St. Agnes Parish School is affiliated with the Archdiocese of Louisville and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the Kentucky Non-Public Schools Commission.

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The learning environment of St. Agnes School is structured to foster the growth of each child spiritually, academically, emotionally, and physically.  St. Agnes's identity as a Catholic school, wherein each child experiences Christian community, frames every curricular department, every co-curricular and extra-curricular activity, the approach to teaching, and the day itself.  Children learn about Catholic tradition, values and practices and have opportunities to develop a personal relationship with God through varied experiences of prayer and worship.  Teachers strive to provide each child with the tools and experiences that will make him/her a self-confident and self-motivated learner.  There is emphasis on strong oral and written communication skills and on developing the skills necessary to become leaders in the world and in the Church and to effectively manage the vast amounts of information available today. 

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The St. Agnes curriculum is based upon the Archdiocesan Curriculum Framework established by the Archdiocese of Louisville. This framework is aligned with national standards and with the Learner Goals and Academic Expectations established by the Department of Education of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Adherence to this standards-based curriculum is a requirement for our ongoing accreditation through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the Kentucky Non-Public Schools Commission.

Religion program: The heart of the curriculum of St. Agnes Parish School is the religion program that is designed to provide students with an understanding of Catholic doctrine, Scripture, and tradition.  In addition, there is emphasis on the development of a personal relationship with God through many opportunities for prayer.   Students attend Mass weekly, have opportunities to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and prepare and attend prayer services related to Church seasons or special celebrations.  Teachers and parents work together to prepare students for their First Reconciliation, First Eucharist, and Confirmation.

The Language Arts, consisting of Reading/Literature, Grammar, Writing, and Spelling/Vocabulary are taught as an integrated whole from Kindergarten through Grade 8.  Literature is used as the starting point for writing activities.  A writing curriculum ensures that students will have the opportunity to learn to write in many genres.  Grammar is taught in the context of writing, with grammar texts available for targeted skill practice.  Spelling/vocabulary development combines the use of texts in the early grades to teach spelling patterns with literature-based word walls and activities.

Mathematics instruction targets both computation and reasoning.  Younger students often use manipulatives to increase their understanding.  All teachers of math use vocabulary and strategies that familiarize the students with algebraic concepts.  All of the eighth grade students take Algebra I, and many students receive high school credit for this course.  Graphing calculators are used in 7^th and 8^th grade math classes.

The Science curriculum for all students involves activity-based classes built upon an understanding of the scientific method.  Student experiments and demonstrations are frequent and open-ended.  The cyclical curriculum culminates in middle school in a three-year sequence of Earth Science, Life Science, and Physical Science.

Teachers of Social Studies work to give all students a framework for understanding the geography, history, economics, and political structures of the complex world in which we live in order to prepare them to be effective citizens.  Class work is integrated with guest speakers, community projects, and celebrations of ethnic and regional customs.  Current events are a strong focus, particularly in regard to issues of social justice.

Spanish is part of the curriculum for all students.  The K-5 program includes conversation, songs, games, culture, and vocabulary development.  Students in 6-8 begin a more formalized study of written and oral language that prepares them for the possibility of advanced placement in high school.  Sixth graders have two 45-minute classes each week ,and students in Grades 7-8 have three 45-minute classes weekly.

St. Agnes recognizes a responsibility to prepare students for the Information Age. For this reason, the Library/Media/Technology Department is integrally connected with every other area of curriculum, working to ensure that students can access information, analyze it critically, use it responsibly, and present it effectively. As highly skilled developers of curriculum, the Technology Coordinator and the Librarian meet regularly with faculty members to design units of study.

The teachers of the Fine Arts of Music and Visual Art provide students with both an appreciation of the master artists and their work, as well as knowledge of techniques and experience in creation of art and music.  In both areas, teachers select projects related to a wide variety of cultures.  Visual art includes projects in many media, and music includes choral as well as instrumental work.  Eighth grade students participate in trimester classes exploring various arts in greater depth.

The Physical Education and Health curriculum emphasizes healthy practices and decisions, including cardiovascular workouts in every class, skill development, cooperative games, dancing, team sports, and instruction and activities related to nutrition, smoking, and drug and alcohol abuse.

The Counselor provides regular classroom guidance on personal and social adjustment issues, as well as prevention education.  The Counselor is also available for individual or small group sessions with students, parents, or teachers.

Stewardship:  Kindergarten through eighth grade students regularly participate in Stewardship projects.  Each class has a particular area of focus for Stewardship education and service.  All students correspond with parish friends who are elderly or ill and participate in ongoing food collection for the parish St. Vincent DePaul pantry.  Seventh and eighth grade students have regular opportunities to serve at a local lunch program for the homeless.  Eighth grade students also work on Capstone Stewardship projects with the assistance of parish mentors.

