Technology
St. Francis students research, create, design, evaluate, communicate, and present information through leading-edge technology that enriches the learning experience. Armed with the belief that true technology education extends well beyond the classroom, our faculty focuses equally on producing responsible digital citizens—students who understand the rules of the digital world and how to stay safe within them. With technology, teachers and students can do things they have never done before, and the only limits are their imaginations.
Technology Highlights
- Primary students explore technology through iPads and digital cameras in developmental classroom centers.
- Primary School faculty are continually evaluating new technologies including applications that will enhance the student’s classroom experience.
- The program is designed to allow students to seamlessly transition into the Lower School technology program.
- The Lower School has a one-to-one (1:1) iPad program. Every student has a dedicated iPad assigned to them.
- Students have a school-issued St. Francis Google account which they use for various academic purposes including communicating, collaboration, and creating. Use of these accounts helps them to learn how, and become familiar with, using shared network resources.
- Lower School classrooms are equipped with Promethean Interactive Boards or SMARTBoards. These boards facilitate collaboration, screen sharing, and interactive lessons.
- Lower School faculty, most of whom are certified Apple teachers, are constantly learning and enhancing their skills.
- Digital Citizenship lessons are introduced to students throughout Lower School to help students learn, communicate, and collaborate safely and responsibly.
- Students utilize a wide variety of educational apps, websites, and databases that allow them to engage in their learning, access information, develop and reinforce skills, and extend their thinking.
- Students begin coding in kindergarten. They are provided with a multitude of coding experiences throughout their years in Lower School including various robotics experiences.
- The Middle School has a 1:1 MacBook laptop program that allows students to access technology in every class, when appropriate.
- Middle School classrooms are equipped with interactive whiteboards in classrooms.
- Middle School students use the following technology tools:
o A school-issued Google education account to communicate using Gmail; create documents, presentations and spreadsheets; and collaborate with classmates.
o The school portal (Veracross) to keep track of class resources, manage calendars, and share their work with teachers.
o Video cameras and digital editing software to produce their own content for classes.
o CAD Software and 3-D printers to design and print prototypes. - Middle School technology electives focus on programming in a variety of languages, video production, design thinking, robotics, 3-D CAD, app development, and digital communications and publication.
- The St. Francis Upper School has a 1:1 MacBook program, where all freshman receive a device at the start of the school year. The Upper School builds on the students’ 1:1 technology experience that began in Lower School. At this point, students’ skills and experience with technology have grown, preparing them for anything after high school.
- All classrooms are equipped with interactive boards that enable faculty to use technology related to their subject matter.
- 3D-design, programming, and app development are part of our introductory required course in computer science.
- Our required engineering program delves into what it means to be an engineer and identifies the specific specialties that are involved.
Stay Connected Through Wolf Watch
Wolf Watch is St. Francis’s weekly e-newsletter to our parent community that shares announcements for each grade level and updates on school activities and events. To learn more about what is happening at St. Francis this week, visit Wolf Watch.