Welcome to S.T.E.M

Our school focuses on Google Suite for the academic portion of technology. Our 4th - 8th grade students have one-to-one Chromebooks however, only our students in grades 6-8 take their Chromebooks home.

​Google Suite
We teach Google Classroom, Gmail/email etiquette, and other google products that will help with papers, research projects, and presentations within the student's curriculum. The curriculum includes Google Slides, Google Sheets and Google Docs as well as folder structures for organization within Google Drive. Students create various projects within these programs each year to practice their skills. 

S.T.E.M. Curriculum 

Preschool & Pre-Kindergarten

Our Preschool & Pre-Kindergarten students are learning how to use a growth mindset and work with others. We practice building new things and working through the frustrations when it doesn't go our way. We also learn to be patient and take turns using materials. 

Students start to learn pattern recognition and order of operations as a precursor to our coding lessons through various computer and hands on games. We play many critical thinking games together to get our brains working in different ways. ​Students also learn to use a one-click mouse vs a touch screen.

Kindergarten - 2nd Grade 

Students are building on various critical thinking skills each year. We also use S.T.E.M. stories to reinforce what we're learning. Our S.T.E.M. library continues to grow each year and students LOVE the books we incorporate. 

We begin to code in Kindergarten and advance programs as we grow in understanding. Students are also practicing keyboarding skills, creativity challenges, and thinking outside the box.

We work through a simplified version of the engineering design process and the importance of planning and brainstorming before diving into creating a prototype.  We have tons of fun and continue to add valuable skills to our lessons each year.

Grades 3-5

We continue our lessons on growth mindset and stretching our imaginations each year. This is a skill that we never want to stop teaching. By using different materials and kits, we continue to build on our engineering skills. ​​

Starting in 3rd grade we begin to add in the coding robots (Dash & Dot and Sphero) since they have a basic understanding of coding. We also work on more advanced coding programs.  Students start to learn about the parts of a computer and identifying how it all works together. 

We add in new creativity concepts within programs such as pixel art in Google Sheets and animation design in Google Slides. This is an easy and fun way to introduce these new academic programs that they will need in the future. 
​
Students are exposed to green screen technology, stop motion animation, and other skill building games throughout the year. We cover topics like magnets, engineering, electricity and more.

Junior High

STEM Excellence in Junior High
At St. Mary School, our 6th-8th grade students benefit from a robust STEM curriculum designed to provide academic support and foster innovation. During STEM class time, students collaborate with Ms. Black on projects like Science Fair, History Fair, ELA assignments, Spanish, and other cross-curricular activities that integrate technology and critical thinking.
  • Creative Design & Entrepreneurship - We begin the year with an exploration of the creative design process, teaching students how to balance text and visuals effectively in marketing projects. Through an entrepreneurship lesson, students design their own companies, learning website creation and video editing along the way. With access to tools like Canva, WeVideo, iPads, and iMovie, students bring their ideas to life in professional and engaging ways.
  • Data Analysis & Real-World Application - Our junior high students gain practical skills in data analysis, learning how to create graphs and tables in Google Sheets. Before tackling their 7th-grade Science Fair projects, they reinforce these skills with hands-on activities like bottle-flipping experiments, budgeting exercises, and analyzing student-driven data from Google Forms.
  • Partnerships & Cutting-Edge Technology - Thanks to our partnership with NIU's Department of Educational Technology, Research, and Assessment, our students explore the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI). They develop coding, problem-solving, and computational thinking skills using LEGO Spike Kits and tools like Google Teachable Machines. From training AI models to building AI-driven games, students gain a deep understanding of AI’s capabilities, limitations, and ethical implications, preparing them for a technology-driven future.
  • Hands-On Innovation​ - In addition to AI and coding, our students apply the engineering design process using tools like electrical circuits, green screen technology, 3D printers, and more. These resources inspire creativity and critical thinking, ensuring our students are equipped to excel in a rapidly evolving world.
We’re proud of the incredible progress our junior high students have made and look forward to building even more exciting opportunities for learning and discovery!

Digital Citizenship

All grades go through different levels of digital citizenship during Digital Citizenship Week in October. We cover internet safety, balancing screen time, social media topics and more. We send updates to parents so they can stay involved in this topic as well. ​St. Mary uses Securly to monitor and filter student behavior online.

We're always expanding our curriculum!

​We are always looking to add or change curriculum depending on the interests of the students.  If there is a topic you want to see explored or you have additional questions, feel free to reach out to Ms. Black at [email protected] so we can discuss options.