Music
Kindergarten through 8th Grade students are taught the basic concepts of music in a creative environment. The students learn the musical skills of reading music, singing, rhythm and movement and music appreciation. In addition to the classroom music program, St. Ann School offers two additional musical opportunities to students. Chorus is offered to students in grades 3-8. Beginner & Advanced Band is available for students in grades 4-8. Under the direction of our chorus director and band director, both the band and the chorus perform a Christmas and Spring concert each year and add to the school-wide liturgies by singing and playing during our school Masses. Our chorus and band students also sing and play at events within the community and participate in the Allentown Central Catholic yearly music competition.

 

Art
St. Ann Students develop an appreciation of art through a developmentally appropriate art program. The Art teacher meets with the PreK-8 students once a week in our Art Room. The students are challenged to use their creativity to produce works of art from various mediums. An introduction to works of art by famous artists is also a part of the art curriculum. Most importantly, the students will recognize that God is the creator of all beauty and the art they create should reflect this. Student’s artwork is displayed around the school and also entered into contests sponsored by the diocese and the community.

• PreK learns about the elements of art as they work on projects designed to develop their fine motor skills and hand eye coordination. Students will become familiar with many famous works of art and the artists that created them.

• Kindergarten students will learn many things is the art room. The projects we work on have been created to help develop fine motor skills and hand eye coordination. The students will be able to use a variety of materials as they explore the following elements and principles of art: line, shape, color,  texture and pattern/repetition. The students will also learn about famous artists and become familiar with some great works of art.

• 1st Grade: The year begins with a review of lines and animal drawings. Students will create sunflowers in the style of famous artists. The children will learn how to draw a face in proportion and will learn about the rainforest by creating a rainforest book of animals. They will explore the works of artists like Mary Cassatt and Vincent Van Gogh and create art work in a similar style.

• 2nd Grade: Using line and structure, students begin the year making a book about trees. They will learn about owls and create their own owls using oil pastels. There will be a lesson about Pablo Picasso and portrait drawings. In the spring children will learn about George Seurat and make their own pointillist pictures. Tangrams are explored and students will create animals using the seven tangram shapes.

• 3rd Grade: We begin the year with line, shape, and color projects in chalk as well as shape landscapes in watercolors. Children will review still life drawings, and learn how to draw a still life using geometric shapes, as a guide to creating organic shapes. Later we will study Paul Klee and do stitchery. Students will then create seascapes in the style of Edward Hopper.

• 4th Grade: Students start out learning about Japanese Ikebana and will make paper collages. They will look at the works of Claude Monet and create their own impressionistic landscapes. In January they will work on their paper dragons and their  famous American portraits in oil pastels. They finish with weaving and bird drawings in the style of James Audobon.

• 5th Grade: Weaving an Indian medicine bag in the style of the Navajo, still life unit featuring artist Paul Cezanne, sports figure drawings, and Greek vase and columns projects.

• 6th Grade: Design projects with initials, Calligraphy – psalms, Architectural unit – design your dream home, One and two point perspective projects, and Georgia O’Keefe oil pastel flowers.

• 7th Grade: Animal Kingdom drawings – students choose an animal to draw within the confines of a 4inch circle and identify it by it’s scientific name, Glass mosaics, 1/2 drawings of famous Americans, Mandalas – design on a curve, and Japanese painting of cherry blossoms.

• 8th Grade: Retalbo Paintings – paint a Saint of their choice in the style of the Hispanic Southwest, Tessellations, Printmaking Unit, and Stained glass designs – students will study the works of Louis Comfort Tiffany, Frank Lloyd Wright, and other artists and create their own design using tissue paper & black construction paper.

 

Library
St. Ann School provides students in grades K-8 a library period once a week in our Jean B. Kollhoff Library. Our library teacher works with each grade level to develop an environment that promotes reading as a life-long skill. Under the guidance of the library teacher, students explore the library books, are guided in research methods and are introduced to the use of the internet as an educational tool. The library teacher collaborates with the classroom teachers using materials that are intended to support the curriculum and offer a range of media for personal enrichment.

 

Physical Education
Physical Education is provided for students in grades K-8 in our Msgr. Thomas E. Hoban Gymnasium.  Our Physical Education teacher uses developmentally appropriate and well designed activities at each grade level to develop gross motor skills and create an understanding of the importance of physical fitness.  The importance of cooperation and team building skills are also developed, teaching the children to be part of a team, to accept both winning and losing, to show good sportsmanship and have fun all in a safe and structured environment that meets the needs of all students.

 

Spanish
The Spanish curriculum at St. Ann School provides the students in grades 3 & up exposure to a foreign language. The general curriculum is based on vocabulary, cultural awareness, speaking, reading and writing skills based on the different levels of competency among the students. Interactive lessons are taught through the use of games, songs, and instructional media to keep the students interested. The Spanish program also exposes the students to bilingual reading books and stories.  The students in grades 7 & 8 use the Prentice Hall Realidades textbook and practice workbook as part of the Foreign Language curriculum.

In keeping with Catholic religious tradition, St. Ann’s Spanish classes incorporate Catholic prayers, feast days, holidays, and traditions as part of the Spanish curriculum.

 

Hispanic American awareness is highlighted during the Hispanic American month every year from mid-September to mid-October. At Christmas, students learn about similar as well as different traditions.  Students study the “carnival” season which precedes Lent or “cuaresma.” And of course, the students enjoy Cinco de Mayo, or the battle of Puebla, which marks the Mexican defeat of the French Army. Being immersed in Spanish culture, customs and language provides a comprehensive foreign language program for our students.

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Family and Consumer Sciences Education (FCS)

This class helps prepare students for family and work life, by presenting opportunities to develop the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors needed to be successful in the real world. This is done through character development, creative and analytical thinking, interpersonal communication, practical comprehension, and vocational exploration. FCS education equips people throughout their lifetime to oversee the challenges in a diverse, global society. These challenges include balancing personal, home, family and work lives; learning skills to be successful in life management; having a greater understanding of nutrition and wellness needs. FCS is about preparing students for life, work and citizenship through the unique focus on the work of the family. These classes will give students "life skills" that they will use today and in the future as a member of a family and as an active participant in their community.