Curriculum

Our Curriculum…

The curriculum at FBCS is based on the North American system, allowing our students to seamlessly and successfully integrate into the continuing school system. We are proud to say that all of our students have effortlessly joined various high school programs, be it on island or abroad, and were well prepared with a solid educational background and the strength of character to face the challenges ahead.

We place special value on teaching our children Christian principles and live them every day by practicing kindness, respect and diversity. Our school is truly multinational, with students from all around the world, as well as many local students from the Cayman Islands. Our curriculum includes multicultural units at every grade level to further cultural awareness and understanding, and increase the students’ geographical knowledge.

We currently use the STAR Reading and Mathematics assessment system in addition to classroom teacher assessment. These computer-based tests allows teachers to keep track of how individual students are progressing in mathematics and reading, providing immediate feedback on the abilities of each student. We are also using the Stanford Achievement Tests (SAT) to determine how our students are progressing compared to students across North America. These tests are given in April each year and the results are reported to parents.

Kindergarten

Kindergarten is an integral part of the total educational program at First Baptist Christian School. The Kindergarten program is designed to encourage and support children’s social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development. Children are involved in daily learning experiences with Bible, language arts, mathematics, social studies, science/cooking, physical education, Spanish, music, and technology. Small and large group activities provide children with opportunities to develop a positive self-image and the social and cognitive skills necessary for later learning.

Elementary School Program (Grades 1—4)

Language arts for first through fifth grade is a combination of whole language and phonics. Trade books and novels are carefully selected and used in conjunction with the reading series. Grammar and spelling are also emphasized. For math, hands-on learning using manipulatives is used in order to make abstract ideas become concrete. Skills are reinforced in and out of class by applying math strategies from classwork and workbooks. For science there are exciting units that cover various topics. Each unit comes with a kit that allows the students to participate in labs for that unit. Finally in social studies there is a focus on both local and global topics.

Middle School Program (Grades 5—8)

The middle school language arts program focuses on strengthening students’ reading, comprehension, grammatical, writing, and verbal skills. A variety of materials such as essays, dramas, short stories, and popular novels are utilized to engage students’ interest and accomplish these goals. The math curriculum covers topics such as statistics and probability, working with whole numbers, decimals, fractions, and mixed numbers, geometry, algebra, and percentages. Each year builds on the work covered the year before. Sixth grade science is a general science covering endangered species, light and sound, electricity, and plants and seeds. Life science is covered in seventh grade and Earth science in eighth grade. The social studies program examines an array of cultures, time periods, and geographical locations. The curriculum consists of the following courses: Ancient Civilizations, World Geography, and World History.

Extra Curricular Activities

All students attend our chapel service, and Bible Studies are an integral part of each grades curriculum. Our teaching program will allow children to grow and develop as Jesus did: in “wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52). Realizing that God made children to be active learners, a range of activities will be provided that are designed to meet the needs of children at their level of development along the growth continuum.

Science Program

Our science program is tailored to each grade level and starts in Kindergarten. Our educational units include life science, physical science and technology, earth and space science. FBCS is pleased to be able to offer its students a comprehensive science lab, giving our students the opportunity for hands-on studying and research.

Computer Lab

Our modern computer lab enables our students to explore what technology has to offer. Students learn keyboarding, various applications including word processing, spreadsheets, database, graphic and design programs and graphic design, as well as guided lessons showing students how to use the Internet. Through game playing and project assignments students develop the necessary comprehension and skill required.

Spanish Lessons

Spanish lessons start in Kindergarten and continue through Middle School, and gradually increase the students knowledge an language abilities in speaking, understanding, reading and writing, with the goal to becoming proficient in communicating in Spanish.

Music Program

The music program is constantly expanding and children are encouraged to learn to play multiple instruments and join our choir. All students participate in our musical productions and are given the opportunity to act, sing, dance, perform in our band and work on stage and costume design.

Physical Education

Our physical education program is designed to promote physical fitness and well-being, as well as improve their motor skills, and strengthen their team building and social development. FBCS holds an annual track and swim meet, in which the entire school participates.

Discover, Library, and Accelerated Reader Programs

FBCS offers a “Discovery Program”, which provides individual attention to students, when they need some help in grasping some of the concepts of reading, writing and math. These lessons are given by our specially trained teachers and take place during regular school hours.

Our library offers many fun and exciting books, which students are encouraged to borrow and to partake in our Accelerated Reader Program. We also participate in the Scholastic Book discount program, which we pass on to our students, so they can start their own library and discover the joy of books and reading.

Art

Our art classes give our students a hands on experience to experiment with their creativity, using various materials and mediums, while guiding them through various age appropriate levels. You can see many of their works proudly displayed in our class rooms and hallways.