Our Curriculum

Preschool     Kindergarten-Grade 2     Grade 3-5     Middle School     Specialists     Extracurriculars 

Presentation of Mary’s Discovery Center Curriculum 

Our practices incorporate the Creative Curriculum model and nurture children in the 5 core areas of development: social, emotional, cognitive, physical, and spiritual. We believe that children learn through both play and meaningful academic opportunities and our curriculum reflects a balance of these education practices. Children are like snowflakes; each one unique, yet posses many similar qualities. Our Preschool approach is a child-initiated, teacher supported environment; where the teacher designs the environment to encompass many different meaningful activities and learning styles. Progress is monitored regularly and close home-school communication is an essential component of Presentation Preschool programming.

Curriculum Highlights Handwriting Without Tears and S.T.E.A.M. concepts (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) are incorporated into daily lessons and experiences. Weekly Curriculum Highlights include: Spanish, Music, Library, Phy Ed, STEM/Science and more!

Our flexible, high-quality programming and year-round interaction with the elementary school make for a wonderfully smooth transition between preschool and kindergarten for our students.

Learn more about Presentation Preschool

Kindergarten – Grade 2 Curriculum

The early years of school are a time of both social and academic growth for children. Our goal at Presentation of Mary is to provide students with a year full of challenges and learning experiences that will enhance the whole child.

Presentation of Mary’s mission is to instill faith in every student. Students pray daily and attend weekly masses along with the whole school community. They participate in Religion lessons each day and engage in activities that help them foster Christian values and attitudes while learning about Jesus.

The Friendzy Program is a Social-Emotional Learning program initiated at Presentation of Mary during the 2020-2021 school year and  through the basis of teaching friendship skills, helps students manage their emotions, improve their ability to set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.

We teach the Superkids reading program, which is a comprehensive reading and language arts program for grades K-2. It is based on scientific research that shows that phonics-based instruction is the best way to teach children to read. Students read engaging fiction and nonfiction and are motivated by the Superkids characters who help make reading fun. Nationwide studies and our own assessments of current students testify to the effectiveness of the Superkids curriculum.

Presentation of Mary’s teachers and leadership are committed to providing instruction that is consistent with the digital world that surrounds your child. This is why we have SMART interactive white boards in classrooms as well as a cart of iPads for student use. At Presentation of Mary, children take advantage of the interactivity and engagement that 21st century tools offer to accelerate and enhance their learning, with teachers who know how to implement them.

Our school also showcases a buddy program between Kindergarten and Eighth Grade. Students are paired up and form a bond that lasts long after the eighth grader has graduated. Eighth graders sit with the Kindergarteners at Mass, read with them, and participate in a multitude of activities throughout the school year. Your child will be greeted with a high five and a smile by their eighth grade buddy every day, and will also mix with students from other grade levels in special activities throughout the year.

Here at Presentation of Mary we teach each child by individualizing the curriculum to meet every student’s needs. Every child is given what they need while the learning outcome is being met.

Believe and Read

Presentation of Mary became a Believe and Read school beginning in the 2023-24 school year. Believe and Read is generously funded by the Catholic Schools Center of Excellence and in partnership with Groves Learning Organization, a national leader in literacy instruction. This transformative initiative will bring the Groves  methodology to St. Mary’s School through outstanding professional development and teacher coaching. Our goal is to ensure that every student reads at or above grade level by fourth grade. To learn more about this program , click here.

Grade 3 – Grade 5 Curriculum 

In our intermediate grades, students learn to communicate effectively by mastering the steps of the writing process; prewriting, drafting, revising, proofreading, and publishing a completed product. Throughout these formative years, teachers coach students to grow in responsibility and independence. They challenge students to work to their full potential and to strive for academic excellence.

In these grade levels, students learn to develop work habits, strong social skills, and organizational abilities. These years are a time to nurture creativity and explore new concepts; a time to learn more about God and practice Catholic values.

The Friendzy Program is a Social-Emotional Learning program initiated at Presentation of Mary during the 2020-2021 school year and through the basis of teaching friendship skills, helps students manage their emotions, improve their ability to set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.

