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The main emphasis of our Elementary, Kindergarten, and Pregrades music program is
instilling a love of music in all children. Movement activities, playing rhythm
instruments, learning notation, and performance opportunities all help to develop
an interest in music. There is nothing like the sound of children's singing and laughter!
The Intermediate music program at St. Luke's offers students the opportunity to explore
many different avenues of expressing creativity. Fifth and sixth grade students learn
through their use and mastery of the choir chimes, two-part songs, Solfege sightsinging,
and choral choreography. Seventh grade music students explore the wonder of music through
the three octave Malmark handbells, three-part music, and continued Solfege. The music
program nurtures each student as they express themselves through music.
"All the world's a stage.." The drama program at St. Luke's is a vibrant and active part of
the Intermediate School. All 5th, 6th and 7th grade students have drama classes weekly
with a Drama elective class offered to 8th and 9th grade students. The drama elective
class explores the fundamentals of acting, analysis of play structure, playwriting,
directing, technical theater, and musical theater. The elective students perform two
one-acts during the school year, and also perform in the annual mainstage play/musical.
The drama program seeks to instill self-confidence, concentration, team spirit, and a
love of good theater in all the students.
The visual arts room is full of color and creative activity. Our students have art resource
in kindergarten through 7th grade with an 8th/9th elective studio art class. The kindergarten
through fifth grades learn the elements of visual art, such as line, shape, value and color
with classic masterpieces as well as their own hands-on projects. Emphasis is placed on
effort and participation. As the students progress to the 6th and 7th grade, art history
is taught with projects to accompany each major era (Egyptian Cartouche or Andy Warhol pop
art projects). The 8th/9th grade elective class explores various media including drawing,
painting, and decorative arts in more depth as the students mature. The main focus of the
art program is to build a knowledge base of the richness of the human experience through
the arts while having a wonderful time on the way. All students' artwork is featured
in our school-wide Art Gala in the spring.
"Hola" is just one greeting you may receive from St. Luke's students. Beginning in
preschool with an introduction to everyday vocabulary through song and games to the
extended proficiency in the four language skills of listening, speaking, reading and
writing in ninth grade, Spanish is integrated throughout the school. Spanish is taught
once a week in pregrades through fourth grade. The program is expanded to three periods
a week in fifth and sixth grade. Spanish I and II are offered to seventh, eighth and
ninth graders in their daily schedule.
The Latin elective in large part follows the National Latin Exam Syllabus. The NLE plan
falls under three main headings: Language, Culture, and Civilization. At the same time
that students encounter features of language, they also acquaint themselves with Roman
culture, with words derived from Latin, and with expressions, quotations, and concepts
which have come down to us in the original language. The goal is to integrate all
features of the study of Latin so that students will find it intrinsically interesting
as well as practical. Latin is offered to eighth and ninth grade students.
Juggling, Sponge Ball, Hula Hoops, Kickball, and the BIG Pink Ball are just a few of
the games and equipment that are used in P.E. Fifth through 9th grades participate in
P.E. five days a week, Kindergarten through fourth three days a week, while Junior
Kindergarten students attend once a week. In P.E. our students test their physical
limits and strive for personal goals. The Presidential Fitness Testing and the P.E.
Challenge occur alternating years for grades 1-6 while grades 7-9 participate in the
Presidential Fitness Testing annually. Our Winter Sports program is an integral
component of the educational program at St. Luke's. It provides meaningful
opportunities that enhance the daily physical education curriculum for students in
first through ninth grade. It typically takes place for several days between January
and February and includes on-site and off-site programs for students. The winter
sports may include skiing, snowboarding, swimming, bowling, lacrosse, gymnastics,
soccer, karate, tennis, walleyball, dance and cheerleading.
Both school libraries, the IS Garton Library and the Lower School Library, are open to
all students, with formal library instruction given to Pre-Grades through Grade 5.
Students in grades 6-9 use the library for research, specific classroom assignments
and projects and pleasure reading. The Library program at St. Luke's has many activities
that foster a love of reading, from celebrating Dr. Seuss Week to reading special stories
during Week of the Book.
Creating a Power Point presentation in the computer lab to using laptops in the
classroom, technology is an integral part of a student's day. Pre-K through ninth
grade have formal instruction in the computer lab starting with simple drawings
and keyboarding skills progressing to multimedia presentations and programming.
Laptops are available for classroom use throughout the day for research, Reading
Counts tests, and classroom projects.
Eighth grade students participate in a bible survey class which follows a timeline of key events in the Bible.
Ninth grade students complete their education at St. Luke's by taking a look at the nature of
knowledge, the bases upon which knowledge claims rest, ways of knowing and areas of knowledge.
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