Academics
Sacred Heart school delivers a comprehensive educational program that provides an enhanced academic learning experience for our students. We recognize that our students need to be challenged to become life-long learners, contributing to their community, and preparing them to live and lead in a global society. Building on this, our teachers are provided with opportunities for growth to support the delivery of differentiated instruction and assessment of learning. Our inspired educators can then engage our students to realize their full potential.
The core curriculum at Sacred Heart school follows the prescribed learning outcomes as laid out by the British Columbia Ministry of Education. An enhanced curriculum combines foundational skills with creative activities and inspiring assignments, while allowing for differentiated instruction to meet the needs of students’ learning styles. Field trips, expert visitors, and specialist teachers in physical education, technology, and French further compliment the learning opportunities for each student. Students are encouraged to focus on the application of skills, think critically, solve problems, and make logical decisions. Our goal of actively engaging students in meaningful learning experiences that challenge and motivate them is the heart of our academic program.
In addition to the core curriculum, Sacred Heart School offers the following academic programs:
Early Intervention
Students who are entering Kindergarten undergo a screening and assessment visit to our school prior to the start of Kindergarten. The purpose of this screening is to identify the child’s needs and goals, and for parents and staff to work together to facilitate a smooth transition into Kindergarten.
Read Well® Program
To start our students off with a solid foundation, the Read Well® program is utilized in our primary classrooms. Read Well® involves explicit, systematic instruction in English language decoding, sustained practice of skills in decodable text, and frequent opportunities to discuss vocabulary and concepts presented in text. A key component of Read Well® is the use of scaffolded instruction, in which teachers begin by presenting models and gradually decreasing their support by providing guided practice before students are asked to complete the skill or strategy independently. As student skills increase, the amount of teacher-read text decreases and the student is given greater independence.
Odyssey of the Mind
Odyssey of the Mind is a school-based international program that promotes creative problem solving for students from kindergarten through college. Under the guidance of a coach, teams of five to seven students learn creative thinking and problem solving skills while finding innovative solutions to a variety of both technical and performance problems. In 2011, Sacred Heart sent three Odyssey teams to the Provincial Championships, with two of our teams winning gold, and our third team winning silver. Our gold medal teams then advanced to the World Championships in Baltimore, MD.
Orton-Gillingham Support
Students who may require reinforcement in Language Arts skills are eligible to receive support in the Orton-Gillingham Approach to reading instruction. Our trained Special Education Assistants offer this multi-sensory approach that utilizes the three learning pathways through which people learn: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. The individualized lessons are structured, sequential and cumulative, and are custom-designed to the needs of the student.
Can-Spell Spelling Bee
Canspell is a Postmedia Network literacy initiative that launched in 2005 and is designed to engage students (Grades 4-8) by celebrating excellence in academic achievement and encouraging positive study habits through healthy competition
Mathletics
Mathletics is an international online mathematics program currently being used by more than 10, 000 schools and over 3.5 million students. Students challenge each other in real time games of speed and skill, and all aspects of mathematics are covered. This school-wide program responds to each child’s individual strengths and weaknesses, and students are able to track their own progress and improve at their own pace.