Student Life

LOWER GRADES: PRE-K – 5 | We Are St. Mark!

We are a happy and caring community of family and friends that look out for each other and work together towards a common goal of making a better world.  We teach our students the values of honesty, integrity, respect, and compassion leading them to live faith-filled lives.

In the lower grades, students are growing and learning every day! There are several grade specific activities in addition to field trips that are enjoyed by the students that provide warm memories of their St. Mark School years. Some of these include:

PreK4

Beginning the Journey
Our Pre-K students might be the smallest members of our school community, but their excitement for learning at St. Mark comes out in a big way!  Students enjoy a blend of learning, fun, and play.  Fine motor skills and lessons in the classroom are enhanced with the use of classroom iPads and a variety of other manipulatives, games, and experiences.  The fall visit to the pumpkin farm is a great adventure for parents and students alike and a special Mother’s Day Luncheon is always a treat!

Kindergarten                                                       (Grades K-2 Lunch time   11:15-11:40 am)

Real-World Curriculum Connections

Kindergarten is a year full of exciting learning experiences.  Annual field trips provide opportunities for learning outside of the classroom.  At Clark’s Elioak Farm students explore new life and life cycles while a trip to Peace a Pizza provides an opportunity to explore math through counting and measuring to make pizza sauce.  Students then make their own pizza and cookie and enjoy it together.

Grade 1

Cookie Baking Day and Outreach

Grade 1 is dusted head to toe in flour and sugar making Christmas cookies for the patrons of Our Daily Bread each December.  Students enjoy time with parents and friends as they enjoy a special holiday-themed day and get to provide a special treat for people in need.

Grade 2

Bread Baking Day and May Crowning of the Blessed Mother

Preparing for their First Communion is a very special time for the students in Grade 2.  One activity in preparation is

baking bread – they spend a whole day in the bread baking process-mixing, molding, baking and eating the fruits of their labor.  After students have made their First Communion, they lead the school community in the Crowning of Mary Mass dressed in their First Communion finery.

Grade 3                                                                (Grades 3-5 Lunch time 11:45-12:15)

Christmas Pageant Prayer Service and Time for Prayer

Grade 3 students perform a spectacular Christmas pageant every year and students attend monthly First Friday Eucharistic Adoration.  All third graders gather together weekly to pray the rosary together.  They also provide a lavish spread of food for the second grade communicants to enjoy with family after the Crowning of Mary Mass.

Grade 4

Living Stations of the Cross

Students in Grade 4 re-enact the Stations of the Cross during Holy Week in biblical costumes for the school and parish community. This annual tradition builds students’ appreciation for the life of Jesus Christ and brings the community together in prayer for this sacred time of year.

Grade 5

Colonial Day and Technology Use

Grade 5 is full of fun and excitement as students prepare to move to middle school.  With a social studies curriculum rich in United States history, students discover the beginnings of our country, including a Colonial Day in which they take on the full portrayal of a historical figure.  Students are challenged in math with more advanced concepts than they’ve had before, but use of Chromebooks and other technology makes learning fun!

MIDDLE SCHOOL: 6-8 | We Are St. Mark!

Students in middle school have developed bonding friendships over the course of their school life at St. Mark and look forward to a future filled with new educational opportunities and enriching personal achievements.

Middle School at St. Mark School is a time for preparation for the successful transition to high school. Students embark on a school year filled with the possibilities of various school clubs (link to school clubs), athletic endeavors, and other outlets for expressing creativity and individuality. Students are taught responsibility towards each other, their neighbor and God’s creations.

Some of the grade specific activities that promote school spirit and enhance friendships include the following:

Grade 6                                                                  (Grade 6-8 Lunch time 12:15-12:45)
Team Challenge Field Trip and Class Gatherings

In the beginning of the year, Grade 6 students are presented with new challenges. Teachers in the middle school help the students to become experts in organization, to study proficiently, and to specialize in packing efficiently for switching classes every period.  In order to help create camaraderie and instill self-confidence for facing new situations, the school arranges a special team challenge field trip to experience exciting adventures, team building challenges, and to develop self-esteem.

Grade 7
Diving into Literature
The seventh grade year is rich with literature. Students study a few of Shakespeare’s plays, including MacBeth and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Through this they are able to learn the schematic for writing a sonnet, eventually writing their own! Students also study about social justice in the United States and world through the examination of a current novel and connections to their social studies course.

Grade 8

Watershed Study and Celebration of Accomplishments

As a part of their science curriculum, students participate in a Chesapeake Bay Foundation field trip to the Philip Merrill Center.  They canoe, sail on a finish boat, dredge for oysters, seine for fish, and conduct water quality tests.  At the culmination of their time at St. Mark, students delight in presentations during the 8th Grade Farewell Assembly, enjoy a luncheon with their favorite teachers (past at present), and share a trip to Hershey Park before graduation.