We use a variety of programs to create a curriculum that suits every type of learner.  The systems we use emphasize a multi-modal approach to instruction, exploration and learning.

Zoo-phonics utilizes the “hierarchy of learning” which follows this progression: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The program uses fun animals and kinesthetic movements in reinforcing letter sounds.

At the YK-3 and K-3 levels, we focus on phonemic awareness, or the sounds associated with letters.    In K-4, we continue to use Zoo-phonics in conjunction with the K-4 Language Arts program, Happily Every After.  This program is designed to accompany the Superkids reading and language arts curriculum our students use in K5 through second grade.

Similarly, the preschool students experience Handwriting without Tears (HWT), the handwriting system used at St. Mark’s through the third grade.  HWT was designed by an Occupational Therapist and incorporates contemporary research on developing fine motor skills and coordinates with the Happily Ever After/Superkids program.

Handwriting without Tears Math uses manipulatives and children’s literature to reinforce pre-math and early math concepts.