Our Programs
Choosing your child's primary education is one of the most important decisions you will make in his or her early years. Laying the foundation for learning ... setting the stage for future success ... instilling values and character ... encouraging a love of learning and a yearning to explore ... these are all supported on a daily basis at St. Thomas.
St. Thomas Episcopal School is committed to the nurturing of loving, thoughtful, and responsible children. The school provides a climate where the values of community, self worth, compassion, respect, service and responsibility are taught as part of the school's tradition. The school provides a loving atmosphere in which students are encouraged to reach their potential and take their places as involved and responsible citizens.
We provide students with an opportunity to grow emotionally, spiritually, socially, physically and intellectually in a Christian setting. Daily Chapel, small classes, strong academics, a sense of moral responsibility, commitment to community service and individualized attention for students are all areas in which we excel. The opportunity to build relationships with teachers and peers fosters each child's success. Children are encouraged to be active participants in the learning process through cooperation in a supportive environment.
Our Faculty & Staff
A school is not just a collection of buildings and books. It's the people that make each school unique and different St. Thomas is wonderfully blessed to have a group of loving, Christian teachers and staff available. We feel our seasoned teachers are the best in their field. It becomes obvious that St. Thomas is a wonderful place to work and teach when you realize the majority of our staff has been here for years, and in some cases, decades.
In addition to a superior Preschool program, St. Thomas offers flexibility when it comes to deciding on which of our programs will meet your child's needs. Students in our Preschool can attend a half-day or a full-day (before school & after school care is also available). Additionally, we offer 2 day, 3 day and 5 day programs for our Two Year Old and Three Year Old programs.
Not ready for Kindergarten? St. Thomas' Gift of Time program is well known for providing children who aren't quiet ready for Kindergarten with an extra year to develop and grow. Students in the Gift of Time program have already turned five and usually have attended a Four Year Old or Pre-Kinder program of some sort.
Two Year Old Program
Our Two Year Old program offers a true preschool experience. Students will learn the alphabet, colors, numbers and shapes through play and organized activities. Preschool "Twos" also benefit from music and Spanish classes, as well as Chapel.
Three Year Old Program
Our Three Year Old program provides a fun and valuable introduction to school for children. Some of the most important skills children learn are critical social skills such as sharing, playing with others, working with groups and taking turns. They learn school is a fun and safe place to be. In addition to developing social skills, children learn about letters, numbers, shapes, and colors. Our teachers work with a variety of curricula including Frog Street Press, Carson Dellarosa and Scripture Bites. And, children benefit from weekly enrichment programs including: Library, Music, P.E., Spanish and Chapel.
A typical day includes free play, centers, arts & crafts, snack, enrichment activities and circle time. But, don't let our schedule fool you, our three year olds are always busy celebrating holidays, learning about the seasons, visiting the Pumpkin Patch, planting a garden, enjoying a Teddy Bear picnic, participating in Field Days and so much more.
Four Year Old Program
Our Four Year Old program provides a foundation for social and academic growth by preparing children for Kindergarten. Through age appropriate activities children grow spiritually, physically, socially and emotionally in a warm, nurturing environment. Our Four Year Old program focuses on several areas including letter and number recognition, counting, and developing both fine and large motor skills through a variety of curriculum including Frog Street Press and Scripture Bites. Additionally, children participate in weekly enrichment programs including: Music, Library, Spanish and Computers. Many themes are studied throughout the year including. Dinosaurs, Rodeo, Texas, Space, Transportation, Ocean, My Body, Traditional Tales & Nursery Rhymes, Health & Dental Week, Seasons and Holidays are just a few.
Choosing your child's primary education is one of the most important decisions you will make in his or her early years. Laying the foundation for learning .... setting the stage for future success .... instilling values and character .... encouraging a love of learning and a yearning to explore .... these are all supported on a daily basis at St. Thomas Episcopal School.
Our mission is .... "To be a disciple making community, living for God and others". We seek to provide children with an opportunity to grow emotionally, spiritually, socially, physically and intellectually in a Christian school setting. To that end, we offer daily chapel, small classes, and individualized attention in a challenging atmosphere. The opportunity to build strong relationships with the teachers and peers fosters each child's success. Children are encouraged to be active participants in the learning process through cooperation in a supportive environment.
St. Thomas offers a well-rounded curriculum for each of its Elementary school grade levels including Language Arts, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies/History. Our primary curriculum is A Beka; but we also supplement with Scott Foresman for Math and Science, Houghton Mifflin for Social Studies, and Discovery Works for Science. We feel this combination provides each student with the best opportunity to achieve their best possible level of success.
In addition to participating in Chapel each day, Elementary students regularly participate in enrichment classes. St. Thomas enrichment classes include Art, Christian Education/Bible, Computers, Library, Music, Physical Education and Spanish.
