Elementary

The Grade School years are pivotal in a young person’s life. Our Lady of the Wayside School provides an environment that is nurturing and encouraging where students are eager to excel. OLW students are closely guided by caring teachers who know each student well, treasure each student’s unique abilities, and challenge them to reach their full potential. Our students demonstrate strong academic performance, with 96% achieving at or above grade level in Math and 92% in Reading, far surpassing national averages.

In this loving, faith-filled environment, we strive to equip students with the critical-thinking, organizational, and study skills they need to thrive in high school and beyond. Our graduates are well-prepared for the next stage of their education, including honors and Advanced Placement (AP) coursework.

Literacy: By incorporating best practice and research-based methods, the literacy curriculum at Our Lady of the Wayside School reflects the fundamentals of literacy instruction: decoding, morphology, read alouds, fiction and nonfiction texts, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension. Developmentally appropriate instruction focuses on decoding, fluency and comprehension while incorporating word study and grammar.

Math: The foundation of our mathematics curriculum is rooted in developing critical thinkers and problem solvers who are learning to communicate and reason mathematically. Instruction incorporates a variety of manipulatives and real world applications. In the elementary grades, instruction focuses on number sense, patterns and sequencing, operations, fact fluency, measurement, spatial understanding and mathematical reasoning.

Religion: Faith and service are integral to the learning environment at Wayside. Students learn about Catholic doctrine, prayers, sacraments and Church history in their classes. Learning about our faith does not stop within the classroom. Students take part in school masses, do service projects at various grade levels, and also participate in a Buddy Program.

Social Studies: Integrated in-depth units promoting inquiry, research and hands-on application to develop globally, culturally, and historically aware citizens encompass our Social Studies Curriculum.

Science: Following the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), our students explore and experience science concepts through hands-on, collaborative experiences. They use critical thinking and application skills to solve real world problems involving science concepts.

Technology: Each classroom has a new SMARTBoard. The teachers use them to project workbook pages, text pages, or read aloud books. All K-5 students have their own iPad. They use them differently depending on the age and needs of the students. 

If you are interested in the specific curriculum programs that we use, Curriculum Specifics for K – 5th.