Academics
Curriculum
Nativity School follows the Graded Course of Study of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati Catholic Schools Office. The curriculum is aligned with the State of Ohio’s Learning Standards. Religion Courses are taught at every grade level. Students, regardless of religious affiliation, participate in Religion classes and receive an academic grade which appears on the report card. The report card grade for the Religion courses reflects the student’s ability to understand the teachings of the Catholic Church. Nativity follows the Religion Graded Course of Study provided by the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.
Arts
The Arts are an integral part of the Mission of Nativity School. Through the arts students are exposed to other ways of thinking and expressing themselves through shape and color, sound and rhythm or movement.
Visual Arts
Nativity’s program is based in a teaching method called Discipline Based Arts Education. It is a method that incorporates not only studio work but also art history, art criticism, and aesthetics. Each studio project is inspired by an individual artist’s work or a cultural artifact. Aspects of the elements and principals of design are woven into the instruction and projects. We discuss the cultural and or historical influences on an artwork. Each grade completes at least one drawing, one painting, one 3 dimensional and one print making project every year. We have a kiln and students work in clay at least every other year. Students in Kindergarten through Grade 5 have class once a week; in Grades 6-8 twice a week.
Musical Arts
In the primary grades the emphasis is on developing a sense of rhythm and familiarity with Orff instruments. Students in Grade 4 learn to play the recorder. In the junior high the focus is on choral music. Each year those students participate in the Archdiocesan sponsored Choral Adjudication. All students have class twice a week. Membership in the school band is an option for students in Grades 4-8.
Performing Arts
The Spring Musical is the highlight of the year. Students in grades K-4 perform in a musical directed by our music teacher.
Since 1980 Nativity has consistently worked with the Ohio Arts Council to bring professional artists on campus to work with a core group of students for two to four weeks. Nativity has hosted dancers, poets, mimes, musicians, traditional folk artists, film makers and actors. For more information on the Ohio Arts Council visit https://oac.ohio.gov/
STEAM
What is STEAM?
STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math
Where will STEAM be Taught?
While most will take place in the classroom some will take place in the newly renovated Learning Commons. The Learning Commons, which was originally the Church and then the Gym, was renovated in 2018 to create a new library space, study huts and a STEAM and Technology Lab on what was the stage area. This area can be reserved by Faculty to use when they need additional space or want to use the STEAM lab for specific projects in coordination with the STEAM Instruction Specialist.
Why Add STEAM?
“The arts” (including liberal arts, fine arts, music, design-thinking, and language arts) are critical components to innovation, and that the concept is not about giving equal or more time to STEM or arts, but to incorporate, where appropriate, the artistic and design-related skills and thinking processes to student-learning in STEM.” – John Maeda
STEAM is a natural addition to Nativity’s already robust curriculum and something we have been doing for years. With the addition of our STEAM Instructional Specialist we are formalizing what we have been doing and expanding on it
STEAM will
- Encourage natural curiosity
- Attracts more students to STEM fields
- Allow for more real world learning
- Promote collaboration across disciplines
Technology
Nativity’s commitment to technology is evident through the use of computers and digital applications in all classrooms. Not only do our students have access to technology, but they have teachers who have been trained to integrate computers into the curriculum. Students use computers for research, presentations, skills practice and assessment, and word-processing.
- All classrooms grades K-8 as well as Art, Music, World Lanuage, and two in the Learning Commons have an interactive WhiteBoard
- All teachers have a new (less then 2 years old) laptop running Windows 10
- The entire campus has wireless Internet access
- Nativity is using Google Apps for Education for email, websites, calendar and document sharing among faculty and staff and students in Grades K-8.
- Teachers in grades 6-8 have a cart of Chromebooks to use with students
- Students in grades 4 and 5 each have a Chromebook that they use throughout the day in the classroom
- Teachers in grades K-3 have access to a cart of Chromebooks as well as 4-6 Chromebases in their classroom
- Our new Learning Commons houses our STEAM and Technology lab which has two 3D printers, a large format printer and three interactive WhiteBoards and five addtional monitors for presentations
- Nativity utilizes RenWeb as our Student Information System. Families can use RenWeb to access assignments, grades, and report cards, as well as important communications .
- We use FACTS for tuition payments as well as Financial Aid review
World Languages
Students in Grades K-3 have the opportunity for Spanish language instruction once a week; students in Grades 4 and 5 will have Spanish twice a week; students in Grades 6-8 will have the opportunity to continue with Spanish four times per week. Students in Grades 6, 7 and 8 also have the option of Latin. World Languages are also available through K12.
