Classical Studies at STACA

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Our Academy is divided into 

four elementary schools, according to grade level:

Pre-Primary A (Pre-K) & B (Kindergarten)

Primary School I (1-2) and II (3-4)

Lower School I and II (5-6)

Middle School I and II (7-8)

Pre-Primary A and B 

(Preschool/Pre-K)

(Primary A - Coming Soon in the Fall of 2026)

In Primary B (Kindergarten), our curriculum is focused on the heart and the imagination of the child, which are developed and nourished through joyful play in learning.  Our story-based curriculum focuses on the saints and the heroes/heroines of history.  Our teachers use music, physical movement, and learning manipulatives to engage students in the subjects of Math, Science, Latin, and Language.  Our joyful and structured learning enviroment captures the interest of each child and nurtures a natural curiosity and desire for learning.

Primary School I and II (Grades 1-4)

In Primary School I, we continue to focus on the heart and the imagination while introducing the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic.  Joyful learning through games, music, and manipulatives continues throughout these early years, fostering a love of learning for its own sake.  

Subjects covered in Primary School include Religion, Math, Science, Language Arts, Latin, History, Art, and Music.

Lower School I and II

In Lower School I and II, students begin their journey through the dialectical stage of learning.  In this stage, they begin to ask questions about characters, events, and concepts and how they might relate to other realities they have learned or experienced.  It is in this stage where growth in virtue truly begins as students learn to choose the good and avoid evil.   Our teachers continue to use story telling to foster conversation and to inspire intriquing questions.  

 Subjects covered in Lower School are Religion, Math, Science, Language Arts, Latin, History, Literature, Creative Writing, Art, and Music.

Middle School I and II

In Middle School (grades 7-8), students continue to delve deeper into their academic pursuits while developing robust analytical and comprehension skills.   The introduction of the more abstract realities of Logic and Algebra encourage this development and prepare the student for the deeper philosophical studies of our Upper School curriculum.  

Subjects covered in Middle School are Religion, Math, Science, Taxonomy, Etymology, Grammar and Composition, Latin, History and Geography, Literature, Introductory Logic, Art, and Music.

Religion

The foundation of our elementary curriculum is based upon, and imbued with, our Holy Catholic Faith as expressed in the Our Holy Faith Series and the Baltimore Catechism. Our elementary religion curriculum also includes Penance, First Communion, and Confirmation preparation to supplement Parish programs.  

Phonics and Language Arts

Because Phonics is a vital component in the development of language and reading skills, our Primary classes have an emphasis on Phonics through the fourth grade using Modern  Curriculum Press. Latin, which aids students in the development of language, is also integrated into our Primary School Language Arts prgram.

Throughout our comprehensive Language Arts curriculum, there is an added emphasis placed on correct and proper English grammar.  This emphasis assists our students in becoming articulate writers and speakers, and assists in developing within them an appreciation of rhetoric as an art 

that expresses the beauty and order of language.  

In the early grammar years (grades 1-4), the English language is introduced by way of games, music, and didactic and coaching modes of teaching, to illustrate and model how to recognize the alphabet and each letter's sounds.  Students quickly progress into learning to  recognize and name the parts of speech, learn the rules of punctuation, and begin to build a strong vocabulary.  In Primary II, students are introduced to the grammar of creative story writing.  

As students progess into the dialetical stage of learning, they delve deeper into the English language through diagramming, vocabulary studies, and composition based upon the 5 Common Topics of Aristotle, preparing them for our challenging Upper School curriculum.

Math

Our Primary School begins with Modern Curriculum Press (MCP) Mathematics for grades K-3, and then transitions to Saxon Math in grades 4-12. Our math curriculum includes the employment of didactic and mimetic teaching and exercises, time for the practical application of lessons, and a focus on memorization through daily and weekly drills.   Memorization is important in the development of the language of Math by expanding mathematical vocabulary, grammar, and syntax, all of which dictate how to arrange and combine symbols to form 

meaningful expressions and equations.  

