Academics
Holy Name School of Jesus Catholic School is accredited by the Kentucky Department of Education through the Kentucky Non-Public School Commission, Inc.
In addition to rigorous academics, our faculty and staff are also focused on your child’s spiritual formation, leadership skills, personal development, and values. At Holy Name of Jesus Catholic School, our educators infuse excellence into teaching religion, reading, writing, science, math and more. The Holy Name difference is that we partner with you to care for your child’s overall well-being in these formative years and for eternity. Recognizing that the parents are the primary educators of their children, our goal at Holy Name School is to carry out the educational mission of the Church, to proclaim the Christian message, to provide opportunities for building and experiencing community, and to be of service to the total human community.
Holy Name School provides an environment which promotes the spiritual, mental, and social growth of our students.
The Holy Name School Early Learning Program is an important extension of the teaching ministry of the Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Parish community.
A child’s earliest school years are full of wonder and excitement in every moment and experience. Our “Angel House'' educators and staff work diligently to provide our littlest students with opportunities for social, emotional, cognitive and physical growth within our Christian environment. We strive to meet the individual needs of every child as each one has been created by our God with their own unique abilities and interests.
The Holy Name School Early Learning Program educates children ages 3 to five years old. Our Early Learning students are grouped by age into preschool and pre-kindergarten classes.
Students in the kindergarten through fifth elementary grades at Holy Name School build a solid foundation of academic skills and a love of learning, preparing them for success in the upper grades. Students are exposed to a well-rounded curriculum that builds upon previously acquired basic skills while developing new ways of learning and thinking. Holy Name School offers experienced and qualified faculty dedicated to creating a positive school experience for our youngest students and nurturing a love of learning and of each other.
At Holy Name School, the elementary school curriculum includes more than reading, math, English, spelling, vocabulary, science and social studies. Religion is a vital part of our school day with formal instruction five days a week. Holy Name School developed its own supplemental curriculum titled “Christ In Me”. The Christ In Me Program provides an opportunity for students to learn how to live their faith and implement Christian Catholic principles in their daily interactions and experiences. The Christ In Me Program helps our young students to take the Christian principles they are learning and incorporate them in their daily interactions and choices.
Common Core Standards are taught within the core curriculum in conjunction with Diocesan academic standards. This educational standards process is ongoing and one through which our faculty members ensure horizontal alignment between subjects and vertical curriculum alignment from grade to grade. Through this ongoing process our students experience
Our Holy Name School middle grades consists of 6th through 8th grades. Housed in the second floor of the school, the middle grades students are the HNS students leaders. They make up our "Big House" leaders and through the weekly House Time get to know their fellow House students in the elementary grades by providing House Time leadership with their faculty House leaders.
At Holy Name School, the middle school curriculum includes more than reading, math, English, spelling, vocabulary, science and social studies. Religion is a vital part of our school day with formal instruction five days a week. Holy Name School developed its own supplemental curriculum titled “Christ In Me”. The Christ In Me Program provides an opportunity for students to learn how to live their faith and implement Christian Catholic principles in their daily interactions and experiences.
Common Core Standards are taught within the core curriculum in conjunction with Diocesan academic standards. This educational standards process is ongoing and one through which our faculty members ensure horizontal alignment between subjects and vertical curriculum alignment from grade to grade.
7th and 8th grade students also have the opportunity to earn high school credits in Spanish I, English I and Algebra I.
Holy Name School graduates have the opportunity to transition to high school with two high school credits. Holy Name offers three classes for high school credit. Currently, we offer English I, Spanish I, and Algebra I. There are two "tracks". Students may choose to take English I or Spanish I in conjunction with Algebra I.
English I
English I is an accelerated/honors course aligned with state and diocesan standards for high school English I course work. Students will be immersed in challenging literary works and receive extensive English grammar and mechanics instruction. This is a course for mature independent thinkers and workers who wish to be challenged in the area of language arts.
Spanish I
Spanish 1 is open to 7th and 8th graders at Holy Name School. Per Kentucky state regulation, a student will be eligible to receive high school credit for Spanish 1 upon completion of Spanish 1A in 7th grade and 1B in 8th, with both years finalized with at least a ‘B’ average. This course will expose students to a variety of vocabulary, grammar, and cultural topics. Students will learn how the vocabulary and grammar structures of the Spanish language are similar to and different from the English language. We will be immersing ourselves in the culture and language of Spanish-speaking people around the world. We will be refining our communication skills, gaining different cultural perspectives, comparing the Spanish language and culture to our own, connecting our world language skills to other subject areas and seeing the strong Latino influence even within our community. Topics we will cover include school, sports and leisure activities, food, family, clothing, home, health, and faith. Christ has set us on a mission to be servant leaders and this class will give you the tools to be able to serve others through the Spanish language. Be prepared to pray, sing, dance, act, converse, and create – all in Spanish!
Goals for this class:
- To be able to successfully communicate in Spanish in specific situations
- To be able to view our world through others’ perspectives
- To be able to identify and appreciate the Latino influence in our lives
- To be able to understand the importance of learning a world language
- To be able to serve others using the Spanish language
Students will apply Spanish in a variety of speaking, reading, writing, and listening activities. Spanish will be weaved into the culture of everyday life. Visit our Spanish 1 Instagram page to check out student work and fun moments from our class: @HNSmaestra.
Algebra I
Algebra 1 is designed to give students a foundation for all future mathematics courses. The fundamentals of algebraic problem-solving are explained. Students will explore: foundations of Algebra, solving equations, solving inequalities, an introduction to functions, linear functions, systems of equations and inequalities, exponents and exponential functions, polynomials and factoring, quadratic functions and equations, radical expressions and equations. Throughout the course, Common Core standards are taught and reinforced as the student learns how to apply the concepts.
*Reitz Memorial and Owensboro Catholic accept this class for credit and students will take Spanish II as a Freshman. Henderson County High School does not currently accept this class for high school credit.
NWEA MAP testing is administered 3 times a year in grades K-8. The NWEA MAP Test (Measures of Academic Progress) creates a personalized assessment experience by adapting to each student’s learning level — measuring student progress and growth for each individual. This data is used by teachers to differentiate instruction, providing support to struggling learners and challenging advanced learners.
MAP tests are unique in that they are adaptive tests. This means that the test becomes more difficult the more questions answered correctly. When there is an incorrect answer to a question, the test becomes easier. Therefore, the test is specifically created for each student's learning level. MAP Growth uses a RIT (Rasch unIT scale) scale to accurately measure what students know, regardless of their grade level. This scale measures the value of a student's score in relation to his or her scores on previous tests. Each RIT score indicates a point on a continuous scale of learning. It measures growth over time, allowing you to track a child’s progress throughout the school year and across multiple years. Teachers can use the score to inform instruction, personalize learning, and monitor the growth of individual students.