Our Programs
Early Childhood Program
The St. Stephen's PreKindergarten program provides a nurturing environment that encourages children to view themselves as competent independent learners. We offer a developmentally appropriate program for 2, 3 and 4 year olds focusing on the growth of the whole child: academically, spiritually, morally, and physically.
We understand each child is a unique person with an individual learning style. The curriculum for our PreK2s, PreK3s and PreK4s is experiential in nature and is delivered through whole group instruction and well-designed centers. Opportunities for developing readiness skills in language arts and mathematics, as well as in science and social studies, foster excitement in learning through individual and small group experiences. Technology is introduced through use of iPads in the learning centers, including use of the OSMO system to explore elemental coding, music, and math.
Three strands of the St. Stephen’s curriculum begin in PreK3 and extend through Second Grade and beyond – ZooPhonics, Handwriting Without Tears (focused on fine motor skill development in PreK), and our Horizons Curriculum. Ample time for indoor and outdoor play with appropriate early childhood equipment and with peers allows the children to develop a kind and loving attitude towards others. There is a commitment to outdoor learning opportunities, and arts and crafts projects enhance fine motor skills as well as a sense of accomplishment.
The weekly activities are enriched through experiences with specials teachers in studio art, music, spiritual formation, foreign language, and physical education (focused on gross motor development).
Upper School
St. Stephen's seeks to provide a challenging academic curriculum for students in Kindergarten through Eighth Grade while maintaining the flexibility to meet the needs of each student. We believe that to be effective, education must be founded on secure mastery of basic skills, taught not only in isolation but also in integration with one another. We place strong emphasis on reading, personal expression of ideas through speaking and writing, and the mastery of computational and problem solving skills. We also encourage critical thinking and scientific exploration, artistic creativity, and physical activity. Our high expectations for academic achievement are balanced with development of a broader sense of the world and the importance of service to others.
The core subjects of language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies form the foundation of the St. Stephen's experience. This traditional curriculum utilizes technology to engage students, and it is enriched with music, studio art, spiritual formation, Spanish & French along with physical education classes for Kindergarten through Sixth Grade. Our 1:1 Chromebook program includes Third through Sixth Grade students who are assigned a Chromebook for their classroom and home use. Educational applications on the Chromebooks are utilized for research, writing, math, science, and presentations. In the younger grades apps are focused on reading, math, and coding.
Academics & Enrichment
At St. Stephen’s each child is known and loved for their individual strengths. Our campus offers varied experiential opportunities for students to explore these strengths whether in the science lab, outside on the nature trail or on the archery range. It is our belief that, as our students are known and challenged with love, they soar!
Academics
Core subjects are designed to promote mastery of essential skills and concepts. Beyond its core curriculum, St. Stephen's includes studio art, music, technology, daily physical education, outdoor learning, and chapel services. The St. Stephen's program is enhanced by a campus that includes a fully equipped science lab, library, Chapel, main Church, the Jack Johnson Gymnasium, three playgrounds, a playing field, a discovery garden and outdoor classroom, a nature trail and an outdoor chapel. The strong balance between academic approaches and experiential learning creates self-confident students able to solve problems and think creatively.
Individualized/Differentiated Instruction
St. Stephen's Episcopal School recognizes that each child is an individual and gears teaching strategies to ensure that students will experience success at their level of learning. St. Stephen's creates a supportive learning environment that responds to learners' needs through a variety of materials, technology, and methods, including differentiation and flexible grouping. Some of our grades are mixed age group classes, i.e. 1st/2nd; 3rd/4th; and 5th/6th. Students are challenged to set higher goals and rise to higher achievement as their individual gifts and talents are discovered and developed.
Curriculum Integration
In an effort to acknowledge various levels of academic ability, social development, and learning styles, while engaging all learners, St. Stephen's provides active and in-depth learning through curriculum integration. This interdisciplinary curriculum approach allows a common framework to facilitate connections across disciplines. This method helps students relate information from various content areas, connecting learning to real life, and making teaching and learning more meaningful.
Enrichment
PreK students, based on being a 3-day or 5-day student, have chapel, music, studio art, Spanish and physical education. Students in Kindergarten through Eighth Grade have physical education, chapel three times a week, music, Spanish & French, and studio art twice a week. Beginning in Third Grade, students have archery instruction during PE. St. Stephen's had 11 students participate in the Texas State Archery competition in 2021 and out of those 11, 6 competed at the National competition in April of 2021.
Outdoor Education. This is a holistic and experiential approach to learning that includes various day and overnight trips, special programs brought in from outside sources, and use of resources on campus, including the discovery garden and outdoor classroom, the 1.3 mile nature trail, the labyrinth, and the native prairie preserve.
STEAM. St. Stephen's includes the Arts in its Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics initiatives to create STEAM. This is an integrated, active, real-world problem-solving curriculum approach which encourages students to be more creative and collaborative. The iPad is a valuable tool for exploration and discovery and is used across subject areas as part of the STEAM initiative. St. Stephen’s utilizes Wonder Workshop’s program to teach robotics and coding in Grades 3 – 8 using the Cue program. In our PreK4 – 2nd Grade classes, students use the Dot and Dash program. PreK3 and PreK4 students also utilize OSMO with iPads in centers to explore elemental coding, music, and math.
Each day at St. Stephen's begins with Morning Announcements. Our upper grade students lead us in reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance, the School Creed, and usually end in a great joke.
Extracurricular Programs. St. Stephen's Episcopal School offers after school extracurricular courses each semester for an additional fee. Opportunities vary each semester and have included courses such as science adventures, studio art, kids in the kitchen, guitar instruction, theater, archery, robotics, coding, and soccer. St. Stephen's has developed a nationally recognized archery program that begins with instruction in PE class for Third through Eighth Grades and is extended through extracurricular course offerings. All of these programs illustrate the School's commitment to experiential learning and the development of skills and teamwork.