Latin

Latin officially begins in first grade, through songs and games. Many schools no longer teach Latin; but at 

St. Thomas Aquinas Classical Academy, Latin is as essential to our academics as it is to our Catholic Faith and culture!  Not only is Latin the Sacred Language of Holy Mother Church, but she assists in providing beauty and Truth in our Liturgy and connecting us with the saints through the ages.  

Academically, Latin assists in the building of a strong and exhaustive vocabulary and in explaining English grammar and its proper usage to our children.   

Recognized as one of the most uniform and ordered languages, the study of Latin offers our students the opportunity to appreciate the beauty and goodness of order and structure in God's creation. 

Our Latin curriculum includes Catholic texts and workbooks from Prima Latina, Latina Christiana, 

and the Little Latin Readers in Primary and Lower schools and transitions to Jenney's Latin series in the Middle and Upper schools.

Reading

At St. Thomas Aquinas, reading is not simply a skill one learns; it is an important part of forming the souls of our students in truth, beauty, and goodness.  Our Lord, Himself, used stories to present the many Truths of our Holy Faith to His apostles because of their ability to inspire the soul to a deeper awareness and understanding

of wisdom and virtue.  

Due to this significance, our reading program presents not only the finest books of the Western Canon, but also the immense treasury of Catholic authors and books which comprise the rich inheritance of Holy Mother Church.  

In our Primary, Lower, and Middle Schools, the National Catholic Reader series is the foundation of our Reading program but also includes the Faith and Freedom Series.  Additionally, each historical time period comes with its own booklist, composed of stories written by Catholic authors, which presents a living history experience.

Spelling and Vocabulary

Though spelling is incorporated into the Kindergarten phonics program, our Spelling curriculum officially begins in first grade with Traditional Spelling from Memoria Press for Grades 1-3, and then transitions to Spelling Workout from Modern Curriculum Press. Our Vocabulary curriculum is presented by Sadlier's Vocabulary Workshop throughout the Primary, Lower, and Middle Schools and is supplemented with the study of Latin.  A spelling bee is offered each academic year in which all of our Primary, Lower, and Middle Schools participate.

Handwriting

At St. Thomas Aquinas Classical Academy, handwriting is taught in all of our Primary schools, beginning with Kindergarten, and transitions to cursive in the second grade. Although cursive is not often taught in schools today, we see the value of teaching this lost art, which encourages beauty and virtue in all that we do. 

Science

The Catholic Church has always been an enthusiastic  proponent of the natural sciences, especially in their ability to express the order of the universe as a reflection of God's immensity, power, and benevolence.  In the early grammar years (Primary I), Science is taught as a story in Science and Living in God’s World by Lepanto Press, and then transitions to the Beberean Science series in Primary II.  Our science program finally concludes with Apologia and/or the Christ the King High School Book Series.  Weekly lab experiments in every school foster an appreciation for a practical application of the knowledge gained in the lesson studied. 

History

At St. Thomas Aquinas Classical Academy and HEP, we place a great prominence and importance on History. History, for a liberal arts education, is at the center of knowledge because through it we learn valuable lessons about human nature and our ever-dynamic interaction with the Divine.  

Throughout our history curriculum, the subjects of science, literature, and Theology are interwoven, which animates the historical time period being studied. Studying science from a historical perspective amplifies the importance of wonder and of the scientific method in innovation.  

With Christ as our Logos, we also learn more about Theology and Philosophy as we study Who God has revealed Himself to be throughout time. We learn of His love for us and how He interacts with man, both collectively and individually.  In learning about God, His desires for humanity, and why He made us, we learn about who WE are and of the meaning of life!   The study of History, in this way, assists students in fulfilling the first prerequisite of wisdom - “know thyself’- as a participant in the noble story whose author is God, Who brings forth light from darkness and orders all things beautifully.

As our students delve into the history of the ages, they create a timeline expanding through all 8 years of their historical studies.  Geography and map skills are combined with our history curriculum as they often help to explain the development or decline of wisdom and virtue in a given time period.

Each academic year, a Historical Night at the Museum is presented with cultural activities of the time period studied as well as student displays and presentations.

Art

Schools today often place a prominence on science and STEM programs.  However, little is often said of the importance of the arts in forming our children in truth, wisdom, virtue, and holiness. In a liberal arts education, the arts are equally important because they awaken and develop the affective part of the soul.

