Curriculum
Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston plan according to the archdiocesan curriculum guides in the academic areas. A set of curriculum guides and the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), which serve as the core curriculum, are maintained in the school office if you wish to review them. Our teachers strive to meet the needs of all students and are well trained to serve of a diverse group of learners.

Textbooks
Textbooks are selected from the State of Texas Adopted Textbook List or from other publishers with Archdiocesan approval. Textbooks are provided on a rental basis and are distributed to students at the beginning of the school year. Students will be fined for damages beyond the normal wear or asked to pay full replacement cost for lost books. Supplementary material is used to enrich and expand the curriculum.

In order to protect our textbooks, they must be covered in brown paper bags first, and then decorative covers may be added, within the first two weeks of school.

Human Sexuality and Aids
As part of our Religion curriculum, students in grades PreK-8 are presented the approved Archdiocesan Human Sexuality curriculum objectives by archdiocesan certified and trained teachers.

Student Success
All available school resources shall be utilized to promote student success. Lines of communication will be kept open to inform parents of student progress in all areas. Concerns about a student will be addressed initially by the classroom teacher and parent. If positive progress is not observed within a reasonable amount of time, an educational specialist will observe the situation and make recommendations to the school and/or parent/guardian.

School success can only be attained through cooperation between parents and educators. Parents are expected to disclose any pertinent information from private resources (diagnoses and recommendations) which would be of specific educational value in programming adequately for their children. If it is determined that the school’s resources cannot meet the needs of a student, or if parent(s)/guardian(s) fail to act on the school’s recommendations for remediation or diagnostic evaluation, the principal will request withdrawal of the student or deny admission for the following year.

If it is determined that the school’s resources cannot meet the needs of a student, or if parent(s)/guardian(s) fail to act on the school’s recommendations for remediation or diagnostic evaluation, the principal will request the withdrawal of the student or deny admission for the following  year.

Homework
Five points will be deducted from the quarterly homework grade in each subject area for each instance of un-submitted or missing homework. Homework is to be submitted on time. The following times reflect the average time frame for homework at each grade level.

Grades1-2   30 minutes + 15 minutes of independent reading

Grades 3-4   45 minutes + 15 minutes of independent reading

Grades 5-6   60 minutes + 20 minutes of independent reading

Grades 7-8   90 minutes + 30 minutes of independent reading

NOTE: Times are based on average students - many students will finish faster and some students may require additional time to complete homework assignments. If your child consistently experiences difficulties completing assignments within reasonable time frames, please contact your child’s teacher.

The Before and After School Community Program conducts a  45–minute  study hall daily, Monday  through  Thursday,  which is to be used productively by the students enrolled in the program.

Zeros Aren’t Permitted (Z.A.P.)
Z.A.P. is a program that has been adapted to the needs of St. Laurence students in an effort to best support their academic endeavors. Meaningful work is assigned to students by teachers at the end of classes in an effort to provide independent practice for the students. The purpose is to help both the students and the teachers ascertain whether or not the students truly understand the concepts taught during class presentations. This assigned work is valid and important to the students’ learning and to the teachers’ assessments.

Occasionally, students do not complete the assigned work and five points are deducted from the students’ homework grade. All students begin with 100 points at the onset of each quarter and points are deducted from the 100 points during a given quarter. In 2nd grade, students will utilize the OOPS! form to indicate forgotten assignments. Beginning in the second semester, a parent contact will be made to conference about how to better support the work habits of the student after 5 OOPS! forms have been given.

In an effort to provide the students the opportunity to complete homework that is not done in grades 3 - 8, the Z.A.P. (Zeros Aren’t Permitted) plan is effective for grades 3-8. All students in grades 3-8 are given one free ZAP Pass per semester. The Pass is given for the first ZAP assigned for missing homework in a semester (Fall or Spring). When the Pass is awarded, the student will not call home. Parents will be notified via an email message that the student has received his/her first ZAP. The student will not serve a ZAP session for the first ZAP of the semester, but will be expected to call the parent and stay for ZAP sessions for any subsequent instances of missed or incomplete homework.

The following Z.A.P. rules will apply when students fail to complete assignments:

1. Teachers will assign a Z.A.P. referral to a student when the student fails to complete assigned work. Five points will also be taken from the homework grade.
2. The student will call the parent to inform the parent that he/she received a Z.A.P. After the one free Z.A.P. Pass has been used in a semester, a student will stay after school from 3:15-3:50 for Elementary students and from 3:30-4:05PM for Middle School students (gr.5-8) that same day to complete the work assigned. Calls will be made from the Assistant Principal’s office or from the school office, not from personal cell phones.
3. The student will report to the Z.A.P. monitoring teacher for the assigned session with all necessary materials to complete assigned work.
4. The Z.A.P. teacher will monitor the student but will not provide tutorial assistance.
5. The student has the responsibility of turning in the completed work to the teacher (that originally assigned the work) on the day following the Z.A.P. session. It is not the Z.A.P. teacher’s responsibility to collect the work.
6. Z.A.P. sessions will be held Mondays through Fridays unless otherwise notified.
7. Students serving five (5) Z.A.P. sessions in a given quarter will serve one detention from 3:30-4:30 on a date assigned by the Assistant Principal.
8. Parents of Elementary students who are attending Z.A.P. sessions will pick up their child at the end of Carpool B. Middle School students will be picked up at the main hallway door at 4:05PM.
9. Students who are not picked up by 4:10PM must be picked up in the front office. Parents will be charged a late fee if they do not pick up their child by 4:10.
10. Students enrolled in after-school BASC will attend Z.A.P. sessions first and then report to BASC after the end of the session.