Expect exceptional academic achievement from St. Francis students.
Whether in science, mathematics, language arts, or the fine and performing arts, St. Francis students receive broad-based educational opportunities that focus on learning through experiment and experience.
The results speak for themselves:
85% of SFA students go on to make high school honor roll
70% test out of high school freshman Spanish
50% test out of high school freshman algebra
The St. Francis of Assisi faculty members have received national recognition, especially in science and SFA’s Holocaust education program. Seven of 16 faculty members have received special regional awards that include Outstanding Catholic Educator and Catholic Inclusion Awards.
Science
Our science program begins in the early grades with hands-on experiments that help children understand concepts by using all of their senses. They learn to recognize patterns, make predictions and hypotheses, and see how parts are connected to create whole systems.
The middle school science experience focuses on physics, chemistry, and biology. The teacher works closely with all students to scale independent research projects to their abilities. Students build relationships with mentors from the University of Louisville, Speed Scientific School, James Graham Brown Cancer Center, Fermilab and other local and national organizations.
We are very proud of our amazing students who have brought honor to our school and to the exceptional teachers and parents who have mentored them. Most recently, St. Francis of Assisi students and the school overall won First Place in these competitions:
Louisville Regional Science & Engineering Fair
Kentucky Science & Engineering Fair
Kentucky Junior Academy of Science
Music & Drama
The music and drama program is based on the Orff-Schulwerk method which uses singing, movement, and rhythmic speech to teach these subjects. Students in kindergarten through eighth grade engage in hands-on, experiential learning and can play three instruments by the time they graduate!
In our large, well-equipped music classroom, our students work with a variety of musical instruments, styles of music, and components of music and composition. They not only learn to sing, but they also learn the technical aspects of singing.
Each year, every child participates in public performances including parish and/or ecumenical religious services, nursing home visits, seasonal programs, community concerts, and special-request television and/or public performances. The children create a variety of art media to use in their music, dance, and theater work.
Academic Competitions
Every year, SFA students take top places at the Governor’s Cup in all the core subjects and place high at the regional level.
We participate in several academic events during the school year, including:
Regional and State Science Fairs (Grades 6-8)
Catholic School Academic League (Quick Recall, Grades 4-8),
Governor’s Cup (Grades 4-8) Quick Recall, Future Problem Solving, and English Composition
Spelling Bee (Grades 4-8)
Young Authors (Grades 1-8)
Math Counts competition (grades 6-8)
Foreign Language
Students receive Spanish-language instruction four days a week, from Kindergarten through 8th Grade. Our teacher, a native of Guatemala, uses strategies that incorporate technology, games, multiple senses, and dramatic arts presentations to build a solid foundation for foreign language study. By 7th and 8th Grades, students use their skills to present a cultural report on a Spanish-speaking country to a panel of Spanish-speaking judges. Frequently, SFA graduates choose Spanish as their college major, teach English in Spain, and pursue careers that use their bilingual abilities.
Barton Program
SFA offers The Barton Program for students who qualify for specialized reading support services. Our classroom teachers refer students who appear to need help in multiple areas to our Learning Specialist, who provides assessments to determine if The Barton Program is an appropriate option. The structured reading program is led by a trained professional who works with students one-on-one for 2-2 ½ hours per week during regular school hours, leading them through ten levels of learning that address any gaps in a student’s reading abilities. By participating in this program, students are able to remain at SFA, on grade-level with their peers, at a fraction of the cost of outside tutors and learning-differences school tuition. Just as important, students learn to advocate for their own unique needs – a critical skill they will use for a lifetime.
Visual Arts
Within the visual arts, we expose our students to a wide variety of media. We stress exploration as well as technical aspects of the materials. Students learn art history using appropriate developmental references, and write reflections and artist statements of their art work. By writing biographies and responses to famous artists' work, students can see influences on their own style of artistic expression.
Teachers work together to help the students obtain a comprehensive view of each content area. For example, art is often combined with other disciplines: history, music, literature, and even science.