The curriculum, supplemented by special cultural assemblies and a wide range of extra-curricular activities, allows us to offer a comprehensive education for all students in grade K-8.

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There is great emphasis on the formation of a faith community that embraces faculty, students, parents, and parishioners. Teachers and students seriously consider themselves to be partners in the educational process. Older parishioners regularly volunteer in the school. Seventh and eighth graders have Little Buddies in Kindergarten and First Grade; they meet regularly for different activities and go to Mass together when there is an all-school Mass. Each day begins with a closed-circuit news broadcast. Seventh and eighth graders are the news anchors and the production team; birthdays, new births, and special accomplishments and prayer intentions are offered for community prayer.

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Various clubs and activities afford students the opportunity for leadership and development of particular talents or interests.  These include Student Council, Safety Patrol, Quick Recall, Governor's Cup, Art Club, Book Bee, Robotics Club, Kentucky Youth Assembly (KYA), 4-H, essay and art contests, Spelling and Geography Bees, Vocal and Handbell Choirs and Drama.  Brownies, Cub Scouts, Girl and Boy Scouts are also offered as well as many different athletic teams (see Athletics).

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St. Agnes Student Stewardship Program

 

"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me. I was ill and you comforted me…"

Matthew 25: 35-36

 

In order for our children to become good stewards of the Catholic faith, we must teach them the concept of stewardship. To that end, St. Agnes has chosen to become part of the Step by Step Stewardship Program.

This program builds stewardship qualities in a very effective yet simple manner. It formalizes stewardship to promote uniformity throughout the student experience and helps eliminate duplicity of effort. Children learn stewardship within a process that builds and expands stewardship skills as they grow.

The Step-by-Step program addresses the aspects of stewardship from an introduction to stewardship in Kindergarten to more sophisticated ones in middle school such as global awareness and the disabled. Each grade receives a stewardship “focus” for the year; these focuses remain in place permanently so the program retains continuity and students learn in a progressive manner. The focuses of St. Agnes Student Stewardship are:

• 1st People who are Elderly
• 2nd People who are Hungry
• 3rd Babies and Children in Need
• 4th People who are Homeless
• 5th People who are Thirsty
• 6th People who are Refugees
• 7th People with Disabilities
• 8th Capstone Stewardship Projects

Teachers in conjunction with parents facilitate this program and incorporate their particular stewardship focus into class work, art projects, speakers, reading assignments, field trips, etc. In addition to those activities, each grade participates in at least one service project per year that highlights their focus. Some activities in which our students have been involved include:

Kindergarten

Students adopted a refugee family and delivered clothes and toys to them at Christmas.

First Grade

Sang and served refreshments to elderly at Highland Court Apartments; in-class research; speaker from an assisted living facility conducted a hearing loss exercise; 90 year old speaker who also played the piano

Second

Field trip to Cathedral of the Assumption, toured church and kitchen and watched soup kitchen activities; speaker from Dare to Care

Third Grade

Speakers from St. Joseph’s Home for Children, Kosair, and Ronald McDonald House spoke to the students. The students then decorated and donated a wreath for Kosair’s Festival of Trees and Lights, made and served two meals for families staying at the Ronald McDonald House, and made friendship bracelets for the children staying at St. Joseph’s Home.

Fourth Grade

Speakers from the Coalition for the Homeless and Wayside Christian Mission introduced students to stories of the real people who are homeless. Parents read stories to the class about people who are homeless. In small groups, students visited the preschool at Wayside Christian Mission each month and had a party for the pre-schoolers.

Fifth Grade

Fifth grade students had a speaker from Edge Outreach and then collected 1000 pairs of used shoes for the “Shoes for Water” project that sells the shoes to finance water filtration systems for third world communities. Students also heard a read-aloud about water issues in Sudan, watched a documentary film about world water issues, and took a trip to the Louisville Water Company to learn about clean water issues.

Sixth Grade

The sixth grade began their study of people who are refugees with a prayer service and then had several speakers who shared their personal stories about why they became refugees. In the spring students each personally earned and donated money that was used to purchase non-food items for welcome baskets for new refugee families.

Seventh Grade

Various speakers talked about specific disabilities or organizations that provide support to people with disabilities. In small groups one morning, students visited one of five different organizations and then shared their experiences with the whole group. The class participated in Walk and Roll to benefit the Kids Center.

Eighth Grade

Students worked in pairs on Capstone Projects at many different places, including the Americana Center, Neighborhood House, Harbor House, Nazareth Home, Hand in Hand Ministries, and the St. Joseph Children’s Home.

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1920 Newburg Road, Louisville, KY 40205