Elementary School
At Mater Christi School there is one class per grade level. Our class sizes are small and this allows the teachers to give students more individualized attention. Every class has the opportunity each week to visit a special area class. These include art, music, library, physical education, Spanish, and STREAM.
Classrooms
Kindergarten
Kindergarten at MCS is a full-day program that truly nurtures and encourages your child. We strive for a challenging academic environment using the New York State Next Generation standards as our academic goals.
We encourage creativity, individuality, and independence. We inspire our students to be kind, responsible, and respectful. Parent-teacher communication is a top priority. We are devoted to the individual needs of each student.
At MCS, your child is treated with kindness and respect and will always be safe.
Ashley Romand
First Grade
We start and end every day together as a whole class in our Morning Meeting or afternoon Closing Squirkle (part square, part circle). We do this to build our sense of community, and also check in at the beginning and end of the day. In First Grade there is a big focus on becoming fluent readers, so we spend a lot of time improving our reading skills! From our daily reading lesson, to silent reading, and even when the teacher reads aloud to the students, we do a lot of reading-centered activities. We learn the skills we need to decode words and spell them, and also build our stamina for silent reading. Sometimes we read books that help us practice our reading fluency, but we also read or look at books just for fun! Besides reading, we also do a lot of math. We warm up our bodies and brains by skip-counting while doing stretches or other physical activities such as jumping-jacks. In our math lessons we balance instruction and independent practice, and even sometimes get to find out how math helps us in our daily lives! No matter the activity, in Reading, Math, Writing, or any other subject, we always try to do our best work and focus on improving ourselves before we worry about what others are doing.
Theresa Kelly
2nd Grade
Second grade at MCS is a nurturing program that follows the New York State Next Generation standards as a path to academic excellence while encouraging kindness and perseverance. There is also a strong focus on two Catholic sacraments: Penance and Reconciliation and First Holy Communion. Students at Mater Christi school get to prepare and receive these sacraments with their classmates and share these special days with the whole parish. Weekly newsletters and a parent messaging app make staying up to date on what is going on in the classroom a breeze!
Kathryn Hacker
3rd Grade
Third grade is a busy and challenging year. Students progress from learning basic skills to mastering them. They develop more complex skills such as, inference, cause and effect and supporting ideas with details. Students participate in STREAM labs to enhance their understanding of science and math skills, using technology and engineering concepts. Math is taught using the NYS module, which incorporates hands-on practice and the use of strategies to solve problems. It is the goal in third grade that students become more independent and mature learners.
Marilyn Kasparian
4th Grade
Fourth grade is a growing up year. We take on more responsibility both in our daily routine and in ourselves. Our work in all areas builds on the skills we learned in Third grade. We do many projects centered around research and writing reports. Public speaking is also worked on to help us feel comfortable in front of a crowd in both formal and informal presentations. We emerge as scientists by learning the scientific method and participating in the Science Fair. We grow in our faith by learning more about adoration and other forms of prayer throughout the year. As always, we continue following the teachings of Jesus and seeing God in everyone and treating all with respect.
Emily Shoop
5th Grade
The fifth grade class uses a hybrid model of part elementary and part middle school. It starts with a strong home base with a homeroom teacher to guide them. They have a 90 minute block of reading, ELA, and writing each day. Their subjects are taught by middle school content specific teachers who teach students in their fifth grade classroom. Students will benefit from a variety of teaching styles and build independence. This increased academic rigor comes with support for the social emotional needs of the 5th graders.
