About
Sacred Heart Catholic School Elementary stands as a beacon of academic excellence and spiritual growth for our 1st – 5th grade students. With a curriculum that encompasses core subjects alongside religious education, we empower students to excel academically while fostering a deep understanding of their faith. Our dedicated faculty instills values of compassion, integrity and service, preparing students to become strong leaders in their communities. Our elementary program focuses on nurturing the whole child, ensuring that each student reaches their full potential and grows into a confident and faithful individual.
Our small class sizes, averaging 10-20 students, create a conducive learning environment where students receive personalized attention, actively participate in discussions and experience greater academic success. They foster a sense of community, collaboration and engagement that contributes to students’ overall growth and success.
Built in 1924, our historic red brick building has served as the educational home for elementary students for the past 100 years. Click below to learn more about the fascinating history of our elementary building.
Faith Formation
The dedication to teaching and instilling the faith in our children at Sacred Heart remains steadfast. Our elementary students are blessed with the opportunity to attend Mass three times a week and receive religious formation classes every day. Our young students also attend Adoration on a weekly basis and are prepared for Holy Sacraments including First Communion and Reconciliation. Students are also encouraged to perform works of service and mercy through mission collections, outreach and service projects.
Music
Our young students at Sacred Heart are taught the fundamentals of music education while also experiencing the joy of performance. Elementary classes regularly lead the congregation in music during school Masses, adding a sacred dimension to their musical instruction through active participation in the Liturgy. Students also take the stage to perform a heartwarming Christmas Program in church each year for parents and school families. Click HERE to view clips from our 2023 Christmas Program. With many opportunities to expand their knowledge while cultivating their musical and performance skills, our elementary students develop confidence, passion and a lifelong appreciation for the art of music.
Children’s Choir
Elementary students in grades 2-5 are welcome to join the Sacred Heart Parish Children’s Choir, comprised of vocalists in grades 2-7. Rehearsals take place every Wednesday from 3:45pm – 4:45pm. The Children’s Choir rotates singing with the Youth Choir for the 10:30am Sunday Mass and for special liturgies and events at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. For more information, please contact SH Parish Music Director Orlando Vera at 940-759-2500 or musicdirector@shcmuenster.com
String Orchestra
A unique offering at Sacred Heart is the String Orchestra, which is open to elementary students in 5th grade as well as 6th-12th grade students and adult parishioners. This year-round program is divided into three trimesters: Jan – Apr, May – Aug and Sept – Dec and performs at community celebrations, serenades residents of local elder care facilities and plays for family and friends throughout the year.
Fees:
- Students: $75 per trimester with a 1-year commitment
- Adults: $100 per trimester with a 1-year commitment
Once a player purchases their own private instrument, a discount of $25 per trimester is offered; scholarships are available.
Click HERE for more information or contact Cathy Strabala at 720-470-7576 (voice or text) for answers and/or to enroll.
Fine Arts
With an award-winning fine arts program, Sacred Heart elementary children have the opportunity to nurture their creativity and artistic talents at a primary level while instilling values of expression and appreciation for beauty. From painting and drawing to sculpting and more, our elementary art program inspires students to foster a love for the arts grounded in their Catholic faith.
Digital Learning
Elementary students at Sacred Heart enjoy various forms of digital learning through programs such as Accelerated Reader (AR) and IXL Learning.
Sacred Heart uses Accelerated Reader (AR) as a supplemental resource for reading education in an overall effort to empower students to become avid readers and lifelong learners. Through the AR program, students engage with a vast library of books, selecting texts suited to their interests and reading levels. As they progress, students take quizzes to demonstrate their comprehension and earn points, fostering a sense of achievement and motivation. With personalized reading goals and comprehensive progress tracking, our teachers can tailor instruction to meet their students’ individual needs.
Our elementary teachers also use IXL Learning to supplement classroom instruction and offer additional support for students. This online educational platform provides interactive exercises and personalized learning experiences in math and language arts. The platform utilizes adaptive technology to adjust difficulty levels based on each student’s proficiency, providing targeted practice and immediate feedback to support learning and growth.
