At St. Demetrios we believe that our students can best acquire a rich body of knowledge and the skills needed for future learning through a curriculum that is developmentally appropriate and builds itself year by year. It is our expectation that our curriculum “Ethos” is an express of St. Demetrios mission, which is to inspire a love of learning, build self – confidence, and importantly to foster in our students the ability and desire to contribute to their community and Hellenic community.
We realize that the first years of a child’s academic life are crucial ones in establishing positive attitudes and dispositions toward learning. We strive to build upon our students’ curiosity, while instilling in them a spirit of cooperation, a respect for others and for their ideas, and a satisfaction in personal intellectual growth.
Classroom instruction is complemented by weekly participation in a variety of special subject areas. These include computer, music, art, Greek language, dance, religion, and physical education & fitness.
Our curriculum is the result of ongoing dialogues among faculty and administration. As such, it reflects our respect for St. Demetrios rich academic and cultural heritage, and our involvement with current educational practices and philosophical thought. It is a document that will continue to enhance.
Students start by learning the alphabet, study basic noun and verb forms, and begin to acquire essential vocabulary. Readings start with simple sentences and short stories, as proficiency increases as do the vocabulary and readings. As the student progresses within our elementary program, we strive to develop increased functional proficiency in all aspects of the Greek language with each year of study.
Our students demonstrate their proficiency within the Greek language through presentations with poems, songs, and plays celebrating national holidays and historical commemorative periods of history.
In addition within our language program, there is Greek culture lesson to enable the students to understand the historical and cultural life of Greece through the ages, and to develop a connection.
Our elementary PE program includes variety of activities both individual and group that fosters a love for movement and an appreciation of collaborative learning. Motor skills, cognitive skills, spatial awareness, directionality, working at different levels, and a movement vocabulary remain a strong part of the program’s foundation. As the student progresses from grade level to grade level different activities are introduced that assist in the advancement of their gross motor skills, cognitive and social skills. We challenge our students to work in an environment that requires a strong sense of teamwork and sportsmanship. It is during these activities that the development of social skills: cooperation, teamwork, listening, respect, and sportsmanship are taught.
The relationship between fun, competition, and sportsmanship is taught during these modified games. Our students are encouraged to win and lose gracefully and to never lose sight of the importance of sportsmanship.
Our religion teachings for our lower school from kindergarten to fifth grade, starts with the orientation of Orthodox Christianity and evolves through the appropriate grade level with traditions, and appropriate grade level bible studies. Each year traditions, commandments, and underlying respect of the Orthodox Faith is taught. Each grade level does attend liturgy at least once a month.
Our elementary program emphasizes the ability to sing accurately with a clear tone, to reach and perform simple pitch and rhythmic notations, and to participate in group ensembles are three primary goals for our curriculum./p>
In addition, our older elementary grades, to performing vocally, our students develop ostinatos and improvise, developing these skills through the playing of many songs. Many of the songs are sung in Ancient Greek, Modern Green, and in Byzantine (which is a mix of Slavic intonations). Most importantly at this young age of our students’ academic career, they learn to work together cooperatively as they develop their music skills./p>
Our elementary level dance program is based on the practice of music and movement, which facilitates the teaching process of Greek traditional dances. St. Demetrios students benefit from a positive learning environment where our students build cultural awareness, along with the enhancement of creativity.
Art is an added enrich at St. Demetrios, and a hands on experience of discovery and joy. Our art instructors nurture the individual abilities and ideas of students, while imparting a love for art making.
The art process we teach are classic and contemporary, with a strong sense of design, paired with a deliberate balance and respect for traditional methods. There is a strong emphasis placed on independent thinking and problem solving through play, inquiry, and experimentation. We interweave cross-curricular themes to compliment the work they are doing in their classrooms. Art classes across the elementary classes introduce our students to multiplicity of media, methods, skills, concepts and processes that they will develop throughout their years at St. Demetrios.
We start with the basics of getting comfortable with the computer and all of its components, keyboarding, documents, graphing, math, and literacy. Initially, we explore literacy, pattern recognition, and logical thinking using educational software. Digital citizenship is introduced to promote responsible technology use. Our second graders work on activities that involve problem solving, skill building, creativity, and multimedia content. Our third graders continue to build on technological knowledge through discussion, projects and engagement in the lab. Digital citizenship lessons are expanded and media literacy is introduced. Class work on group project. Our fourth and fifth graders are preparing for middle school by learning how to navigate and use google apps. Students continue exploring topics to prepare them for social challenges ahead, including digital citizenship and media literacy through discussions and class projects.
