The results
Most recent middle school graduating classes.
The foundation
Every grade is built on the same foundation.
Every subject in every grade follows the curriculum set by the Diocese of Raleigh. Religion is taught every day through the Sadlier We Believe program, and the whole school attends Mass together every week.
Every class builds a service-learning project each year through Project Based Learning, so serving others is part of the coursework, not an extra. Writing portfolios start in kindergarten and grow with the student. Cursive is introduced in second grade and required by fifth.
Classrooms run on ViewSonic boards, with Chromebook sets in the elementary grades and 1:1 laptops in middle school.
Pre-K – 5
Elementary school
Full-day Pre-K, and reading built on direct phonics instruction through the Journeys program. Spanish begins in third grade; strings and the chorister program begin in the elementary years.
Second grade is the sacramental year: preparation for First Reconciliation and First Eucharist. By third grade the chapter books arrive, Because of Winn Dixie and Frindle among them.
Grades 6 – 8
Middle school
Novels, short stories, and poetry, with Newsela and Scholastic Scope for informational reading. Writing turns argumentative and persuasive. Spanish continues, with Latin joining the course list, and eighth graders choose between two math options, with Knight Math Academy as the advanced track.
Science Olympiad and History and Geography Bee teams compete at the regional and state level, and every middle schooler plays a sport.
Grade by grade
What each year holds.
The shared foundation runs through all of them; here is what makes each year its own.
PK Pre-Kindergarten
Full day, five days a week. Multi-sensory learning across spiritual, social-emotional, physical, and cognitive domains; the Seed Gospel weekly, traditional prayers, and monthly Mass beginning in November; daily outdoor play and weekly P.E.
K Kindergarten
Reading begins with direct phonics instruction through the Journeys program and manuscript printing through Writing Our Faith. Math is built on counting, whole numbers, and shapes. The Promise Gospel weekly, and Mass with the whole school every week.
01 First grade
Addition and subtraction within 20, and place value. Complex literary and informational texts enter the reading work, and the writing portfolio begins: narrative, opinion, and informational pieces.
02 Second grade
The sacramental year: preparation for First Reconciliation and First Eucharist. Cursive writing is introduced.
03 Third grade
Chapter books enter the rotation: Because of Winn Dixie, Frindle, Sarah Plain and Tall. Spanish begins. Cursive is taught in earnest.
04 Fourth grade
Deeper multi-digit math and decoding strategies; well-known chapter books alongside the reading program. Cursive is expected.
05 Fifth grade
Novels, short stories, and poetry, with Newsela for informational reading. Cursive is required from here up.
06 Sixth grade
Argumentative writing joins the portfolio; ratios and rational numbers anchor the math year. Newsela carries the informational reading.
07 Seventh grade
Proportional relationships in math; literary devices and persuasive writing through novels and Scholastic Scope.
08 Eighth grade
Two math options to match readiness, with Knight Math Academy as the advanced track. The writing portfolio spans narrative, argumentative, persuasive, and informational work, and the class service project caps the Cathedral years.
Beyond the core
Arts
Art, Music, Drama
Languages
Spanish 3–8 · Latin
Technology
MIT media program
Leadership
MS Catholic Leadership
Music
Strings · Choristers
Competition
Science Olympiad · Geo Bee
P.E.
Every grade
Classrooms
ViewSonic · 1:1 laptops 6–8
Standards & service
Curriculum standards are set by the Diocese of Raleigh Office of Education, and service learning is organized through the religion curriculum, so every grade serves the city it learns in.