Children at Oak Hill thrive in classrooms that promote a healthy respect for themselves, their peers, and the adults who model this same behavior. Through differentiated learning, each child's intellectual abilities are nurtured and challenged in a safe environment. The fundamental skills of reading, language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies form the foundation for a solid curriculum enhanced by technology, art, music, and physical education. And, with a nod to our French heritage as a Sacred Heart school, students learn to speak, read, and write French beginning in junior kindergarten.

At Oak Hill, we are on a six-day rotating schedule that allows us more core curriculum time and more frequency for specialty classes to meet without being impacted by a holiday or a professional day. Grades four through six are departmentalized. Oak Hill faculty and staff are accomplished and accessible. Due to the smaller class sizes we are able to differentiate instruction to meet the varied needs of our students.

Art
The purpose of the art program at Oak Hill is to teach students an appreciation of the visual arts through exploration. Students learn to identify art processes and demonstrate the safe use of tools required to produce art in a variety of media. They learn how the elements and/or principles of art are used to develop the total composition of a work of art and they understand the expressive qualities of art (i.e., how emotions, ideas, or values may be conveyed in visual images).

Students explore how art and artists have functioned in society throughout history and they become familiar with the symbology in art. They learn to identify significant artists, art works, and styles from major historical periods as well as correlating historical contexts. Through their study, students become familiar with art criticism techniques and apply them to discussions of major contemporary artists' and students' works. Our students come to understand and appreciate the functions of art from various cultures both ancient and modern and how this art has influenced artists throughout history.

French
The French program is designed to encourage a love of learning language, an understanding of different cultures, and a basic knowledge of how to interact in French. Through a variety of materials, students come to appreciate and value cultural differences.  Students learn how to communicate in French through the use of Symtalk™, a visual, oral, reading, and writing program that utilizes recycling exercises which progress in difficulty in order to build proficiency. Technology is used to increase each child's understanding of French and the francophone culture. In a warm and safe environment students engage in activities that motivate them to use the French language.  Individual standards of achievement are set so each child can feel successful in language learning. French instruction is provided once a week for students in junior kindergarten and twice a week for kindergarten through sixth grade students.

Language Arts
Oak Hill's language arts program is a literacy-based program which empowers students to communicate effectively within and beyond the classroom; to construct meaning by gathering, analyzing, and applying information and ideas; and to develop limitless potential in oral and written work. Students are immersed in a literacy-rich environment which provides them the opportunity to experience and utilize a variety of materials.

Our teachers guide the students through their development of reading skills as they move from learning to read, to reading to learn. Students are provided opportunities to interact with literature at increasingly higher levels as they interpret, evaluate, and synthesize written materials. Through the emphasis of all language systems-reading, writing, listening, speaking, viewing, and nonverbal expression-students gain the skills necessary to communicate effectively.

In kindergarten through grade six, we utilize Step Up to Writing, a writing curriculum that teaches students to formulate clearly written compositions. Students are expected to demonstrate the language communication skills they have acquired through all content and subject areas.

Mathematics
The math curriculum is designed to provide opportunities to learn important mathematical concepts and procedures utilizing a variety of instructional techniques to foster creativity and critical thinking. Students are instructed to compute fluently and solve problems resourcefully. Through the use of technology, students are able to broaden and deepen their understanding of mathematics. We teach students to learn to value mathematics and communicate mathematically through reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Our dynamic program inspires students' confidence in their ability to do mathematics, demands excellence, and maintains high standards of student achievement.

Music
The music curriculum at Oak Hill provides a firm foundation in music through a program that incorporates the values and teachings of the Sacred Heart Goals and Criteria. Students are taught the basic foundation of musical notation including note reading, note values, dynamics, and different musical symbols. Through the use of the soprano and alto recorders, all students will learn the concept of a steady beat, play rhythmic patterns, and be able to read notes on a treble clef. Students will begin to learn how to match pitch by participating in both unison and two-part harmony. Music instruction is provided twice a week to all students kindergarten through sixth grade.

Physical Education
The mission of the physical education program is to provide students of all abilities and interests a foundation of movement experiences and skills designed to help them lead active and healthy lives. Our faculty have developed instructional approaches and objectives that form a continuum of essential skills, knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. Through appropriate instruction, each student maximizes their potential for achieving and maintaining a healthy body, mind, and character. Our instructional program emphasizes student participation in basic movement patterns, development of skills and cooperation with others. Students in junior kindergarten through sixth grade participate in physical education five times a week. Athletic facilities at Oak Hill include two gymnasiums, a swimming pool, soccer fields, and a track.

Religious Education
The mission of the religion curriculum at Oak Hill is to foster the spiritual growth of each individual child in an environment of acceptance, respect, and love through the study and application of the Goals and Criteria of Sacred Heart Schools. We achieve this by studying the teachings and foundations of the Catholic Faith as given to us by Christ.

Oak Hill comes together each week to worship as a community in which all are included and students are taught to honor the belief systems and values of all persons who strive to live a holy life. Students are instructed in the history and culture of the Society of the Sacred Heart and through living example are taught what it means to be a Child of the Sacred Heart.


Science
The science curriculum at Oak Hill provides opportunities that enable students to become involved in the process of scientific inquiry and discovery. Appropriate science and science technology experiences are provided along a developmental continuum so that all students continue on the path toward becoming scientifically literate citizens who will positively affect the world and well-being of society.

Students learn to formulate a question, gather data, and interpret the data within a particular context. Additionally, they learn the value of applying the scientific method as a way to deduce the validity of a hypothesis. Students are provided opportunities to discover the negative impact of human activity on their environment, and they are encouraged to develop lifestyle habits that will counter act that impact. Science is utilized as a vehicle to prepare all students as lifelong learners who can use science as stewards of God's creation.

Social Studies
The social studies curriculum is designed to educate for citizenship in the 21st century by exposing students to the historical, economical, geographical, and sociological concepts of the world of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Students come to understand the interdependence among individuals, groups, and nations in both human and physical terms and they learn the basic rights and responsibilities of citizenship and the necessity of government in a society.

Students gain the necessary skills to read and interpret graphic tools (e.g., timelines, charts, graphs, maps, schedules, globes, and technology).  Children are provided opportunities to learn about the democratic foundations, principles, and people that have contributed to United States history.  Through the foundations of history, geography, civics, and economics students are guided toward a better understanding of the impact of their personal contributions to society.

Technology
Students begin using computers as early as junior kindergarten with formal computer instruction beginning at the kindergarten level. Students attend one session per week in the Oak Hill computer lab where they learn to use logic, perform problem-solving tasks, and use the computer to fulfill specific language arts assignments. Students in junior kindergarten through grade five also learn to use laptops in the classroom; with sixth graders progressing to Tablet PCs.

All Oak Hill classrooms are fit with whiteboards, a Mimio (device which enables an interactive board), an installed projector or multi-media cart with a projector, and a digital camera. Teachers are committed to infusing these technology tools within their curriculum to provide differentiated instruction for Oak Hill students.

Accreditation
Oak Hill is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the Network of Sacred Heart Schools. The school belongs to National Catholic Education Association, the National Association of Independent Schools, the Independent Schools of St. Louis, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, National Council Teachers of Mathematics, National Science Teachers Association, International Reading Association, and National Association for the Education of Young Children.