Summer Reading
Our summer reading program has two main purposes. First, our summer reading program aims to benefit students by preventing the “summer slide” in literacy, so that students can have a happy and successful start to school next year. Second, our summer reading program aims to promote a love for reading books that are both wholesome and enjoyable. To that end, we have carefully curated this list to include many options, topics, and reading levels. If your child starts a book that is too difficult or unenjoyable, please feel free to let him pick a different option.
Children entering second through fifth grade should read daily for at least 15-30 minutes from a wholesome book the child enjoys. Students must read at minimum two of the books below; most students should far surpass that mark. Rising third through fifth graders also have a brief writing assignment, included below.
1st grade Summer reading list
- The Story of the Bible, TAN / Pelicano
- The Little Engine That Could, Piper
- Psalm 23, Watson
- The Little House, Burton
Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, Kipling/Davis - Ink Garden of Brother Theophane, Millen
- Angel in the Waters, Doman
- The Weight of a Mass, Nobisso
- Miss Rumphius, Cooney
- Brigid’s Cloak, Milligan
- Beatrix Potter: The Complete Tales, Potter
- The Tale of Three Trees, Hunt
- Br. Francis and the Friendly Beasts, Hodges
- Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Gag
- The 4th of July Story, Dalgliesh
- The Selfish Giant, Wilde
- The Steadfast Tin Soldier, Brown
- The Three Billy Goats Gruff, Galdone
- The Ugly Duckling, Pinkney
- Dr. Seuss’s ABC, Seuss
- Noah’s Ark, Pinkney
- Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose, Seuss Horton Hears a Who!, Seuss
- Roxaboxen, McLerran
- Rumpelstiltskin, Zelinsky
- The Giving Tree, Silverstein
- Make Way for Ducklings, McCloskey
- The Story about Ping, Flack & Wiese
- Classic Treasury of Aesop’s Fables, Daily The Big Snow, Hader
- Saint George and the Dragon, Hodges
- Katy and the Big Snow, Burton
- This Is the Church, Warner
- Andersen’s Fairy Tales, Archipova
- Oh, the Places You’ll Go!, Seuss
- The Boy Who Cried Wolf, Giles
- Mike Mulligan & His Steam Shovel, Burton One Morning in Maine, McCloskey
- King Midas and the Golden Touch, Craft George Washington, d’Aulaire
- Abraham Lincoln, d’Aulaire
- The Boy Who Held Back The Sea, Locker
- Adventures of Pinocchio, Collodi (Sterling)
- Grimm’s Fairy Tales, Archipova
2nd grade Summer reading list
2nd grade
- Frog and Toad series, Lobel
- Little Bear books, Minarik and Sendak
- Billy and Blaze series, Anderson
- Little Tim series, Ardizzone
- Mouse Soup, Lobel
- Greek Myths (Classic Starts version)
- Amelia Bedelia series, Parish
- Going West, Leeuwen
- The Biggest Bear, Ward
- St. George and the Dragon, Hodges
- The Hundred Dresses, Estes
- Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, Kipling
- Magic Tree House series, Osborne
- Homer Price, McCloskey
- Alice in Wonderland (Classic Starts version)
- Peter Pan (Classic Starts version)
- Roman Myths (Classic Starts version)
- The Wind in the Willows (Classic Starts version)
- Black Beauty (Classic Starts version)
3rd grade Summer reading list
3rd grade
- Frog and Toad series, Lobel
- Little Bear books, Minarik and Sendak
- Billy and Blaze series, Anderson
- Little Tim series, Ardizzone
- Mouse Soup, Lobel
- Greek Myths (Classic Starts version)
- Amelia Bedelia series, Parish
- Going West, Leeuwen
- The Biggest Bear, Ward
- St. George and the Dragon, Hodges
- The Hundred Dresses, Estes
- Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, Kipling
- Magic Tree House series, Osborne
- Homer Price, McCloskey
- Alice in Wonderland (Classic Starts version)
- Peter Pan (Classic Starts version)
