Reading, Rosaries and 'Rithmetic at Saints Cyril and Methodius

As the air chills and we brace ourselves for earlier sunsets, students at Saints Cyril and Methodius School in Deer Park are hitting the books hard and enjoying every minute of the group activities and hands-on projects that bolster the core curriculum skills developed in the classroom.

First graders learned all about owls and then created their own edible ones, taking their math lessons on geometric shapes to a level that was both concrete and a ton of fun. Taking another lesson from nature, first graders also made acorn projects and decided they enjoyed them as much as their squirrel friends did. It is a thing of beauty to witness a room full of 6 year olds find their inner peace as they round out each day together by saying a decade of the Rosary and adding their own special intentions.

In the reading realm, second graders worked cooperatively while honing their reading skills and discussing The Ugly Vegetable in teams. Meanwhile, fifth graders had the opportunity to select a Newbury Medal award-winning book, published from 1922 to the present and write a compelling essay, comparing and contrasting the main character, and his or her decisions, to their own life and decisions. In the eighth grade classroom, Literature Circles were in full swing, with student teams working together to create and present their group projects on the books they read and sharing each of their views on the characters’ choices, often under hot debate!