St. Cassian School's Curriculum:
St. Cassian School provides a curriculum in the Catholic tradition to foster students’ intellectual, moral, religious, social and physical development. The school aligns its curriculum to the Archdiocese of Newark Curriculum Guidelines, which meet or exceed relevant educational standards, including those proposed by content area experts, the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards, and the Common Core Standards.
Learning is a unique process at St. Cassian School placing significant emphasis on integrating the arts and technology into curricula as well as addressing the multiple intelligences of its students. The integrated approach creates a multi-dimensional learning experience that ensures each student has a multitude of experiences to maximize strengths and address challenges.
In addition to regular curriculum described in more detail below, students in kindergarten through eighth grade participate in a program titled, “The MIAD (Multiple Intelligence Arts Domain) Elective Course Program ” for eighty minutes per week during school hours. The MIAD electives are designed by the staff to increase students’ academic knowledge and skills through the integration of the visual and performing arts, technology and physical education. For instance, a Tap dancing course not only includes learning the technique, but also the genre’s history, and guided and independent opportunities for research and creative writing. Trimester long MIAD electives include video production, photography, poetry, mock trial, play writing, musical theater, architecture and engineering, leadership, painting and watercolor, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) activities and more. Parents and parishioners with expertise in a particular discipline and professional artists-in-residence are commonly invited as MIAD Program guest teachers.