- Roman Myths (Classic Starts version)
- The Wind in the Willows (Classic Starts version)
- Black Beauty (Classic Starts version)
- Sarah, Plain and Tall, MacLachlan
- Little House in the Big Woods series
- The Story of King Arthur and His Knights (Classic Starts version)
- Grimm’s Fairy Tales (Classic Starts version)
- Gulliver’s Travels (Classic Starts version)
- Pinocchio (Classic Starts version)
- The Boxcar Children, Warner
- Number the Stars, Lowry
- Where the Red Fern Grows, Rawls
4th grade Summer reading list
4th grade
- The Hundred Dresses, Estes Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, Kipling
- Magic Tree House series, Osborne
- Homer Price, McCloskey
- Alice in Wonderland (Classic Starts version)
- Peter Pan (Classic Starts version)
- Roman Myths (Classic Starts version)
- The Wind in the Willows (Classic Starts version)
- Black Beauty (Classic Starts version)
- Sarah, Plain and Tall, MacLachlan
- Little House in the Big Woods series
- The Story of King Arthur and His Knights (Classic Starts version)
- Grimm’s Fairy Tales (Classic Starts version)
- Gulliver’s Travels (Classic Starts version)
- Pinocchio (Classic Starts version)
- The Boxcar Children, Warner
- Number the Stars, Lowry
- Where the Red Fern Grows, Rawls
- Chronicles of Narnia series
- Treasure Island (Classic Starts or original)
- Little Women (Classic Starts or original)
- The Adventures of Robin Hood (Classic Starts version)
- Heidi, Spyri (Classic Starts or original)
- The Three Musketeers (Classic Starts version)
- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Classic Starts version)
- The Jungle Book (Classic Starts or original)
- The Swiss Family Robinson (Classic Starts or original)
- Carry On, Mr. Bowditch, Latham
- Old Yeller, Fred Gibson
5th grade Summer reading list
5th grade
- Sarah, Plain and Tall, MacLachlan
- Little House in the Big Woods series
- The Story of King Arthur and His Knights (Classic Starts version)
- Grimm’s Fairy Tales (Classic Starts version)
- Gulliver’s Travels (Classic Starts version)
- Pinocchio (Classic Starts version)
- The Boxcar Children, Warner
- Number the Stars, Lowry
- Where the Red Fern Grows, Rawls
- Chronicles of Narnia series
- Treasure Island (Classic Starts or original)
- Little Women (Classic Starts or original)
- The Adventures of Robin Hood (Classic Starts version)
- Heidi, Spyri (Classic Starts or original)
- The Three Musketeers (Classic Starts version)
- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Classic Starts version)
- The Jungle Book (Classic Starts or original)
- The Swiss Family Robinson (Classic Starts or original)
- Carry On, Mr. Bowditch, Latham
- Old Yeller, Fred Gibson
- Aesop’s Illustrated Fables (978-1435144835)
- Anne of Green Gables series (Classic Starts or original)
- The Iliad (Classic Starts version)
- The Odyssey (Classic Starts version)
- The Princess and The Goblin, MacDonald
- Tales from the Odyssey, Osborne
- In Search of a Homeland: The Story of The Aeneid, Lively
- Pollyanna (Classic Starts version)
- Emma, Austen
- Robinson Crusoe (Classic Starts or original)
- The Prince and the Pauper (Classic Starts or original)
- Around the World in 80 Days (Classic Starts or original)
- Cheaper by the Dozen, Gilbreth/Carey
- The Children’s Plutarch: Tales of the Greeks, Gould
Field Trips
Each year, our Sacred Heart elementary students embark on a variety of fun and educational field trips. Guided by educators and chaperones, students engage in hands-on learning experiences that deepen their understanding of curriculum concepts and spark their curiosity about the world around them. From enriching visits to museums to immersive experiences in nature and science centers, our elementary field trips offer students the opportunity to expand their horizons beyond the classroom walls.
