Saint Valentine School

Students learn that God's spirit is with the Church throughout history, making us His holy people. Using the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, course material covers God's spirit giving us life, the Holy Spirit acting in the Church, and the Spirit sanctifying the Church.

To reinforce skills learned last year, sixth grade students practice adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing whole numbers, fractions, and decimals. In addition, they cover measuring and graphing data, geometry, probability, and statistics and become acquainted with rations, proportions, and percents.

Using both contemporary and classic literature as examples, students learn to use and analyze basic components of literature: conflict, plot, character, setting, and theme. In addition, they learn various techniques for developing essays in nonfiction, determining a culture's values in classical myths, and observing foreshadowing in a novel. They also study techniques of staging and script in a play and develop an appreciation of rhythm, rhyme, and imagery in poetry.

Sixth grade students supplement their knowledge of the parts of speech, capitalization, and punctuation by studying compound and complex sentences. In addition, students bolster their prewriting strategies using clustering and diagramming. Sixth graders also expand and further fine tune their imagery techniques to include metaphor, simile, personification, alliteration, and onomatopoeia.

The music series begun in kindergarten and progressing through grade eight emphasizes rhythm, tone color, form, melody, harmony, listening, and music appreciation. During class, students enjoy singing, playing rhythm instruments and musical games, dancing, listening for enjoyment, and listening for analysis.

Children in sixth grade participate in the Spring Musical.

In the upper grades, emphasis turns toward team games and athletic skills. After warm-up exercises, students practice fitness testing or play soccer, floor hockey, basketball, volleyball, wiffleball, softball, speedball, or other organized games.

Using guidelines established by the Diocese of Pittsburgh, teachers show students what functions computers can and can not perform. Using this knowledge, students explore word processing and graphic capabilities and practice using the computer for language arts and math.

In Science the focus is on the earth and it beginnings. In this 2008 edition students explore the scientific method of discovery.

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In social studies, students cover the earth's geography. Meanwhile, in history, students trace the path of early civilizations, Egypt, Fertile Crescent, Greece, and Rome, through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance to the world today.

This year, students learn more about reading, writing, and speaking in Spanish. They also study the culture and geography of Spanish-speaking countries.

Students in sixth grade have the opportunity to participate in the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science (PJAS), Student Council, Forensics, Pizza Hut Book-It Program, Scouts, band, children's choir, Gridiron Geography, International Luncheon, Geography Bee, literary competitions, cheerleading, and basketball. In addition, they can become altar servers.

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Page last updated on January 14, 2008
St Valentines - 2709 Mesta St - Bethel Park, PA 15102
"So Very Special"