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SMUS Icon
  • Discover SMUS
    • Introducing Our School
    • Our People
    • History and Traditions
    • The Campuses
    • Governance and Community
    • Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
    • Careers with SMUS
  • Admissions
    • Start Here
    • Apply for Boarding School
    • Apply for Day
    • Open House
    • Admissions Travel
    • Fees and Financial Support
    • International Families
    • Welcome and Orientation
    • Publications
    • Contact Admissions
  • Our Schools and Programs
    • Boarding
    • Senior School
    • Middle School
    • Junior School
    • SMUS Camps
  • Support SMUS
    • Advancement Office
    • Annual Fund
    • Journey for Life Campaign
    • Legacy Circle
    • Vivat Foundation
    • Our Donors
    • Contact Advancement
  • Links for
    • Current Parents
    • Current Students
    • Faculty and Staff
  • News and Calendar
  • Campus Services
  • Alumni
  • Apply Now
  • Contact Us
Junior School Grade 4 students reading

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Junior School Academics

Academic courses at the Junior School help students develop key skills: reading, writing and arithmetic. Fun and engaging subjects encourage children to love learning.

Reading, writing and arithmetic remain the foundation of an outstanding education. We prioritize our academic courses beginning in Kindergarten and have created a curriculum that supports our young learners. Through language courses, math, science, social studies and life skills, Junior School students get an outstanding academic start.

Language Arts

Students gain a love of reading and writing in language arts. They learn literacy, writing, listening and speaking skills through fun and engaging activities. There's a focus on communication skills – writing and presenting – that students hone in many other subjects, including science and social studies. Students get one-on-one and group support to develop literacy skills and ensure they are reading at a level that challenges them.

Mathematics

Students learn and understand math concepts by tackling a variety of real-world and hands-on problems that challenge them as learners. We value accuracy, resilience and efficiency in the process of finding a solution. Students gain creative thinking skills as they move from concrete to pictorial to abstract. Strong reasoning and communication skills make successful math students and set the foundation for future grades. 

"When you’re in the process of learning something, if it’s concrete, if you’re physically manipulating objects, if you’re tying it to real-world applications, it helps us learn and retain it. At this age, a lot of the concepts are new and really foundational, so this kind of learning helps set them up for being able to do harder and harder math in the years ahead." — Nicole Tripp, Grade 2 teacher

Science and Social Studies

In science and social studies, we embrace your child's natural curiosity about the world. We encourage them to explore, and in doing so they develop observation and research skills. Field trips, guest speakers, labs, discussions and research projects help students learn these subjects and provide context for their knowledge. Letting students see how lessons apply to the real world is an important part of the program.

French

Students begin learning French in Kindergarten. Using story, theatre, drama and music to put the language into context, students learn to speak, write, listen and read French. We instil the value of multilingualism to help our students become more culturally aware and to have a global outlook.

Life Skills

Social and emotional development play just as large a role in success as academics. Through weekly assemblies and in-class lessons, students develop life skills such as learning to make good choices and set goals. This class complements our character education program, where students build leadership and service skills.

  • Junior School
    • Subject Areas
      • Academics
      • Arts
      • Athletics
      • Library and Digital Skills
      • Outdoor Education

St. Michaels University School is an independent day and boarding school of 1,000 students from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12 in Victoria, BC, Canada.

Main Reception

3400 Richmond Road

Victoria, BC, Canada, V8P 4P5

(250) 592-2411 [email protected] More contact information
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