St. Mark’s Elementary: Kindergarten-4th Grade

St. Mark’s Lutheran Elementary School serves students in Kindergarten through 4th grade. These grade levels average about 21 students per class, with one full-time teacher and one full-time teacher’s assistant in every room. Depending on the number of students enrolled, there are either two or three classes of each Elementary grade level.

Elementary School At A Glance

  • Kindergarten through 4th grade classrooms are self-contained with one teacher providing instruction in the core subject areas: Math, Science, Social Studies, Religion, and Language Arts (reading, writing, grammar, spelling, and vocabulary).
  • Specialized instruction is provided for the Kindergarten through 4th grade students in these areas: Art, Computer, French, Library, Music, and Physical Education.
  • Each of the elementary classes participate in several exploratory experiences such as Leadership classes with Principal Gerardo and several on- and off-campus field trips.
  • There are a variety of after school programs that the elementary students can participate in: 3D Printing, Academic Chess, Lego STEM, and the Youth Science Center.
  • Starting in 4th grade, students can join the St. Mark’s Beginning Band and Handbell Choir.
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Curriculum Overview

St. Mark's Lutheran School provides a strong, standards-based curriculum for the Elementary grade levels. As a community of life-long learners, we hold high expectations for all our Kindergarten through 4th grade students. The rigorous curriculum encourages students to develop critical thinking skills and depth of knowledge and character.

The curriculum and activities at St. Mark's span a wide variety of subjects for students to experience. St. Mark's Lutheran School's philosophy incorporates the belief that each person is a unique individual with God-given interests and abilities. By exposing students to a multitude of experiences, students can develop their talents, find areas in which to be successful, and develop new interests. We truly believe that EVERY child has the potential for greatness!

New Math Program – Go Math!

During the 2024-2025 school year, St. Mark’s will be implementing a new math curriculum for our Kindergarten through 4th grade students. HMH Go Math! equips educators with the tools and resources necessary to address the diverse learning needs of all students in the classroom. By emphasizing differentiated instruction and personalized learning experiences, the program empowers teachers to meet the unique requirements of each student, ensuring that no learner is left behind. Additionally, through the integration of embedded Waggle activities, 2nd-4th graders will be provided dynamic, individualized instruction that aligns with their current grade level or challenges them to excel beyond their expected proficiency level.

Moreover, Go Math! supports our teachers in implementing a pedagogical approach to instructing math at a grade level above the students' current grade, which fosters a culture of academic rigor and excellence. By incorporating effective teaching practices endorsed by organizations such as the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), the program equips teachers to create a stimulating learning environment that encourages students to expand their mathematical abilities and reach their full potential. Through this dual focus on meeting the needs of all learners and inspiring academic growth by teaching math at a challenging level, HMH Go Math! enables educators to guide students on a path towards mathematical success and continuous improvement.

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Exciting Language Arts Program – Into Reading!

Our elementary program in Kindergarten through 4th grade recently adopted HMH Into Reading! This high-quality curriculum ties together the importance of reading and writing. With built in foundational skills, students will build on their phonological awareness, develop strong comprehension skills, and in turn, translate these skills into strong writing practices that reinforce grammar. This program embeds growth mindset strategies that will develop students' confidence with an "I can" mentality. Students will have access to meaningful learning with tangible workbooks as well as full access to their digital Ed platform.

Into Reading! has scaffolding strategies built into each module in their program to support the learning for students of all needs. Their text is culturally relevant and ethnically diverse and includes a full set of trade books that bridge reading and writing instruction. Students are guided to critically analyze text through close reading and annotating. Writing workshops are taught in tandem so that students can integrate their reading instruction themes into their personally developed writing.

Innovative Science Program – Amplify Science!

This schoolwide Science curriculum will continue to foster our mission of developing St. Mark's students to be lifelong learners, complex thinkers, and effective communicators. Amplify Science is a collaboration between the curriculum experts at the University of California Berkley’s Lawrence Hall of Science and the instructional technology experts at Amplify. Amplify Science was built to address 100% of the Next Generation Science Standards.

In each Amplify Science unit, from Kindergarten to 8th grade, students are asked to inhabit the role of a scientist or engineer in order to investigate a real-world problem. These problems provide relevant, 21st century contexts through which students will investigate different scientific phenomena. Once the problem context is clear, students collect evidence from multiple sources and through a variety of modalities. They move back and forth from first-hand investigation to second-hand analysis and synthesis, formulating an increasingly complex explanatory capacity for the problem at hand.

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Kindergarten Field Trips

The SML Kindergarteners have several exploratory experiences throughout the school year, such as:

  • Tanaka Farms Pumpkin Patch field trip
  • Orange County Fair Farm Tour field trip
  • Los Angeles Zoo field trip
  • Snow Day on St. Mark’s campus

1st Grade Field Trips

The SML 1st graders have several exploratory experiences throughout the school year, such as:

  • Riley’s Farm field trip
  • Orange County Marine Institute field trip
  • Hacienda Heights Public Library field trip
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2nd Grade Field Trips

The SML 2nd graders have several exploratory experiences throughout the school year, such as:

  • Sycamore Canyon Nature Hike field trip
  • California Science Center field trip
  • Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific field trip
  • Kidspace Children's Museum field trip

3rd Grade Field Trips

The SML 3rd graders have several exploratory experiences throughout the school year, such as:

  • Columbia Memorial Space Center field trip
  • Rowland House field trip
  • Discovery Cube Science Center field trip
  • Amazing Animals on the St. Mark’s campus
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4th Grade Field Trips

The SML 4th graders have several exploratory experiences throughout the school year, such as:

  • Jurupa Mountain Nature Center field trip
  • San Juan Capistrano Mission field trip
  • Walk through California on the St. Mark’s campus