Academics
Ancillary Classes
Computer Literacy
St. Ambrose has 1:1 Chromebook device and iPads for our younger students.
- Pre-K through 2nd Grades: Students utilize iPads during technology class. They learn proper care and handling of electronics and work on a variety of educational applications during instruction. This includes applications to strengthen their reading skills, mathematics, and sight word recognition.
- 3rd through 5th Grades: Classes begin learning typing skills and finger placement, opening and accessing programs and websites, troubleshooting skills, learning computer vocabulary terms, creating and editing documents, and inserting graphics. Throughout the year, internet safety and good digital citizenship are promoted.
- 6th through 8th Grades: Classes continue improving typing skills and finger placement (sixth typing 30 wpm, seventh typing 35 wpm, & eighth typing 40 wpm). Students are able to complete more complex projects including website and graphic design, and begin learning about participating in E-Sports. Technology class also provides support from an interdisciplinary model, assuring students are citing research effectively, are aware of copyright laws, and provide support to access web-based assignments. Throughout the year, internet safety and good digital citizenship are promoted.
Fine Arts
During Art, students are introduced to a variety of techniques and art forms. Students are able to experiment with watercolor paints, acrylic paints, and mosaic art, just to name a few. Classes will often cooperate to make artistic murals to help foster a deeper understanding in their core subjects and religion studies.
Music
- Pre-K through 5th Grades: Students in pre-k through 5th grades participate in a General Music Class. Our younger students will focus on activities during class to help them recognize a steady beat, high/low sounds, echo songs, and dynamics such as soft and low. Students pre-k 3 through 2nd grade are taught Solfege to correspond with musical notes. With Solfege, they are learning a color, number, and name for each note (do, re, mi). This technique helps younger students prepare for more advanced music theory and helps with ear training for singing. Upper elementary grades utilize instruments such as desk bells, Boomwhackers, and a variety of percussion instruments.
- Band: Beginning in 3rd Grade, students will begin band, in addition to General Music. Students in 3rd and 4th grades focus on playing a recorder. Once students are in 5th grade, they can choose an instrument of their choice to focus on for the year. 6th-8th students participate in band as an elective.
- Choir: Students in 4th and 5th grades are encouraged to participate in choir. The choir will sing during mass and special events. Practice is held once a week after school.
Spanish
- Pre-K – Kindergarten: Students meet 30 minutes once a week. Basic expressions, songs, and vocabulary are taught. The children become familiar with the language.
- First – Fifth grades: Classes meet 30 minutes once or twice a week. Basic expressions are taught, commands, nouns(feminine & masculine), definite and indefinite articles, sentence structure, basic vocabulary such as parts of the body, days of the week, colors, numbers, etc. are covered.
- Sixth – Eighth grades: Jr. High meets 45 minutes twice a week. Conversation, listening, translation, reading, conjugation of regular and irregular verbs in present tense, and sentence structure are developed.