range of media in order to foster success. The skills learned in art class work to enhance skills in other subjects, and when possible, there is cross-curriculum involvement. Students participate in many art contests and exhibit their work at Ligonier’s Town Hall, the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art (SAMA) and their own show at school during the art fair. They also participate in SAMA’s Artist in Residence Program where an artist spends two weeks with the students, teaching them specific techniques and helping them create a work of art. The students are graded on participation, creativity and effort.
Music
The music program focuses mainly on the students’ active participation. Students learn to play the recorder and sing. These activities help the students understand concepts such as rhythm, harmony and tone. As individuals and members of a group with a common goal, the children exercise spiritual, emotional and physical expression of themselves through the art of music. The students are graded on participation, creativity, and effort.
Computers
All students have access to computers in the classroom. Grades K-8 have use of the two portable computer labs. Students work on independent computer-generated projects as well as projects in cooperation with teachers in other subject areas. Computer skills are introduced at each grade level and are mastered as each student progresses through the grades. In grades K-1, students are introduced to the laptops. They use hand and eye coordination skills while becoming familiar with the keyboard. In grades 2-4, students learn keyboarding skills and use Microsoft Word to create documents. They learn to open, retrieve and save their work. A variety of grade-appropriate software is used to reinforce math and reading skills and to create projects. In the upper grades, students learn and use Publisher, Excel and PowerPoint. By grade 8, students are able to troubleshoot problems with programs and equipment. Methods used to meet each objective, mainly in the younger grades, are group and individual instruction. In the older grades, students create documents and a variety of projects on the lessons that were taught and use the Microsoft Office textbook. Students are evaluated in the younger grades by observation, class participation, tests using computer skills and document creation. In the older grades, assessments include timed tests, tests from textbooks, projects and productive use of time.
Physical Education
Physical education is offered to each student 60 minutes per week. Grades K-2 have gym twice a week at the school, while the upper classes walk to the YMCA for a double period once a week. The main objectives for the younger students are to improve coordination, enhance sportsmanship and follow directions. This is accomplished through teaching the basic skills in sports and team relays and by using a variety of equipment to improve their skills. The main method of evaluation is observation of each student to see if they are putting forth effort, showing good sportsmanship and following directions. The main objectives for the older students are to provide leadership opportunities, to participate in a variety of games and sports, and to enhance physical fitness abilities. This is accomplished by: providing many opportunities for students to be team leaders; giving students opportunities to learn new sports through skills, drills and small sided games; and encouraging students to warm up every class period with strength, flexibility and endurance training exercises. Students are evaluated by the effort they put forth, their initiative to serve as a team leader and their demonstrated improvement throughout the course of instruction.