Academic Rigor

Building Faith Student Video

Click link to hear what our MS students have to say about their experience at NDCS.

• Accreditation

Notre Dame Catholic School is accredited by the Texas Catholic Conference Education Department, the governing body for Catholic schools in Texas. Catholic schools follow the state objectives (TEKS) as their guide for curriculum and instruction.

• Academics

Notre Dame Catholic School maintains a balanced curriculum in accordance with the Principles and Standards for the Catholic Schools developed by the Texas Catholic Conference Education Department (TCCED).  The Early Childhood curriculum is a developmental program designed to prepare students for first grade.  Each of the Early Childhood classroom is supported by a full time teacher assistant.  The academic curriculum for all grades includes religion, language arts, math, science, social studies and the special classes of computer literacy, music, art, physical education, library and Spanish.

Each teacher has a daily written schedule, which is flexible enough to meet the needs of individual students, and follows the prescribed daily and weekly time requirements mandated by TCCED.  Co-curricular and extra-curricular instruction includes, but is not limited to, altar server training, choir, athletics, cheerleading, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, yearbook staff, Student Council, National Junior Honor Society, Colombian Squires and Journalism.

A sample of the curricular programs utilized are Saxon Phonics, Handwriting without Tears, and Bridges Mathematics.

• Religion

  Religion is the central course in the curriculum designed to develop each student's faith and deeper knowledge of Jesus Christ.  Religion is taught daily, along with Morning Prayer,  lunch prayers, and prayers before dismissal.   Students receive the Sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Communion during the second grade.  A Parent Formation program is offered to support their families at this special time.  All school staff and students attend mass weekly, on feast days and Holy Days of Obligation.

• Service

A Catholic school provides an environment in which students can discuss and live out the values upon  which their education is based.  With this in mind, each student is expected to give back to a greater community and live a life of service.  Under the guidance of their teacher, students in all grades select various community service projects.  Some of the projects include Trick or Treating for canned goods, creating Valentine's for the Veterans, organizing the school's recycling program and participating in other charitable organizations.
          Students delivering canned foods to St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry that they collected during the Trick or Treat for Canned Goods event.

• Assessments

As part of the Archdiocese of San Antonio system of schools, Notre Dame Catholic School gives the IOWA test and the CoGAT Test each year, which are nationally normed tests. Notre Dame students regularly perform well above national averages on these tests. The ACRE test is given each year to students in 5th and 8th grades to assess the students' mastery of religion objectives.

In our effort to offer the best education possible, the faculty regularly reviews individual student scores and class averages for standardized test scores. Resource purchases and academic planning are guided by our evaluation of assessment data.
 

• Enrichment

Every effort is made to extend the classroom curriculum in reading and math for students in kindergarten through 8th grade whose scores on nationally standardized tests demonstrate high proficiency.

Honors classes are offered for students in 5th through 8th grade whose standardized math scores meet or exceed the 90th percentile on the Math Total score for the Stanford Achievement Test.

In addition, all students in grades 1-8 have the opportunity to participate in the Private Schools Interscholastic Association (PSIA) competitions in various academic areas.

• Remediation

Each year, instructional remediation is offered for students in kindergarten through 8th grade who need additional assistance in the areas of reading and math.  Additionally, eligible students can participate in a Title 1 program designed to strengthen their skills.

• Special Needs

Notre Dame is committed to assisting families with the identification and referral of students with possible learning differences. The school is prepared to accommodate students with mild conditions through a process of evaluation, referral, review and the establishment of a modification plan to aid the students.  However, students who have serious behavioral, learning, or physical problems that require specially trained personnel may be refused admission.

• Technology and Library

Notre Dame enjoys a technologically enriched environment with high speed internet access and network, a state of the art computer lab for students and laptops for the teachers. The library uses technology for resource searches and the Accelerated Reader program.

Parents are able to access school information from the school website and to keep regularly informed of grades, lesson plans, tardies and absences by accessing their child's records through our RenWeb school administrative software program.