Saint Michael's School (Cranford, New Jersey)

Saint Michael's School, also referred to as SMS or St. Mike's, is a nursery through 8th grade parochial school located in Cranford, New Jersey which was founded in 1929. As of 2005, the principal is Sandy Miragliotta. The school is located on Alden Street, adjacent to St Michael's Church in downtown Cranford.

For Kindergarten through Grade 8 at St. Michael’s, school begins at 8:15 AM and ends at 2:45 PM. Students may be dropped off no earlier than 7:50 AM.

Curriculum

Lower School (K-5)

St. Michael’s follows the New Jersey Core Content Curriculum Standards in addition to Curriculum Guidelines set forth by the Archdiocese of Newark. The curriculum provides a liberal arts foundation on which students can build a life of learning. Every day begins with prayer led by a student. Students pray in the morning, at lunch and at the end of the day. Students also attend Mass once a month as a class and in celebration of Holy Days. In the second grade, Roman Catholic students receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation in the Fall and Eucharist in the Spring. Beginning in the first grade, the development of study skills is reinforced through daily homework assignments. In the third grade, students begin to change classes and experience departmentalized teaching. St. Michael’s also offers special services including speech correction and math tutoring provided by Union County Educational Services. The music program exposes students to several areas including singing and listening to music, playing the recorder, and reading musical notes. Third graders are invited to join Future Musicians of America, the St. Michael’s instrumental program. Our band and choir perform twice a year at the Christmas and Spring concerts.

Upper School (6-8)

Preparing our Upper School students academically and socially for high school is our main priority. We encourage students to become independent thinkers and responsible young adults grounded in Catholic values. Older students are encouraged to lead and mentor younger students. They are mindful of their position in the school and their responsibility to be positive role models. The essence of the Gospel, to love God and neighbor, is reinforced daily. Students are encouraged to follow the example of Jesus Christ and are challenged to live out their Catholic faith as members of the Church in the world. Eighth-graders are required to perform forty hours of community service for graduation. St. Michael’s students have consistently outperformed the national and archdiocesan averages on standardized Terra Nova tests. Our graduates are accepted into highly competitive high schools, laying the groundwork for entrance into competitive colleges and universities.

Technology

St. Michael’s uses networked Apple computers with filtered Internet access. The school also has several laptop computers for student use. Computer instruction begins in Kindergarten with an introduction to Kid Pix. While children have fun creating pictures and learning to read, they also learn computer terminology and become skilled in the use of computer equipment such as the mouse and printer. Computer instruction continues weekly, with age-appropriate software added to the each grade’s curriculum. By the time students get to sixth grade, they are able to create Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint & multi-media presentations, web pages and simple programs. Eighth-graders work on a variety of projects designed to expand their knowledge of the core curriculum through word processing, spreadsheets and presentations to classmates. Our school is embracing Web 2.0 technology with the use of wikis, social bookmarks, and other tools that allow the students to become part of our global community. Throughout the St. Michael's computer curriculum, we teach our students ways to use the Internet safely as a research and communications tool. The school uses the most current learning applications to help teachers and students develop key skill sets including; early reading skills, reading comprehension, and math concepts.

Enrichment

St. Michael’s Project WISE is a series of academic and arts-oriented programs, covering the fields of science and language, as well as recreational interests including chess, math puzzles, scrap-booking and cooking. Student creativity is expressed in an annual play produced by the Drama Club. Students who prefer not to be in the spotlight play important roles in stage lighting, set design, and costumery.

Athletics

From Kindergarten through eighth grade, all students participate in the D.A.R.E. program, a nationwide police-led program that teaches children to resist peer pressure and live drug- and violence-free lives. After school hours, St. Michael’s students have the opportunity to participate in instructional and competitive sports through programs offered by the [http://www.stmichaelscranford.com/school/sports.htm St. Michael's Sports Association.]

External links

* [http://www.stmichaelscranford.com/school/index.html Saint Michael's School website]
* [http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pss/privateschoolsearch/school_detail.asp?Search=1&SchoolID=00862802&ID=00862802 National Center for Education Statistics data for Saint Michael's School]