Middle School Academy

OLM Regional Catholic School > Academics > Middle School Academy

Our Middle School Academy consists of students in Grades 6-8. Students have a homeroom and move from class-to-class for different subjects taught by different teachers. They are also supplied with a locker. In addition to subject-area credentialed teachers, the OLM Middle School Academy prepares students for a successful transition to high school and special emphasis is placed on the fundamental tools of writing, research, study skills, and vocabulary development. Students participate in the Honors Math Program and a special Algebra program. Students also participate in Student Council and the National Junior Honor Society.

Our Lady of Mercy Regional Catholic School’s Middle School Academy proudly provides a distinctive program. Our middle school curriculum is designed to address not only the academic needs of adolescents, but also their social, behavioral, and spiritual needs.

Religion

RELIGION

Vatican II Placed emphasis on the dual mission of the Church to build the Kingdom that begins in this world and is brought to completion in the next. In carrying out this vision, the Church articulated peace and social justice as central to God’s work on earth. In 1972, the U.S. Bishops outlined three goals for Catholic religious education: to teach the Gospel, to create lived community, and to share humanity. (To Teach As Jesus Did: A Pastoral Message on Catholic Education by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops)

Educators at Our Lady of Mercy Middle School Academy are continuing to build experiences that articulate these three goals in religious education. Faith comes alive when it is realized in action. Rather than emphasize just the cognitive aspects of religious education, the affective and behavioral dimensions move faith into action.

Curriculum Resource: Loyola Press – Christ Our Life

Mathematics

MATHEMATICS

The mathematics program serves as a continuation of what has been started in the elementary school years. The curriculum emphasizes application, problem-solving skills, and a conceptual understanding of math, while incorporating basic mathematical computation. Critical thinking and construction of math understanding are integral parts of the total program. Students moved into pre-algebra classes and then to algebra.

The Elementary Honors Mathematics Program is intended to meet the needs of those students who are capable of completing the prescribed curriculum in seven (7), instead of eight (8), years. The students in this program are identified in grade four (4), and begin formal instruction in grade five (5), continuing through grade eight (8). The Algebra I course used by the secondary schools in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia is the eighth (8th) grade honors curriculum. The school administrator and the mathematics coordinator carefully monitor the program with the use of management guidelines prepared by the Joint Elementary/Secondary Mathematics Committee.

Students who complete this program, and satisfactorily master the Algebra I curriculum according to criteria established by the Joint Committee, are able to test to begin their second year of secondary mathematics in the freshman year.

The principle criteria for admission to this program, as stated in the Archdiocesan guidelines for the Elementary Honors Program, include:

  1. Cognitive Skills Quotient in the 125 range
  2. Standardized test scores: 90 in Mathematics and 80 in Reading
  3. Consistent scores of 85 or better on Archdiocesan Level Evaluations
  4. 90 overall Mathematics average for the year
  5. Periodic evaluation will be used to determine continued participation in this program.

Participation in the Honors Math Program is contingent upon the approval of the Archdiocesan Mathematics Committee.

Curriculum Resource: Sadlier-Progress in math

Science

SCIENCE

Our Lady of Mercy Regional Catholic School utilizes the Next Generation Science Standards in its science curriculum. The Next Generation Science Standards is a multi-state effort to create new education standards that are rich in content and practice, arranged in a coherent manner across disciplines and grades to provide all students an internationally bench marked science education.

The modules are issue-oriented and use inquiry as a method for examining the interaction between science, technology and the environment in order to create an informed citizenry. Students are introduced to an issue, examine their prior understandings of the topic, read background materials, use results from laboratory experiences to gather evidence, and make decisions or draw conclusions based on results.

Grade 6 topics: Space Systems, History of Earth, Earth’s Systems, Weather & Climate, Human Impacts, Engineering Design

Grade 7 topics: Structure, Function and Information Processing, Matter & Energy in Organisms and Ecosystems, Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems, Growth, Development, & Reproduction of Organisms, Natural Selection & Adaptions, Engineering Design

Grade 8 topics: Structure & Design of Matter, Chemical Reactions, Forces & Interactions, Energy, Waves & Electromagnetic Radiation, Engineering

**Go to www.nextgenscience.org for Clarification Statements, Science and Engineering Practices, Disciplinary Core Ideas and Cross Cutting Concepts for each topic listed above. You will also find all of the connections to the Common Core for both ELA/Literacy and Mathematics.

Curriculum Resource: Pearson Science Explorer

Social Studies

SOCIAL STUDIES

The Mission of the Social Studies program of Our Lady of Mercy Regional Catholic School is the development of Catholic citizens who will uphold democratic principles and serve the Church, the nation, and the world within the framework of Gospel values.

The ten thematic Strands in Social Studies are designed to be woven throughout the curriculum and seeks to develop these strands throughout the scope of the program. The strands are:

  1. Culture
  2. Time, Continuity, and Change
  3. People, Places, and Environments
  4. Individual Development and Identity
  5. Individual, Groups, and Institutions
  6. Power, Authority, and Governance
  7. Production, Distribution, and Consumption
  8. Science, Technology, and Society
  9. Global Connections
  10. Civic Ideals and Practices

Curriculum Resource: Savvas
Geography Eastern Hemisphere (6th Grade)
Curriculum Resource: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Beginnings to 1877 (7th Grade)
United States History Civil War to Present (8th Grade)

English Language Arts

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS

The English Language Arts program focuses on the core areas of literature, writing, grammar, vocabulary, and spelling. Students are exposed to a broad variety of literary and informational texts. Reading skills learned include the ability to draw upon a variety of comprehension skills (generate and respond to questions, make predictions, compare texts, etc.). Students respond to a variety of literature and distinguish between structural features of the text and the literary terms or elements such as theme, plot, setting, and characters. Additionally, students analyze various genres of literature and participate in novel studies. Students draw connections to Catholic Social Teaching and how it connects to the themes of the literature studied.

One of the key requirements of the Common Core State Standards for Reading is that all students must be able to comprehend texts of steadily increasing complexity as they progress through school. By the time they complete the core, students must be able to read and comprehend independently and proficiently the kinds of complex texts commonly found in college and careers. Our Lady of Mercy Regional Catholic School provides a three-part model that blends qualitative and quantitative measures of text complexity with reader and task considerations.

Curriculum Resource:

  • Sadlier – Vocabulary Workshop (spelling/vocabulary)
  • Houghton Mifflin Harcourt – Collections (reading)