TranslateScience
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Science
Vision Statement As educators in the Catholic schools of the Diocese of Trenton, we strive to provide all students with the opportunity to become scientifically literate in order to understand their world and to make effective and responsible contributions to their communities. All students are encouraged to develop an appreciation for the great diversity of life found on Earth and commit themselves to respect and be stewards of God’s creation as we strive to produce a sustainable environment.According to Pope Francis in his new encyclical Laudato Si, we must remember that “nature is usually seen as a system that can be studied, understood and controlled, whereas creation can only be understood as a gift from the outstretched hand of the Father of all and as a reality illuminated by the love that calls us together into universal communion”.
Mission Statement
The mission of the Diocese of Trenton for Science curriculum is to honor, enhance, cultivate and encourage the innate natural curiosity of all students in the Catholic school community within an ever-changing global world.
Flowing out of the Mission Statement are the following goals and objectives:
- To teach science as inquiry learning
- Students are actively engaged in the learning process through questioning, investigating and collaborative problem solving
- Students know how to apply the scientific method to various areas of their lives and to approach problems in an organized, logical and creative manner
- Students develop skills to make science relevant to the scientific community
- To foster an understanding and appreciation of the interrelationships among species and ecosystems
- Students develop respect and appreciation for biodiversity
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- Students learn and understand the association among humans, other species and ecosystems
- To help students develop attitudes and behaviors that impact positively on the world outside their classrooms
- Students should have resources appropriate to a learning process that prepares them to live and work in a challenging global world
- Students develop skills that enable them to adapt and thrive in an ever-changing world
- To provide students with the knowledge and skills needed to analyze information, make informed decisions, and take actions that address real world issues of sustainable development and environment ethics
- Students, as members of a global society, think critically about issues and come to ethical, responsible decisions based on Catholic values
- Students recognize that learning is part of their everyday life
- To vary methods of assessment
- Teachers use a variety of formal and informal methods including formative, summative and associative methods of assessment
- To develop a plan to integrate science throughout the curriculum and to ensure the appropriate articulation between levels
- Curriculum coordinators/department chairs hold regularly scheduled meetings throughout the year
- Elementary and secondary teachers meet to strengthen the articulation between levels
- To support the use of digital technology including but not limited to: computers, iPads, probes, digital metrics, integrated white boards, robots, digital cameras
- Students will regularly and routinely use technology and manipulatives as integral part of both instructional and assessment activities
- Students may perform dissection for scientific purposes following Elementary and Secondary guidelines
- Elementary students can be taught an appreciation of various species such as squid, crayfish, and other invertebrates
- Dissection of vertebrates should be reserved for upper level secondary science classes
- Utilize proper disposal of hazardous scientific materials according to local protocols
Access the Association of New Jersey Household Hazardous Waste Coordinators (ANJHHWC) to learn of the county’s protocol https://njhazwaste.com/counties/
- To teach science as inquiry learning