21st Century Skills

21st Century Skills

At Sacred Heart School, we believe strongly in being open to change and guarding, strongly and proudly, the values and educational traditions which are the foundation of our mission. Our Catholic school values are perfectly aligned for advancing the 21st century skills of collaboration, creativity, communication, and critical thinking. What makes our school unique is the sense of “purpose” that helps students apply these skills for the benefit of others.

For us, technology is not considered an end in itself, but rather a set of tools that support student learning and achievement. We are proud of our long commitment to technology and focused approach that develops important 21st century skills.

Instructional Technology

All Junior Kindergarten through 8th Grade classrooms are fully-equipped with the tools necessary for instruction with the addition of interactive Smart-boards and Apple TV devices. These tools offer teachers the ability to support instruction in graphic and interactive ways, and help to engage the learning in the learning process. With the Apple TV, students can easily present their ideas to classmates in a smooth and non-intrusive manner.

Learning Technology

Sacred Heart School was one of the first schools in the Diocese to equip all middle and Junior High school students with Apple laptops. MacBooks have now transitioned to iPads and our highly successful 1-to-1 program extends from 2nd Grade to 8th Grade. Primary grade students also have access to tablet technology and regularly access powerful learning tools such as Reading A-Z.

Putting a device into each child’s hand is one thing; it’s quite another to make effective use of the devices. At Sacred Heart School, technology does not drive the learning, but it supports it in a myriad of ways in almost every curricular area. Each child learns how to use their iPad as an effective study tool, research assistant, assessment platform, and interactive presentation tool. By the time students graduate from 8th Grade, they are well-versed in the “language” of their devices which ensures a smooth transition to the technology-use expectations of all the private and Catholic high schools.

Since the introduction of our program our philosophy has been to treat technology as a key tool for student achievement, much like textbooks, and therefore fully covered by the regular tuition program.