St. Francis School | Honolulu, Hawaii

Elementary School

	The Elementary Program
	The Elementary Program (Grades K through 6) is designed to nourish the student's joy of discovery and passion for learning, giving attention to the mastery of skills and concepts that are necessary for all future learning.
	Integrated Curriculum
	In an integrated curriculum, content from various disciplines, such as math, science, or social studies, is integrated through themes, projects, plays, and other learning experiences, so children develop an understanding of concepts and make connections across disciplines. A topic of study serves as a guideline or umbrella, under which different developmental and content areas are integrated. Integrated studies reflect Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligences and the belief that children learn holistically, as well as acknowledge John Dewey’s insistence that opportunities be provided for concrete experiences. “All genuine education comes about through experience … but not all experiences are genuinely or equally educative.”—John Dewey
	Structured Classes
	Classes are structured to the environment, the time, and the learning experiences that will help the children develop knowledge and skills in all five main areas of the curriculum: Religion, Inquiry, Communication, Creative Arts, and Physical Development. Integrated studies based on carefully chosen topics from academic disciplines and availability of hands-on experiences will be implemented throughout the school year and last for weeks or even months. Although activities may focus on one or two specific disciplines, the learning that takes place inevitably overlaps across all content areas. Through their investigation of meaningful topics, the students develop skills cross all areas of curriculum.
	Spanish
	The Study of Spanish is offered Kindergarten to Graduation. In kindergarten, children are introduced to the Spanish Language and will continue to develop their mastery of Spanish throughout the elementary school. At the high school level, those who become proficient in speaking, writing and understanding Spanish may choose to complete their study at the Advanced Placement (AP) level of Spanish.
	Guidelines
	Children may be dropped off as early as 6:30 am, classes begin at 8:00 a.m. and end at 2:50 p.m. with options for after school care until 5:30 p.m. After school care is also available for early dismissal days.