SPIRITUAL & ACADEMIC PROGRAMS
Religious Studies
Catholic education is a gift that the Catholic community and parents give to children during their formative years. At St. Peter’s School, we teach virtues and values, respect for the environment, and reverence for all of God's creation. We seek truth and stand witness to truth. We strive to be good citizens of this country and to be bold and passionate disciples of God's kingdom. We offer excellence rooted in Jesus Christ.
The Religious Studies program serves a multifaceted mission: to teach the message of Jesus, to nurture a personal relationship with God, to provide an understanding of our Catholic faith and its traditions, and to build community. Through instruction in Catholic doctrine and scripture, regular participation in the Catholic liturgical experiences, and most importantly with family support, this mission is carried out.
The specific objectives of our religious studies are:
Message: Through the light of instruction in the basic doctrine of our Catholic faith, the study of sacred scripture, the sacramental life and the moral life, we deepen our awareness and knowledge of who God is.
Community: Through interaction in a loving, worshiping community, we are led to a greater awareness of how God acts in our lives and we are helped to deepen and strengthen our relationship with God and one another.
Service: Through involvement in acts of loving service to one another and the community, we strive to imitate the actions of Jesus, the early Christian community, the saints and the contemporary Christian leaders.
Liturgy
Students at St. Peter's attend liturgy each week, generally Friday morning. Students help plan and participate in the Mass, following the liturgical calendar. Students also attend Mass on the High Feast Days of the Church. Parents and family are welcome to attend these services with their child(ren).
Sacramental Preparation
St. Peter's School partners with St. Peter's Parish for preparation to receive the sacraments of First Eucharist and Reconciliation. Students are prepared for the First Eucharist and Reconciliation in second grade through the Faith Formation Office of St. Peter's Parish. More specific information is given to students preparing to receive the sacraments in August/September of each school year.
Retreats
St. Peter's School plans a retreat for the 4th and 5th graders in the summer before school starts, and for 8th graders during the school year. The school and the Parish Youth Ministry Office also plans retreats or activities open to middle school students during the school year that expand access to a deeper understanding of our faith.
Big Brothers/ Big Sisters
Through homeroom/advisory teachers, upper-grade students are paired with lower-grade students in a big brother/sister program. The purpose is to form a bond of Christian friendship. Classes generally meet immediately following services on the first Friday of each month as well as other planned activities.
Student Service Hours
Students in grades 4-8 give a minimum of 55 service hours to meet graduation requirements for St. Peter's School. The Religious Studies teacher monitors and approves Service Hours. Many classes select a service project to devote their time to beginning each August. The following are required but not limited to:
· Grade 4: 5 Hours
· Grade 5: 5 Hours
· Grade 6: 10 Hours
· Grade 7: 15 Hours
· Grade 8: 20 Hours
Service hours are completed, documented and logged into Renweb within 30 days of the event; the total hours are to be completed no later than May 1st. Community service documentation forms are also available in the religion class or through Homeroom teachers. Service hours are reported in the comments section of the report card each 9 weeks by the homeroom teacher.
Human Sexuality Education
St. Peter's School provides an education program in family living, human sexuality, AIDS Education, and sexual morality appropriate to the age and maturity of the students according to the guidelines of the Archdiocesan Religion Curriculum Guide and in collaboration with the UTHSC “Worth the Wait” curriculum.
Physical Education
St. Peter’s Physical Education curriculum is aligned with the TEKS and also participates in the Presidents Challenge Physical Fitness Program. Students, based on their developmental group, are given fitness tests in the fall and spring to complement our complete physical education program. Prior to testing, students are taught the correct techniques for all tests, including proper pacing and running. There is no limit to the number of tries students may have on each of the five events: curl-ups, shuttle run, endurance run/walk, pull-ups or push-ups, and v-sit reach. Students in grades K5 through 5th grade wear their school uniform during their Physical Education classes. Students in grades 6 through 8 wear a standardized uniform available from the school store.
Health Education
St. Peter’s staff teaches a well-rounded health education curriculum with a focus on personal hygiene, nutrition, and mental and physical wellness. It is the goal of St. Peter’s School to be listed as the Healthiest Catholic School in San Antonio, following the qualifiers set by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. Visit them at www.HealthierGeneration.org.
Technology
With the advances of technology and the corresponding explosion of access to information available, the opportunity exists to provide your child with online services at our school. In providing this opportunity for your child to take advantage of the wide range of services and information, we cannot totally block access to the Internet and its subsequent range of materials. Each parent and child needs to be aware of the fact that not all information on the Internet may be accurate or true and is uncensored. The school’s policies, rules and regulations that govern every day behavior and their subsequent consequences also govern behavior on the use of online services. In order for each child to be able to log onto services through the school, parent and child need to read and sign the Acceptable Use Agreement (sent home with students). The agreement covers both rules of usage and etiquette.
