STREAM

In seeking to engage students at all levels in active, relevant learning and prepare students for an ever changing global community, St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School is developing and implementing a STREAM curriculum.

STREAM is the intentional integration of the individual disciplines of science, technology, religion, engineering, the arts, and math in order to assist students in the development of communications skills, critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration built on a foundation of our Catholic faith.

STREAM sets the stage for student problem solving and includes hands-on exploration, demonstration, and experimentation. It moves away from teacher-centered instruction to inquiry-based learning.  Integrating the Arts into the curriculum, STREAM allows Catholic schools to build on their traditional liberal arts foundation, bringing a variety of visual, classical, and performing arts.

STREAM also incorporates authentic Catholic teaching as an intrinsic and key element in a standards-based, exploratory, and inquiry-based learning environment. The STREAM school is one that allows each student to explore the history, traditions, and tenets of our Catholic faith as an integral and interwoven part of their core curriculum. STREAM addresses the whole learner.

Why STREAM?

The natural integration of subject matter, collaboration among peers, inquiry, and problem solving that exists in a STREAM lesson develops 21st century skills.

The term 21st century skills refers to a broad set of knowledge, skills, work habits, and character traits that are believed - by educators, school reformers, college professors, employers, and others - to be critically important to success in today's world, particularly in collegiate programs and modern careers. Generally speaking, 21st century skills can be applied in all academic subject areas, and in all educational, career, and civic settings throughout a student's life. (http://edglossary.org/21st-century-skills/ )  Some of the 21st century skills that STREAM develops include:

Read more about STREAM in the following documents.

10 Characteristics of a STREAM School

From STEM to STEAM to STREAM

Top 10 Goals of STREAM

STREAMing at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School

In the 2014-2015 school year St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School will be preparing our facility, faculty, and community friends to implement the STREAM initiative for the 2015-2016 school year. Partnering with National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) and The National Center for STEM Elementary Education, the faculty and staff will complete extensive professional development on STREAM and innovative methodology and instruction. Specific implementation at St. Vincent includes:

• Focus on Science, Technology, and Mathematics within the daily curriculum through “hands-on” on innovative teaching strategies
• Focus on Engineering skills through the implementation of Lego League
• Focus on Religion through daily prayers, weekly Mass, celebration of sacraments, and increased exposure to vocational life
• Focus on Art through increasing our program to include K-8 art classes that will introduce painting, drawing, 3-D art projects, and ceramic

Read about our plan for implementation in our Strategic Plan.