We believe in equipping a life with a foundation of faith. At St. John’s Lutheran School, our private Christian elementary school curriculum is focused on the development of the whole child through a faith-based curriculum. Our classes are taught by caring, loving staff that offer decades of experience in Christian education.
Curriculum
Our private Christian elementary school offers students daily instruction in each our core subject areas: Religion, reading, writing, math, science/STEM, and social studies. Instruction is provided from a Biblical perspective, drawing meaning for each areas of study from the context of God’s Word.
Core Classes
Religion
Students have religion 4 days a week and attend chapel one day a week. They use the student workbook together with the Bible and Catechism to study Bible stories correlated with the Six Chief Parts of Luther’s Small Catechism – along with a focus on key doctorial themes. They also spend time studying Martin Luther and his role in the history of the LCMS and the Biblical truths that he discovered that still hold true today. In addition, they do memory work which includes the books of the Bible, the Ten Commandments and their meanings, the 3 Articles and their meanings, and Bible verses.
Reading/Writing/Language Arts
Reading, writing, and language arts encompass a large part of the elementary school curriculum and are integrated together. Students learn to be able to write fluently and clearly, spell accurately, interpret and make inferences, and communicate to others through a variety of means. Students have a reading text that they use as well as novels to focus on reading fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, spelling, and other skills.
The students have a separate English text that is used to learn about grammar, usage, and mechanics. They do creative writing projects and journaling to make their writing stronger and to look at the different parts of the writing process.
Math
The Math curriculum helps kids master basic facts, learn problem solving strategies and practice skills for everyday life. An inquiry environment is created along with the encouragement of constructive discussion. Students invent, question, model, represent and explore, but also learn and practice important math strategies. Through daily math talk students explain their methods and in turn become more fluent in them.
FOSS Science/STEM
This series uses an activity-oriented approach to science with many hands-on activities. The modules we use in third grade are Structures of Life and Water and Climate. The modules we use in fourth grade are soils, rocks, landforms and energy.
Health
Fourth grade also has a health curriculum that they use each week. The focus is on a person’s overall mental, emotional, family, social, and spiritual health. They discuss healthy friendships, how to handle emotions, friendships, conflicts, and stress in a healthy way. The goal is for students to gain a foundation to stay physically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually healthy for a lifetime.
Social studies
This is a course that teaches history, geography and citizenship with an overall goal to connect the relationship between people, places, and events. Along with the text, students use videos, primary sources, and activities to learn about our nation’s history, government, and economy. In addition, students use Time for Kids to study current events and understand how we are part of a global community.
Technology
Each private elementary school student has access to a Chromebook on a 1:1 basis. Every classroom is fitted with a SMART board which allows both teacher and students to actively participate in teaching and learning. Technology is used as a tool to help enhance the curriculum and student outcomes.
Specials
We believe in a well-rounded education. To that end, students have recess daily, PE three times a week, and attend music, Spanish and computer class twice each week. Additionally, they go to our library once each week. All resource classes are taught by teachers who specialize in their field.
Physical Education
This course teaches basic coordination skills along with an introduction to several athletic sports. We incorporate games to reinforce skills and emphasize the importance of teamwork, striving to do one’s best, and sportsmanship. Physical Education classes meet 3 times a week for 30 minutes each.
Art
The course encourages student creativity and self expression through the use of a wide variety of craft projects and an appreciation of the beautiful world around us that the Lord created. Art projects will include an array of media, varying from simple teacher-directed crafts to independent explorations with given materials. Additionally, fourth graders focus less on crafts but more on the elements of art such as the use of color and perspective. We also study artists and famous works of art and apply the techniques we see in the artists’ work to our own. We also strive to appreciate the art that surrounds us each day!
Music
Music has played a significant role in human lives from the days of King David to now. Music reflects cultural backgrounds, social groups, and personal preferences. Through hands-on studies as well as experiences, students will be exposed to varying genres of musical compositions and their composers during their 30-minute Music and Choir classes, which each meet once a week. They will also have the opportunity to demonstrate their acquired skills through church and program performances.
STEM
Students participate in STEM class where they explore the exciting worlds of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics through hands-on projects and collaborative learning. The curriculum encourages curiosity and critical thinking as students engage in activities like building simple machines, conducting experiments, coding, and solving real-world problems. By fostering creativity and teamwork, our STEM program aims to inspire the next generation of innovators and problem solvers.
Class Traditions, Field Trips, and Events
The primary grades are years to build a strong foundation of traditions and memories! The years are filled with many traditions you and your student will come to love!
- Preschool Buddies (4th Grade) and Chapel Tribe Groups
- Grandparents’ Day
- Singing in the Christmas Service
- Celebrating holiday parties with friends
- National Lutheran Schools Week
- Donuts for Dads and Muffins for Moms
- Spring Musical
- Spring Fine Arts Festival
- All School Field Trip
Each year students participate in several fun and educational field trips that correlate with our curriculum. Some of them include:
- Stages Theater
- Arboretum
- History Center
- Science Museum
- Fire Station (3rd Grade)
- Faribault Energy Center (4th Grade)
- Mayer Lutheran during National Lutheran Schools Week
- Minnesota Zoo
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