It is the mission of Divine Mercy Academy to enable all children to develop their unique, individual potential by blending knowledge and faith to become leaders of tomorrow.

  The curriculum at Divine Mercy Academy is consistent with the philosophy of education, which recognizes the value of the person. In keeping with the students’ individuality, the core curriculum provides content and instructional levels based on students’ abilities and performances. Diversity necessitates that instruction for all students take place individually or in small groups. In reading and math, the sequential and continuous development of skill is based on the Pittsburgh Diocesan Guidelines for continuous growth.

  The classroom teacher is encouraged to effectively utilize the auxiliary services available for providing appropriate levels and modes of instruction. The teacher identifies students in need of special assistance or motivation, and with the principal, arranges for them to be enrolled in either remedial or enrichment classes.
 

FOREIGN LANGUAGE

  Divine Mercy Academy uses a Spanish teacher in grades kindergarten through eight. It is weekly instructional lessons that allow students in grade one to understand basic vocabulary words and expressions, along with responses to simple questions and commands. In grade two, there is continued emphasis on listening and speaking skills. The program increases in content as the students progress through the curriculum to grade three, where the scope widens to include the Spanish alphabet and exploration of how to spell different sounds. In grades four, five, and six, the students read and write in Spanish. 

LANGUAGE ARTS

  The language arts program includes phonetic development, English, reading, spelling and handwriting. English and spelling are taught through grammatical and literature-based methods. We implement the Diocese of Pittsburgh guidelines in every aspect of the language arts program. Proper handwriting techniques are practiced and taught daily. The reading program offers various forms of literature to develop an understanding and respect for people of all ages and backgrounds. The development of reading and phonetic skills are improved through the reading program. Vocabulary, oral reading, predicting, and summarizing are some skills stressed in this area of the curriculum. These skills are facilitated through whole class, small group, and individual instruction. A variety of activities encompass each student’s individual learning style and ability level.
 

MUSIC

  All students in grades K-8 attend music classes once or twice a week, depending on grade level. During music class, we use all kinds of instruments to learn the fundamentals of music, including drums, xylophones, recorders, and most importantly, our singing voices!  Often we use movement and games to reinforce and practice musical concepts. At the middle school level, there is an additional focus on world music, composers, and American popular music.

  Every December, we present our Christmas Program in St. Bernadette Church.  In this annual event, we celebrate the birth of our Savior through musical performances by each class.

  Students in grades 4-8 are also invited to join the Divine Mercy Academy Band.  Small group lessons and rehearsals are offered weekly on flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, or percussion. Our band presents two concerts each year, in December and May.
 

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

  All students are required to take physical education classes either once or twice a week, depending on grade level. Students develop motor skills, become aware of health-related fitness components, and engage in a variety of physical activities. 

RELIGION

  In accordance with our philosophy of providing a Christian atmosphere of learning and developing the whole person, prayer is a central part of our day at all grade levels. Our students begin each day with a prayer. A variety of materials and resources, such as scripture stories, class discussions, projects and prayer services, are employed to foster both spiritual growth and moral development. In addition, each grade level participates in a service project to benefit the local community. Students attend Liturgy once a week, and grades three through eight participate in these Liturgies as lectors, altar servers, cantors or musicians. Parents are always welcome at the School Liturgies.

SCIENCE

  Students are taught the inquiry methods and the use of the scientific method. Areas of study in science include life science, physical science, earth science and the human body. Students engage in hands-on science experiments in the classroom and in the designated science laboratory. The goal of the science program is to develop thinking skills that will serve students in becoming better problem solvers and intellectual decision-makers.

SOCIAL STUDIES

  In the primary grades, the social studies curriculum emphasizes people, neighborhoods and communities in our world. The students acquire a basic knowledge of mapping skills, geography and history. Intermediate grades are taught United States geography and history. In fourth grade, there is an emphasis on the history and geography of Pennsylvania. American history is studied in grade five, and world geography in grade six. Students in grade seven study United States history up to the Civil War, and eighth-grade students study history from the Civil War to the present. At all grade levels, geography, history, economics, civics and multicultural awareness are key elements that are explored.
 

COMPUTER

  Divine Mercy Academy follows the Diocesan Elementary Curriculum Guidelines for computer instruction.

  Beginning in kindergarten with awareness of computers and their use, the children go to weekly computer lab for eye-hand coordination, use of a mouse, reinforced skills, drill and practice of early learning skills, and basic understanding of care of the equipment. Divine Mercy Academy has Smart Boards in all classrooms for use daily by the teachers. Smart Board lessons are interactive and provide stimulation and excitement in partnership with the daily lessons so the children can interact within the lessons to enhanced learning. Divine Mercy Academy teachers incorporate Smart Boards in all classes daily. 

  In grades one, two, and three, awareness expands to include keyboarding skills, drill and practice of language arts, math and spelling and fundamental knowledge of school, business, and government applications, along with general care and use of equipment.  Programming is introduced using the code.org site and also Tynker.com. Both sites are a wonderful way to introduce programming to students from Kindergarten to 8th grade and beyond.

  In grades four, five, and six, the children continue working on word processing skills and graphics. They use word processing skills, processing skills, and graphics to complete projects as members of a team. PowerPoint, Excel, and Word are used for their lesson submissions.

  Grades seven and eight use computers as learning tools. The daily use of databases, spreadsheets, Word 2003, PowerPoint, and Excel become their responsibility for the completion of their projects and assignments. They use Chromebooks daily in their classes and have daily use of the Cloud for assignments and lesson submissions. They also extend programming to robotics and competition in the IEEE competition yearly!

Coding: “Coding is especially beneficial to students who are struggling with reading and math. In addition, students often feel empowered when they can create digital media and share it with others instead of just being consumers of digital media.” –Catapult Learning

  Grade 2 through Grade 8 participate in the Hour of Code. Code.org, a public 501c3, organized the Hour of Code non-profit dedicated to expanding participation in computer science by making it available in more schools, and increasing participation by women and underrepresented students of color. An unprecedented coalition of partners has come together to support the Hour of Code, too — including Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, Boys and Girls Club of America and the College Board. Divine Mercy Academy is a proud partner with Code.org. 

  The students in Gr. 2 through 6 work with Flappy Bird, The Artist, The Artist 2, The Farmer, Zombie Artist, Code Attack, The Code Monkeys, Minecraft, Code Combat and Elsa and Light Bot. These programs highlight coding techniques and introduce computer programming in fun and entertaining way for the elementary learner.

  The students in Gr. 6 through 8 work with Infinity Play Lab, Play Lab, Earobics (music programming) and Course 2, Course 3, and Course 4 from Code.org. These courses build at the elementary level and continue into higher levels of programming.