The transition from the Lower School campus to the Upper School campus is smooth thanks to the collaboration between our 2nd grade and 3rd grade teams beginning almost a year in advance. As our 3rd graders enter the Upper School campus, they are matched with 8th grade students who commit to being prayer partners and mentors to our newest arrivals.

In third grade, students are team taught; they spend half the day with their homeroom teacher and the other half with her teaching partner. This plan gives teachers the opportunity to work with the same students across different subjects and helps students synthesize their learning and skills. It helps students develop supportive interpersonal relationships with each other and the teacher.

In social studies, students learn about communities, history, geography, government, and economics. Physical science is the center of third-grade science study. Weekly trips to the Science Lab afford students opportunities for hands-on experiential learning. In math classes, students receive explicit instruction in concepts and skills. Varied approaches to problem-solving help students develop a deeper understanding of concepts. Concepts and skills are introduced in a concrete setting, advance through pictorial representations, and ultimately culminate in the abstract application of these concepts and skills. Activities are related to students’ life experiences to help them recognize and apply mathematics to their world. Students practice automaticity with basic math facts daily. Language arts provide integration of direct instruction in vocabulary, comprehension, phonics, and grammar with a variety of reading and writing activities. Students move from learning to read to reading to learn.

Fourth-grade students continue to work with team teachers and split their day between their homeroom teacher and teaching partner. Students thrive in year two at the Upper School as their focus turns toward exploration and embodying our goal to be the vest version of yourself. Project Based Learning begins early in the year, enabling students to be successful, gain independence, and collaboratively share their knowledge. Teachers work together to plan cross-curricular lessons and activities combining core curriculum with art, music, and foreign language. Students embrace and integrate technology into all content areas as students continue to hone their 21st-century research skills. 

During the year, the students focus on gaining academic independence. They learn how to take responsibility for their daily work and organization.  In social studies, the students spend the year learning all the greatness of Texas! While in science, we explore all living things, starting with the human body and culminating with a STEM fair project.  We take a deep dive into math and English as we hone our basic skills and develop our knowledge and understanding.  The students engage in regular writing activities that stretch their creativity while emphasizing organization and application of English skills.  In religion, the students learn how to live out their faith by studying the Ten Commandments, Works of Mercy, Beatitudes and Rosary. In addition, the students deepen their understanding of the life of Jesus through Bible passages and projects. 

The fifth-grade year is the bridge to middle school at St. Thomas Aquinas. Students develop independence and responsibility skills as they travel in their homeroom groups to different classes throughout the campus. 

The theme of collaboration and cross-curricular studies define fifth-grade with the highlight being the STEM fair water conservation project in Science. Students begin to develop their presentation skills through performances in Drama, Social Studies and Literature. In Literature, literary devices and features of various genres are highlighted. Students learn to recognize literary compositions and are given the tools needed to produce their own texts in the same genre.

Throughout the math curriculum, there is an emphasis on problem-solving, critical thinking, and real-world applications to help students develop a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts. Teachers employ interactive activities, visual aids, and practice exercises to support student learning and engagement.

During the second semester, fifth-grade students work on individual autonomy by being able to participate in extra-curricular activities and clubs including altar servers, sports, choir, and musical.