Specials

Pre-K through Eighth grade students experience the Visual Arts within a positive and motivating atmosphere that focuses on creativity, uniqueness and problem-solving through art. Students apply their knowledge of the Elements of Art and the Principles of Design through the execution of an ever-changing variety of mediums. They learn about different art styles and famous artists, both historical and contemporary, and engage in the tangible making of art. In an increasingly digital world, students have opportunities to make, build, and manipulate a multitude of tools and media with their whole hand.

The Visual Arts teacher collaborates with the classroom teachers to connect projects to the core subject curriculum and the world outside of the classroom.

Performing Arts instruction is part of the curriculum for all students.  Classes provide knowledge and skills that help students become well rounded and successful in many areas of life.  Classes also provide opportunities for students to prepare for the Christmas and Spring Performing Arts Productions:

Performing Arts classes include a variety of elements, such as, but not limited to:

• Creative Movement and choreography-based dance movements
• Music: Composing, Theory, Dynamics, and singing
• Digital Media
• Script writing
• Public speaking
• Research and analysis
• Improvisation
• Play writing
• Language and structure of a script

Below is more detailed information of what students in the various grade levels can expect to learn in their performing arts classes:

Grades 2-5

Each second, third, fourth, and fifth grade class will participate in one production per year.  Participation in the production will count as their summative grade for performing arts class.  Each class will perform as an ensemble.  Students will also have the opportunity try out after school for a lead role.

During the school day, each class will prepare for the play.  Students will be exposed to presenting, exhibiting, celebrating, communicating, and sharing in a variety of ways through the arts.  Each year students will take on a more progressive musical role, with more harmonies or parts.  The focus of each grade level is summarized below.

Second Grade:  Students will participate in character building activities, small in-class skits, performance of stories, creative dance/movement, and choreography.

Third Grade:  Students will be provided opportunities to develop a genuine interest in the Performing Arts through exposure to improvisation, theatre games, short plays, and various other theatre activities.

Fourth Grade:  Students will learn to command the attention of a theatre audience and improve their stage presence.  They will be exposed to all the aspects of the stage and theatre vocabulary, such as dialogue, script, interpretation, drama, scenes, and stage directions.

Fifth Grade: Students will use research and analysis to create their own play writing.  This opportunity for creative development can improve self-esteem and carry over into all areas of learning and life.

Grades 6-8

All students will participate in performing arts class once a week.  Some of these students will be trying out for lead roles after school.  Others will not.  Those students who are not involved in a lead role will be responsible for memorizing literature pieces and performing monologues, duets, etc.  As part of their three-year rotation, students will have opportunities to select from various aspects of the theatre to do their work, such as choreography, music composition, costume design, scene analysis, digital backdrops, animation, design, and script writing.  This gives ensures the involvement of all students in the final production of the play, whether on or off stage, leading a scene or behind the scene.

At St Cecelia Catholic School, we believe Physical Education is an important part of every child’s learning.  We offer a broad and exciting program responsive to differences in children’s age, size, sports interests, skill level, and desire for competition.  This program combines age appropriate experiences with a variety of developmental methods to meet the needs of all students.

Pre-K through Second grade student’s emphasis is on activity and movement focusing on gross motor development.  The students explore, exercise and refine their large muscle skills with both indoor and outdoor activities using manipulatives (hula hoops, bean bags, yarn balls, jump ropes, etc.).  This program provides opportunities to practice these skills through the introduction of organized games.

Third through Fifth grade students develop a comprehension of strategies, etiquette, rules and sportsmanship in a variety of team sports.  Games and fitness skills continue to enhance cardiovascular strength and muscular endurance.  Students are given time to review and practice their basic skills.

Sixth through Eighth grade students experience a curriculum emphasizing both individual and team skills.  The emphasis on mastering these skills will enhance the student’s enjoyment of the activities while teaching them appropriate behaviors associated with each activity.  These behaviors include sportsmanship, fair play, and inclusion of all students regardless of ability.  Course activities include volleyball, basketball, soccer, flag football, softball, and health.