Kindergarten
St. Thomas offers a stimulating curriculum presented in a manner sensitive to the developmental needs of each student. Students engage in activities that help them develop their oral language skills as they begin to read and write. They learn to segment and identify the sounds of spoken words. They name each letter of the alphabet, begin to associate spoken sounds with the letter or letters that represent them, and begin to use this knowledge to read words and simple stories. They take part in language activities that extend their vocabulary and conceptual knowledge. The Kindergarten students learn to follow directions and express themselves in complete thoughts. They listen to a wide variety of children's literature, including selections from classical and contemporary works, learning to listen attentively and to ask and respond to questions. The students begin to use their knowledge of letters and sounds to write by themselves. While learning beginning reading skills is essential, students also learn basic and conceptual math skills, including counting and writing to 100 and beginning addition and subtraction skills. Students are also introduced to science and social studies.
First Grade
In First Grade, students continue to develop their oral language and communication skills and move toward becoming independent readers and writers. They will learn letter-sound correspondences and use the knowledge to help them decode written words. Students regularly read (both orally and silently) in texts of appropriate difficulty with fluency and understanding. They will demonstrate their comprehension by asking and answering questions, re-telling stories, predicting outcomes, and making and explaining inferences. First grade students will become adept writers. They will use subjects and verbs and learn to write complete sentences using basic capitalization and punctuation. They will learn the difference between words, sentences, and paragraphs and how to organize their thoughts into complete sentences. In math, studends will learn to identify, count and write numbers to 1,000. They will learn addition and subtraction facts to 18, place value to the hundreds, and how to add and substract two and three digit numbers. They will also explore fractions, graphing, and measurements of length, capacity and time.
Second Grade
Second Grade students at St. Thomas become independent readers. They are able to decode all letter and sound correspondences and read both regular and irregular words automatically. They receive reading instruction every day from a variety of genre. They use writing as a tool for research and to express feelings. Our second grade students add and subtract whole numbers to solve problems. They understand multiplication and division. They are able to measure length, weight, capacity and time. In Science, students study the Earth's crust, formation of continents and plate tectonics, and are introduced to the concepts of matter, light and color. In Social Studies, students focus on characteristics of communities, how to use simple geographic tools, that people use and modify their environments, the importance of work, the purpose of governments, and the characteristics of a good citizens. One of the highlights of Second Grade Social Studies is the annual field trip to either the Bexar County or Comal County courthouse.
Third Grade
Third grade is a "leap year" for students. They are not so much learning to read but rather reading to learn. There is a focus on student responsibility. Science introduces many new concepts explored through investigations. Math goes at a fast pace, adding new concepts and daily reviewing what has been learned and the basic building blocks of arithmetic. History and social studies cover a wide variety of people, cultures and communities.
Fourth & Fifth Grade
The fourth and fifth grade classes work closely together to provide a strong curricular sequence. Block scheduling is used to maximize time and effectiveness of subject material. Team teaching is also used to enhance each teacher's strengths. The Language Arts curriculum places a heavy emphasis on grammar so students can become competent writers. The reading program encompasses a variety of methods used to teach comprehension strategies for overall understanding. Novel studies are taught to help instill a love of reading.
The Houghton-Mifflin curriculum is used in Mathematics supplemented with hands-on activities. Hands-on, student driven activities are a priority in fourth and fifth grade Science class to promote inquiry based learning. Participation is required for our third through fifth grade students. In fourth grade, Texas History is taught while fifth graders study US History. The emphasis on study skills, responsibility and organization is of utmost importance. We strive to foster a love of learning in all our students.
Music
Students learn to sing, read music, and play instruments in a Kodaly based curriculum. Music classes involve students in movement activities, singing games, Orff instruments, recorder, and multiple performance opportunities. Fourth and fifth grade students sing in the traveling St. Thomas Choir, and fifth graders learn to play chimes. Music is an integral part of the daily chapel service.
Art
Art class at St. Thomas is always an exciting event. Through learning, designing, creating and critiquing, St. Thomas students receive a well rounded experience in visual arts. Careful study and practice of the basic elements of art instill confidence in Kindergarten through Fifth grade artists.
Technology
Age appropriate software is used to teach computer and keyboarding skills. A variety of technology allows students to produce original work and to enhance academic learning in core classes.
Spanish
Classes familiarize preschool and elementary students with vocabulary and language structure. Older students also learn about Hispanic culture and visit the local market.
Physical Education
The school provides for the physical development of its students through active physical education and recess times. Students learn the importance of taking care of themselves, the rules and strategies of common sports, and the joys of participating in sports.
Library
The Library offers students a chance to explore fiction and non-fiction selections as well as participate in research opportunities.
Christian Education
Christian Education is a part of each elementary student's experience. The goal of this program is promote understanding of Biblical principles and how to apply them in daily service to others. Monthly Matthew 25 collections and weekly musical offerings in chapel are part of the spiritual training for St. Thomas students.
