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Academics
How teaching works here
A parent touring a school usually wants to know two things about academics: is my child going to be known, and is anyone here excited about what they're teaching?
At most schools you get one or the other. Small elementary classrooms give you the first. Big departmentalized junior highs give you the second. St. Francis is small enough to do both — one teacher who knows your child completely in the early grades, then subject teachers who chose their field, in a building where they still know every student by name.
Our teachers are fully certified and experienced, and many hold advanced degrees.
Grades K–4
One teacher who sees the whole child
In the elementary grades, your child spends the day with one teacher who teaches nearly every subject. That teacher sees how your child reads, how they handle a hard math problem, who they sit with at lunch, and what a bad morning looks like. Nobody has to be briefed.
- One classroom, one teacher - Reading, English, math, science, social studies, and religion taught by the person who knows your child best.
- When a grade has two classes - The teachers plan together closely so both classes move through the same material at the same pace. Occasionally one teacher will take a subject for both classes, which lets each teach to their strength.
- Specials every week - Music, physical education, STREAM, and library, taught by specialists.
- Reading taught explicitly - Structured literacy from the first week of kindergarten, with teachers trained in the science of reading.
This year we have two kindergarten classrooms, taught by Mrs. Sarah Hull and Miss Taigen Felker. When a grade grows past what one room should hold, we aim to add a section rather than a chair.
Grades 5–8
Subject teachers, without losing the small school
Beginning in fifth grade, students have a homeroom teacher and move between classrooms for different subjects. Math is taught by the math teacher. Science by someone who loves science. English by someone who chose to teach English.
This is what schools call departmentalizing, and it's often a tradeoff — students gain expertise and lose the adult who knows them. Here it isn't, because the whole junior high is a handful of classrooms in one wing of one building. Students change rooms; they don't disappear into a crowd.
- Taught by people who chose the subject - Students are noticeably more motivated by a teacher who is genuinely enthusiastic about what they're teaching.
- Structure built in - Students are taught how to use a paper planner, provided by the school, and teachers give a lot of support in learning to manage a schedule.
- Movement through the day - Changing rooms several times a day suits many students, and encountering several different teaching personalities is good preparation for high school.
- Still small - Nearly all junior high classes are in one area of the building, and every teacher knows every student.
Fifth grade is where this begins, and we plan it carefully. Class groupings are made by the teachers who know these students academically and socially, with the principal making final placements and listening to what parents tell us about their child.
The Week
What every student takes
Core subjects
Religion · Reading · English · Mathematics · Science · Social Studies
Taught at every grade level, PreK through eighth, following diocesan and state standards.
Weekly specials
Music · Physical Education · STREAM · Library
Every student, every week, taught by specialists. Junior high students take P.E. twice a week.
Faith isn't confined to religion class. Our students attend all-school Mass weekly, take part in Living Rosary and Stations of the Cross, and follow the Ruah Woods Theology of the Body curriculum school-wide. Eighth graders study apologetics and learn to speak about their faith. Families are often invited to participate in faith formation activities.
Beyond Grade Level
Room to go further
- Early Bird Algebra at QND
Eligible eighth graders take algebra at Quincy Notre Dame before the school day begins, arriving in high school with a year of math already behind them. - Early Bird Band at QND
Eighth grade musicians can rehearse with the high school program. - K–8 Buddy Program
Older students are paired with younger ones through the year. The eighth graders take it more seriously than you'd expect. - Lenten prayer partners
Students across grade levels pray for one another through Lent. - Junior Achievement
Students learn practical life and financial skills — earning, budgeting, work, and how the economy they'll enter actually functions — through the Junior Achievement program. - D.A.R.E.
Our students take part in the D.A.R.E. program, taught in partnership with local law enforcement.
For Families
Curriculum maps
What your child learns in third grade isn't decided in third grade. Our curriculum is mapped across all four Quincy Catholic Schools, built by teachers and school leaders working together, so that each grade builds deliberately on the one before it.
That does a few practical things. Teachers know exactly what students arrived knowing and what the next teacher is counting on. Families who move between Quincy Catholic Schools don't find their child ahead in one subject and behind in another. And nobody is improvising a year of instruction on their own.
What it isn't is a script. Teachers still adjust pace and approach to the actual children in front of them, which is the whole reason for having small classes and knowing students well. The map says where the year is going; the teacher decides how to get there.
(This year our faculty is doing the same mapping work for religion, alongside teachers from across Quincy Catholic Schools.)
Want to see exactly what your child covers, subject by subject and grade by grade? Our curriculum maps lay it out.
In 2018, the teachers from Blessed Sacrament, St. Dominic, St. Francis and St. Peter School began working together on curriculum mapping. The teachers collaborate in grade level teams sharing what is currently being taught and comparing to state and national standards. They create QCS maps with common standards, essential questions, content, and skills. In addition, each school has expanded maps containing specific technology, assessment and resources.
Curriculum Mapping benefits all of the QCS students, teachers, and parents. Below are just a few of the positive ways it impacts the school community.
Horizontal Alignment – teachers at each grade level collaborate to ensure they are teaching the same content and skills.
Vertical Alignment – teachers preschool through 8th grade collaborate to have a fluid curriculum from one grade to another. Teachers review and revise all maps looking for gaps and redundancies.
Cross Disciplinary – academic, physical education, music, and technology teachers at each grade collaborate on shared content and skills.
Meeting Standards – teachers compare what they are teaching to the Illinois State Standards incorporating the National Common Core, Next Generation Science Standards, and National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies to make sure what they are teaching is age appropriate and aligned with national and state expectations.
Curriculum Maps contain standards, essential questions, content, skills, assessment, resources, and technology.
Standards
- Illinois Early Learning and Development Standards
- Illinois State Standards incorporating the National Common Core
- Next Generation Science Standards
- National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies
Essential Questions
- Overarching questions that provide focus for the unit and are aligned to the big ideas, concepts, or themes.
- Guide instruction.
- Focus on “why is this important”.
- Encourage higher level thinking.
- Help students make connections beyond content being studied.
- Ex: How do natural hazards impact humans?
Content
- Subject matter key concepts, targeted facts, and core content.
- Content needed to teach so students can respond to essential question.
- Ex: Natural Hazards
Skills
- What students need to know or be able to do in order to demonstrate mastery or understanding of the content.
- Ex: Discuss the causes and effects of natural hazards
Assessment
- Summative products and performances that are demonstrations of learning and are observable evidence of competence.
- Focus on learning of essential questions.
- Ex: Whole group discussion and Natural Hazard Flipbook
Resources
- All major materials used.
- Ex: Delta Science Kit (2011)
Technology
- Technology equipment and resources incorporated into unit.
- Ex: iPads, Computer, Elmo, SMART Board, YouTube
FAQ
Academic Questions, Answered
Kindergarten through fourth grade students stay with one teacher who covers nearly all subjects. Beginning in fifth grade, students have a homeroom teacher and rotate between subject teachers for math, science, English, social studies, reading, and religion.
Lessons come to life
The teachers at St. Francis bring lessons to life, creating engaging classrooms where students feel excited about learning. What stands out most is their strong training in literacy instruction, ensuring that every student grows as a confident, capable reader and communicator.
John & Lindsey Kelly FamilySee a normal Tuesday.
Classroom structure makes a lot more sense when you watch it happen. Come during the school day and we'll walk you through our school.