K-8^th Grade: Students complete their Spanish program through Florida Virtual School (FLVS). Learning a new language can open doors to the world, and with FLVS, students can learn online—anytime, anywhere. This program allows us to meet the diverse needs of our school community, and allows students to work at their own pace.

With the assistance of a classroom moderator and a licensed Spanish instructor, students learn:

• how to read and write the language
• listening and speaking exercises
• an exploration of common cultures and traditions
• activities, including a variety of interactive games

In conjunction with the IB MYP program, the Spanish classes collaborate with other subject areas on cross curricular projects throughout the school.

PreK4-Fifth grade technology education is taught once per week, as well as, being integrated into the primary curriculum.    The curriculum includes using technology tools to solve problems.  Concepts include basic operations, file management, digital identity, keyboarding, painting and drawing, word-processing, spreadsheets, databases, multimedia presentations, internet searching, online safety, digital citizenship, communication and collaboration, problem solving and computational thinking.

The K-5 technology classes prepare students to meet the ISTE and CSTA standards.

The Middle School Technology Course follows the IB MYP Design Course.  It aspires to develop creative problem-solvers who are caring and responsible individuals; able to respond critically and resourcefully to the demands of an increasingly technological society and to appreciate the importance of technology for life, society, and the environment. Design in the MYP program is organized into three branches of study: information, materials, and systems. The program combines both Computer Technology and Design Technology in one curriculum area. At the core, is the Design Cycle where students consider the processes of inquiring and analyzing, developing ideas, creating a solution, and evaluating.  This model of learning incorporates knowledge, research, skills, and design principles in a problem-solving context.

The Areas of Interaction encourage students to connect what they learn in Technology with real world issues. Students constantly engage with the social, cultural and ethical impact of technology in the modern world. As thoughtful practitioners, they reflect on the objects made by others and consider how those makers have brought about change. Middle school students participate in Technology/Design class two times per week.

The MYP design curriculum is supplemented using the Code.org Computer Science Discoveries Course.

K-1st grade students use 1:1 school provided Netbooks and tablets in their classrooms.  Second graders use 1:1 class sets of iPads. Teachers utilize computers to enhance and differentiate instruction to meet the needs of individual students. Students use iPads during small group instruction and small group collaboration.

Students in grades Three through Eight are part of our 1:1 iPad Program.  These devices are used to enhance teaching and learning by providing more opportunities for students to personalize their learning through authentic tasks.  Students have instant access to tools that allow for improved communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking. These tools allow students to research, take notes, and complete assignments in a more efficient manner: examples include note taking, writing for a variety of audiences, project-based learning, varied presentation formats, multimedia production, communication, collaboration, and so much more.

All students will engage in on-going interdisciplinary STREAM activities and be able to explain how combining the knowledge of their faith with the skills of science, religion, technology, engineering, art, and math will provide opportunities for problem solving real-life issues and prepare them for the global workplace. 

Stream education is not a new curriculum.  It is more a philosophical guideline for delivering excellence in Catholic education, for 21^st-century learners. In the real world, content knowledge is interwoven, layered and sophisticated, not experienced in isolation. Yes, disciplines are essential.  However, STREAM asks the “questions” Where does my subject area blend with yours?”  The Essential Elements below are four facets that will be used to guide instruction as we “reimagine” STREAM education at St. Cecelia.

Ensure all STREAM curriculum is implemented with best practices from a Catholic perspective. Because our faith is woven through all subjects, the faith component completes the picture for a meaningful and successful STREAM experience.  Teachers pose questions such as:

• Teachers consider proposed solutions through the lens of Catholic Social Justice or a Catholic world view.
• Teachers encourage discussion: Maybe you CAN do the science, but you need the religion to ask “Should you?”

Providing students with a planned interdisciplinary STREAM activity in the STREAM Center at least once a week.

