Pre-Kindergarten | Kindergarten | Grade 1 | Grade 2 | Grade 3 | Grade 4 | Grade 5 |Junior High Faculty | Special Programs
Sacred Heart School: Our school has provided quality education on the North Shore since 1902. Academic excellence, within a supportive learning environment, is the hallmark of Sacred Heart School. It is a community in which teachers, students, and parents work in partnership to provide an educational experience that also fosters the spiritual and personal development of each child. In September 2006, Sacred Heart was recognized in Chicago Magazine as one of the TOP 25 elementary schools in the Chicagoland area.School Size: One of Sacred Heart School’s many strengths is its intimate learning environment. An average class size of 17 students is comprised of 313 students participating in grades pre-kindergarten through eight. In 2004, an addition was completed, adding 6 more classrooms to house our increasing student population and the space needs of today’s educational environment.
Academics: Sacred Heart School has a strong, traditional academic core curriculum, which is supplemented with Spanish, computers, art, music and physical education. The curriculum is challenging and is designed to stimulate intellectual curiosity and the desire for life-long learning. Our students perennially score well on standardized testing. Sacred Heart School graduates continue to excel at local high schools and have historically made the honor roll at the same or better rate than the general student population.
Spirituality: Religion is taught daily in all grades as a core subject and is interwoven with other subjects. Students attend weekly all-school masses, plan and participate in prayer and reconciliation services, and receive emphasized preparation for sacraments. All-school service projects raise awareness and provide funds for a variety of causes.
School Structure: Sacred Heart School offers the benefits and communality of one school, while offering appropriate teaching methods and structures for the various ages:
• Pre-Kindergarten: The fully-accredited, developmental-based program offers 5 half-day (morning or afternoon) options for four-year-olds. Social, language, math and motor skills are emphasized.
• Primary Grades (Kindergarten, 1 and 2): Full-day kindergarten, unique in the local community, offers a warm and nurturing environment in which play is blended with academics. Grades one and two offer a strong, traditional, accelerated academic program within these friendly and familiar surroundings. Students in the primary grades receive supplemental instruction in Everyday Mathematics, which offers a broad background in math and an emphasis on verbal interaction and manipulative activities.
• Intermediate Grades (3, 4, and 5): Students develop more independence, responsibility, and accountability as they continue with the strong academic curriculum. Departmentalized teaching and the Sacred Heart School literature strand are initiated. Intermediate grades also receive supplemental instruction in life skills, in conjunction with Family Services of Winnetka/Northfield.
• Junior High (Grades 6, 7, and 8): Students regularly change classes to receive departmentalized teaching from instructors with specializations in specific academic areas. A newly-remodeled and equipped science laboratory allows for enriching science experiments. The literature strand continues through junior high. Students receive increasing writing assignments, including annual research papers in 7th and 8th grade. Eighth grade students study Algebra. A one-to-one computer program for junior high students ensures the integration of technology into the curriculum.Resources: The educational experience is enhanced by both a wired and wireless private network that facilitates a safe use of technology and internet access. Each junior high student has an assigned iBook laptop for research, note-taking ,writing and reporting, and the creation of mulitmedia presentations. All other students, intermediate down to pre-kindergarten, enjoy a 25 computer learning lab. These computers are also networked, and every student has a digital locker for personal documents and projects. Classroom computers ensure the integration of technology into the curriculum. Supplementary resources, including a well-stocked library of research materials and literature books, augment the technological capabilities and are available to students in all grades. Learning specialists are on staff and available to students as needed.
Sports Programs: Team opportunities are offered for fifth through eighth graders in boys’ football, girls’ and boys’ basketball, girls’ and boys' volleyball, co-ed track, cross county, and cheerleading. The sports program is all-inclusive; any student who desires to play may participate.
Extracurricular Activities: Students have the opportunity to sample varied activities such as Student Council, and music lessons in conjunction with participation in the school bands. After-school enrichment programs are offered in science, art, and special interests.