The classrooms  in these grades use SMART interactive white boards and Chromebooks to enhance their digital learning and understanding of technology. A technology specialist on staff guides students not only through how to use these devices to the best of their ability, but how to do so responsibly and appropriately. 

Our teachers continually assess student progress, learning styles, and social needs as well as lead parent/teacher/student conferences.

Students are taught to:

  • Show respect for others
  • Use strengths and gifts appropriately to enrich our community
  • Demonstrate integrity
  • Develop decision making skills
  • Resolve conflict peacefully

Middle School Curriculum

Presentation of Mary Middle School is one in which motivated and talented students and staff work together to promote learning and growth.

Middle School marks an important transition in a young student’s character development and spiritual growth.

The Friendzy Program is a Social-Emotional Learning program initiated at Presentation of Mary during the 2020-2021 school year and through the basis of teaching friendship skills, helps students manage their emotions, improve their ability to set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.

We encourage our middle school students to become actively involved in their classes as well as extra-curricular activities including athletics, fine arts, and leadership experiences. They are often given opportunities to lead the school – at Mass, in morning announcements, and in planning school activities, among other things.

Special emphasis is placed on preparing our middle school students for high school academic success, including building self-esteem and confidence, as well as improving communication, writing, listening, study skills, time management, organization, and note taking.

Students in Presentation of Mary Middle School are each given a Chromebook to use throughout the year – both in class and at home for assignments. They are taught to use these responsibly and appropriately to best enhance their learning in the digital world where we live.

Our 7th grade students have a unique opportunity to spend a few days conducting environmental studies at Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center in Northern Minnesota.

Our school also showcases a buddy program between Kindergarten and Eighth Grade. Students are paired up and form a bond that lasts long after the eighth grader has graduated. Eighth graders sit with the Kindergarteners at Mass, read with them, and participate in a multitude of activities throughout the school year. This program gives our Eighth Grade students the opportunity to strengthen their leadership skills and makes them more caring and well-rounded young adults. It fosters the strong family connection the Presentation of Mary community is known for and greatly benefits the students in both grades.

Want some guidance in deciding if Presentation of Mary Middle School is a good fit for your child? Read through our Middle School Decision Matrix!

Specialists

At Presentation of Mary, the role of our specialists is to broaden our student’s learning experience beyond the core curriculum. We promote the development of life long skills and an appreciation for the value of technology, fine arts, literature, and physical education. Collectively, we aim to bring each student into confident possession of his or her God given talents.

Our Spanish curriculum, for all grades, incorporates reading, speaking, action, humor and singing. Our Spanish teacher, Sra. Cocco, comes from the Furuta Language Professionals program.

Presentation of Mary’s Art education is woven into classroom curriculum, and students also attend Art class with Ms. Newton weekly. Our Art education is designed to encourage perceptual awareness, through the involvement of all of the senses. This allows for the integration of other curricula, as art readily relates to all educational experiences. Artwork from students is prominently displayed throughout our building so that students can view and appreciate each other’s work. Art projects may include but are not limited to: Drawing, Painting, Sculpting, Printmaking, Assembling, Imaging.

Our students in preschool  – grade 5 get to visit our library once a week where they are all read to and allowed to browse and check out their choice of books. Studies have shown that reading aloud to children results in a myriad of benefits and aids in development cognitively, socially, and emotionally. Library class for students helps instill a lifelong love of reading in them.

The Band Program at Presentation of Mary is offered to students in grades 4-8. It is dedicated to helping each student reach his/her full creative potential in instrumental music. Students perform twice yearly at the Christmas and Spring Concerts.

Students in all grade levels participate in Physical Education classes. Here they learn the basics of numerous games and are taught teamwork, how to support and encourage each other, problem-solving, and the importance of living a healthy lifestyle. 

Extracurriculars

Thanks to parents, coaches, and teacher encouragement, students at Presentation of Mary School have opportunities to participate in a variety of sports and other activities, ranging from drama to sports to Student Council. If students are interested in a certain sport or activity that we are not able to host on our own, we are often able to join with another school to allow that student to explore their interest further.

Presentation of Mary School encourages each student to find an extracurricular activity that interests them and that challenges them to be their best.

Purchase your Panther Pride Gala tickets today!CLICK HERE!
Scroll to Top