Knowledge
Our strong academic curriculum and wholesome learning environment prepare students to become confident and capable learners.
Our Curriculum
Our curriculum delivers a complete foundation in:
- Knowledge of the Catholic faith
- Elementary Math
- Reading skills
- Writing
Added to the core curriculum are Science, History, Geography, Art, Music, Spanish, and Physical Education. Your child’s educational experience is enhanced by field trips and visiting speakers that extend topics covered in class.
Consistent high standardized test scores demonstrate that our curriculum achieves the desired results.
Religion
The Religion program emphasizes the discovery of a child’s relationship with Christ. It fosters a personal encounter with Christ and allows for deep intellectual foundations through which to live their faith. In addition to Spirit of Truth (Sophia Institute) and Faith and Life Series (Ignatius Press), the Religion program is supplemented with Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) which is an integral part of the curriculum for grades Preschool through 2nd.
Mathematics
Throughout all grade levels, our students develop a strong foundation in problem solving skills and mental math strategies. Students develop and expand their foundational knowledge of fundamental math concepts through the rich and structured Saxon Math (Houghton Mifflin) curriculum. This curriculum offers a framework for students to be challenged in advanced concepts, while also having frequent opportunities to practice foundational skills. At Embers, students learn the Saxon Math curriculum that is one grade level above their current grade level. Embers’ Advanced Math program provides an additional opportunity for growth and challenge.
Reading
Lower Grades (K-2)
Embers’ reading program places emphasis on building and cultivating students’ phonological awareness and decoding skills, leading them to be skilled and fluent readers. Phonics instruction takes place with the highly-rated From Phonics to Reading (Sadlier) curriculum, while phonemic awareness is cultivated through the multi-sensory Heggerty Phonemic Awareness curriculum. Reading and decoding practice is achieved through the SuperBooks decodable reader sets. Further practice in text reading and comprehension is accomplished through the Reading A to Z program resources and book studies. Our students are on track to be proficient readers by the end of first grade.
Upper Grades (3-5)
Classic novel studies and structured comprehension strategy instruction forms the basis of the reading curriculum. Through reading classic literature, students expand their virtue knowledge, develop reading fluency, cultivate vocabulary skills and deepen their comprehension. Highlights from novel studies include selections from the Narnia series (C.S. Lewis), Little House on the Prairie series selections, (Laura Ingalls Wilder), The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett), and Don Quixote (Miguel Cervantes).
Writing & Language Arts
The foundation of our Language Arts program is the Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW) curriculum. This curriculum offers a structured, sequential approach to writing instruction, which ultimately teaches cohesive writing, reading comprehension, vocabulary development, critical thinking skills, and English grammar. In the Lower Grades, Handwriting skills are cultivated through the IEW program and 2nd grade students begin learning cursive writing skills in the second half of the school year. The skill is continued through the Upper Grades with cursive writing being used in student daily work.
Science
The Mystery Science curriculum, designed to align with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), offers fun, engaging, hands-on science. Students learn science concepts through class discussions, directed readings, and interactive investigations.
History and Geography
Students are introduced to foundational concepts of ancient civilizations, American history, geographic knowledge, and map skills through the Core Knowledge (Pearson) curriculum and Evan Moor Geography resources.
Enrichment
Weekly enrichment classes include music, art, Spanish and gym for all students.
Terra Nova Assessment
Every March, all 3rd – 5th-grade students take a yearly assessment, the Terra Nova Tests. These tests assess Embers students in all areas of Reading, Language Arts, and Math. Our consistently high test scores affirms the effectiveness of our Embers curriculum and approach to learning.