Pre-K3-5: Students visit the STREAM Center once a week. The classroom teacher and the STREAM Center coordinator work together to prepare for each STREAM Center activity.  The teachers pose a current issue or problem for the students to solve, using science, technology, religion, engineering, art, and/or math standards. During this time, students have access to a variety of materials, gadgets, and gizmos to think outside the box, build their problem-solving skills, and collaborate with classmates to address the issue or challenge they have been given.   The classroom teacher ensures the students are academically prepared and ready to be productive during their STREAM time, and then leads the activity. The STREAM Coordinator helps infuse technology into the planning, has the materials ready for the students, and assists the teacher as needed during the activity.

6-8:  Students visit the STREAM center once a week during their technology wheel block.

Infuse technology regularly.

The STREAM Center Coordinator oversees the infusion of technology into the STREAM activities.

STREAM education allows academic concepts to be coupled with real life application in all disciplines.  Students become involved in hands-on projects where problem solving, collaboration, and the results of their efforts make lessons relevant to real life issues. 

Part of the STREAM Center functions as a library and is accessible to all students. It contains over 20,000 books.  It is open each school day from 7:30 am until 3:30 pm.  Students have access to the Library during Open Media throughout the week.  Students can check out books for up to two weeks at a time.  If needed, the books can be renewed for an additional two more weeks.  There is a wide range of books for students to read:  fiction, non-fiction, graphic novels, biographies, books on coding, books related to STREAM, and many more.  Almost all the books are labeled with AR levels. This can help a student find books within their AR range.  Parents and students can access our catalog at www.stceceliafollettdestiny from home to search for books that they may be interested in checking out.  The catalog also shows what a book’s AR information is.

St. Cecelia hosts the annual for the Diocese of St. Petersburg: The Battle of the Books is a voluntary Jeopardy-styled completion that uses titles that are selected yearly by the Sunshine State Young Readers Award program. There are two competitions – one geared for grades 3 through 5 and another for grades 6 through 8.  The are 15 books that are selected for each competition that are grade appropriate.  In order for a student to be eligible to compete in the “Battle”, students must read the books that are on the list and have passed the associated AR test by the end of February of that school year.  At that time, a team will be chosen based upon the number of books a student has read.  Students within the team will choose which books they will be the expert on for the Battle.

Schools can have two teams to represent their school – a team for grades 3-5 and one for grades 6-8.  Each team can have a maximum of five students.  A student cannot be on a team if they are not in the grade level.  The diocesan “Battle” will take place in April at St. Cecelia.

St. Cecelia offers assistance to students with learning disabilities. If a student is suspected of having a learning disability, the general education teacher will discuss this with the parent and refer the student to the school based Strategic Intervention Team. The team of St. Cecelia teachers and the parent will work together to support the student with strategies and interventions to assist the student with achievement at their grade level. If the student continues to need extra support, the general education teacher can refer the student to Title One. Academic Support is offered as the highest level of support and strategies and interventions are provided through instruction in a small group pull out or in the inclusion setting. Accommodations will be a school based decision and provided to meet the specific needs of the student. RTI or Response To Intervention is a progress monitoring collection of data that can be utilized to document the needs of the student who may need an IEP, Individualized Educational Plan, or a SSP, Student Support Plan, which is the plan in a Private school. This plan enables the student to access specially designed instruction. If a student is found eligible for exceptional student education through the county, the student can work with a varying exceptionalities teacher provided by the county. If a student qualifies for this service, screenings can be requested by the parent for both Physical Therapy and/or Occupational Therapy.

General Education teachers can also refer the parent to the county to request speech screenings.

If a student has a medical diagnosis that is current (within three years) for attention and is documented by a physician, he or she will have access to academic support and accommodations will be determined to support learning in the classroom.

Enhanced Learning opportunities are offered to students in first through fifth grade. This is a pull out of once a week for 140 minutes. The curriculum encourages students to explore, investigate and discover topics of interest as they work in a creative, problem solving group. The students develop a sense of self- worth as each applies their intellectual and creative skills to the topic at hand.  The guidelines in the NAGC or the National Association for Gifted Children and the Florida Frameworks K-12 Standards and Benchmarks are followed. Enhanced learning attends 2 field trips a year (fall and spring) that relate to the theme being learned. Students create 2 products through the school year (1 independent & 1 collaborative). Student-led conferences are done at the end of the school year with their parents.