Because this part of the soul is so susceptible to passion and corruption, it is often through the arts that children are led astray early in life.  At St. Thomas Aquinas Classical Academy, we understand the importance of art as an essential and foundational value in culture and in the formation of souls.  By combining the intellectual pursuit of Truth with the appreciation and study of Art, we hope to awaken in the hearts of our students the awe and wonder of God and His attributes while participating in His creative genius.

Music

  As one of the four classical arts of the Quadrivium, music at St. Thomas Aquinas is an important aspect of our joyful learning and is used throughout our curriculum to foster merriment and engagement.
 

At St. Thomas Aquinas Classical Academy, we also teach music as its own subject.  In our music program, children are not only introduced to mathematical qualities of nature and the universe; they are immersed in the beauty of harmony and rhythm.  Through the Ward Music curriculum, even the most reluctant of musicians will find delight in being part of the angelic voice of the Church.  

The act of memorization is important to a well-rounded and classical education.  Not only does it strengthen cognitive functions, such as focus, memory, and attention, it also supports the development of logical thinking and problem-solving skills.   

Most importantly, however, memory is an integral part of the soul and plays an important role in the spiritual formation of our students. Aristotle once referred to memory as the "scribe of the soul," emphasizing its crucial role in retaining and recalling sensory experiences. For this reason, memory is closely linked to the imagination and the heart, which are important in the soul's embracement of truth, beauty, and goodness.  When the imagination and the heart are properly formed, and memory recalls not only the experiences but also the judgement of the intellect regarding those experiences, not only does one grow in wisdom and virtue, but one is moved toward the common good, which naturally inspires innovation and invention.

Memorization is important to a classical education on both the spiritual and academic levels.  At St. Thomas Aquinas Classical Academy and HEP, memorization is not rote;  it follows from understanding and is accomplished through lively, interactive, and enjoyble experiences!

St. Thomas Aquinas Music Program is based upon the Ward Method, developed for Catholic schools in 1910 by Justine Ward.

"The Ward Method of Music Instruction is a progressive method of teaching elementary school children - through vocal instruction - music theory, composition, and conducting.  It is unique in that it has a basis in Gregorian Chant." Amy Zuberbueler, Music Sacra Church Music Association of America

The Method was first developed by Justine Ward, a convert to Catholicism, under the request of Fr. Thomas Shields, chair of the Department of Education at the Catholic University of America.  

To assist Pope Pius X in the reform of sacred music which he had intitiated upon his election to the Chair of Peter, Ward combined the philosophy and pedagogy of Fr. Shields and the music methods of Fr. John B. Young, S.J., music director St. Francis Xavier Church in New York City, who was not only instrumental in Ward's conversion to the Faith, but was also supportive of the reforms initiated by Pope Pius X.  

The first editions of the Ward Method were published in 1913; but after Ward met in 1920 with Dom Andre Mocquereau, the founder of Solesmes Method of the rhythmic interpretation of Gregorian Chant, and she began studying under him, she revised the rythmic portion of her method and established it as it is today.

Why this method of teaching music?

Fr. Shields believed, both as a psychologist and a priest, that a child's emotions (his heart) are the most influential in the formation of one's character and the proper understanding and joyful union with the Divine.  Thus, he posited that the child's emotions must be devloped early in his life "to lead to the formation of a worthy character."

"The real foundations of character," Fr. Shields stated, "are not to be found in the intellect, and it is through music and art that the imagination and the emotions may be reached and effectively developed."

The Catholic Church has, throughout its history, promoted the arts.  "Knowing man to be a composite of both body and spirit, the Church understands man's need for sensible, tangible things to relate the body and spirit.  Through the Ward Method, children are exposed to truth and beauty through music so they will respond to emotional stimulus of a higher order."  Amy Zuberbueler

To read more about the Ward Program, please visit https://musicsacra.com/music-pedagogy-for-children/ward-method-instruction/

Or watch this fantastic video further explaining the philosophy, pedagogy and teaching of Ward Method:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lf5Ta4MpH8