St. Peter Prince of Apostles School provides technology resources to its students and staff for educational and administrative purposes. Technology Resources include the intranet, internet access, fax, E-mail, stand-alone computer, and telephone. The goal in providing these resources is to promote educational excellence in St. Peter Prince of Apostles School by facilitating resource sharing, innovation and communication with the support and supervision of parents, teachers, and support staff. The use of these technology resources is a privilege, not a right.
With access to computers and people all over the world comes the potential availability of material that may not be considered to be of educational value in context of the school setting. St. Peter Prince of Apostles School firmly believes that the value of information, interaction, and research capabilities available outweighs the possibility that users may obtain material that is not consistent with the educational goals of the school.
Proper behavior, as it relates to the use of computers, is no different than proper behavior in all other aspects of St. Peter Prince of Apostles School activities. All users are expected to use the computers and computer networks in a responsible, ethical, and polite manner. This document is intended to clarify those expectations as they apply to computer and network usage.
Improper use of the St. Peter Prince of Apostles School Technology Resources is prohibited. Uses of the St. Peter Prince of Apostles School technology resources that are prohibited include, but are not limited to the following:
· Users may not use the St. Peter Prince of Apostles School’s private network to access material that is profane or obscene (pornography of any kind), that advocates illegal acts, or that advocates violence or discrimination towards other people (hate literature).
· Users may not post personal information on the Internet about themselves or other people. Personal contact information includes address, telephone, school address, work address, pictures or video bites, clips, etc. Users may not post information about other students or the school for any reason. (This rule includes home users who use St. Peter’s name in any form).
· Users may not attempt to gain unauthorized access to any other computer system. This includes attempting to log in through another person's account or access another person's files. These actions are improper, even if only for the purposes of "browsing”, “snooping”, or “electronic discovery”.
· Users may not deliberately disrupt or harm hardware or systems, interfere with computer performance, interfere with another’s ability to use equipment and systems, or destroy data. Users may not use the St. Peter Prince of Apostles School’s private network to engage in illegal acts.
· Users may not post information that could endanger an individual, cause personal damage or a danger of service disruption.
· Users may not knowingly or recklessly post false or defamatory information about a person or organization.
· Users may not intentionally seek information on, obtain copies of, or modify files, other data, or passwords belonging to other users.
· Users may not indirectly or directly make connections that allow unauthorized access to St. Peter Prince of Apostles School’s network.
· Users may not use obscene, profane, lewd, vulgar, rude, inflammatory, hateful, threatening, or disrespectful language.
· Users may not engage in personal attacks, including prejudicial or discriminatory attacks.
· Users may not harass another person. Harassment is persistently acting in a manner that distresses or annoys another person.
· Users may not forward or post chain letters or engage in "spamming". Spamming is sending an annoying or unnecessary message to a large number of people.
· Users will not install or reproduce unauthorized or unlicensed software.
· Users may not plagiarize works that they find on the internet or other resources.
· Users may not use computer resources and Internet for private business activities or unreasonable personal use.
· St. Peter Prince of Apostles School systems or resources may not be used for personal gain, or to buy, sell, advertise, or trade any products or services that are not affiliated with school business.
· Users must demonstrate a high standard of care to protect the personal information of others (including home addresses, telephone numbers, or identification information) that is used for school purposes.
Obligations for use of technology
· Users are responsible for the use of their individual access account and should take all reasonable precautions to prevent others from being able to use their account. Under no conditions should a user provide his/her password to another person.
· Attempts to log on to St. Peter Prince of Apostles School’s private network or any other network as a system administrator are prohibited.
· Any user identified as a security risk or having a history of violating this or any other St. Peter Prince of Apostles School policies may be denied access to St. Peter Prince of Apostles School’s private network.
· Users should immediately notify a teacher or system administrator of any possible security problem.
· Students will promptly disclose to their teacher or other appropriate school employee any message or information received that is inappropriate.
· Use of all school technology resources is subject to review, access, and monitoring, even if a private password or other private access code is used. Any use of school resources such as telephones, Internet, e-mail, or other resources is not private and students/staff and employees should have no expectation of privacy when using such resources for personal use.
As required by law and in recognition of the need to establish a safe and appropriate computing environment, St. Peter Prince of Apostles School will use filtering technology to prohibit access, to the degree possible, to objectionable or unsuitable content that might otherwise be accessible via the Internet.
School personnel, including the Librarian, provide guidance to the student in internet use and monitor the program to the best of their ability as a regular instructional activity. Controlling all materials on a global network is impossible, and a user may discover inappropriate information or perform inappropriate actions in spite of adult supervision. Therefore, we encourage parents to have a frank discussion with their children about Catholic Christian values and how those beliefs should guide student activities while using the Internet.
School personnel will:
· Teach proper techniques and standards for internet participation
· Guide student access to appropriate areas of internet
· Assure that students understand that misuses of the internet could result in loss of access privileges or other privileges.
The student and parent/guardian must sign a Student User Agreement before the student is given access to the school’s internet resources. A copy of the agreement is included as part of the handbook agreement. School personnel or the parent/guardian may withdraw student internet access at any time. The parent/guardian is responsible for any damage caused by the student’s inappropriate use of the School’s technology resources.