As a familiar song of days gone by reveals, reading, writing, and arithmetic were the hallmarks of the course of study in American schools in its early days. Chalkboards, ink wells, and the McGuffey Reader were standard equipment in the classrooms of yesterday. It would, however, be difficult to encounter an elementary school today which does not utilize computers, printers, whiteboards, and the Internet as part of the instructional process. Clearly, one of the greatest challenges which contemporary educators face is the creative usage of technology in the presentation of the concepts and skills included in the subjects which they teach. Though the packaging and method of presentation has changed significantly, the basic skills or reading, communicating, and calculating are fundamental in the school's basic goal of educating students who will need to function in a rapidly changing world.

Parents frequently inquire "what is taught at Epiphany School?" To answer this question in a must succinct way would be to state that the School adheres closely to the program of study prescribed by the Archdiocese of Newark and State of New Jersey. Typically, reading, mathematics, language arts, science, social studies, art, music, physical education and health are taught in all schools, both public and private, throughout the Sate as well as most of the nation. However, each school differentiates itself from other institutions in the manner by which subject matter is taught and to what degree students master the concepts and skills of the curriculum in terms of measurable standards.

The hallmark of the curriculum of Epiphany School is the religious education program that is offered to students. All religion courses from prekindergarten through grade eight are conducted for a full class period every day that the School is in session. Moreover, Religion classes are taught by qualified teachers who have studied Catholic theology and are certified as catechists by the Archdiocese. Because of the School's commitment to spreading the Gospel message of Our Lord, religious education is an experience which sometimes is not equivalent in time to that which is experienced by students who attend schools in the public sector. It has been observed that no other institution outside of the family has been effective as the Catholic School in teaching the tenets and traditions of the Roman Catholic faith.

Clearly, the curriculum of Epiphany differentiates it from other institutions. Learning takes place in an environment within a spacious school facility which can boast of its large classrooms, computer laboratory with state of the art technology and Internet access, a well-appointed science room, art and music classrooms, spacious cafeteria, library, gymnasium, and playground. The lower level of the building is dedicated to prekindergarten and kindergarten programs providing classroom space which supports the needs of an early childhood educational program. A junior high school program is housed in a separate section of the school building and enables students to more easily make the transition from grade eight to high school.

The faculty of Epiphany are to be lauded for their efforts to make learning interesting while holding students to high academic standards in the pursuit of excellence and the fulfillment of their potential. Terra Nova Test Results indicate that students perform on the average at the seventieth national percentile or better than seventy percent of all students who take this standardized test in all schools of Archdiocese of Newark as well as many public schools throughout the country. Epiphany graduates consistently gain admission to prestigious secondary schools and colleges and meet with grate success in the pursuit of their academic careers.

The success of Epiphany's educational program can be directly attributed to a learning environment which enables greater student-teacher interaction. With an average class size of nineteen students and student-teacher ration of 14 to 1, the students of epiphany enjoy a close relationship with teachers who consistently attempt to individualize the instructional program to more adequately address the educational, social, and emotional needs of all students. During the times when financial constraints in most Catholic and public schools result in large class sizes, a sense of close identity with the school community and the feeling of a "family" environment at Epiphany School is possible due to a smaller student population.

The School consistently makes every effort to provide academic experiences which address the enrichment and remedial needs of all students. Foreign language is taught to students in grades one through eight, and many students qualify for advanced placement in spanish on the high-school level. Some students in grade eight study a full-year course in Algebra, and foreign students are provided with English as a Second Language classes as well as an intensive tutorial program in English.

 

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