Our Academic Approach

From Tradition to Innovation

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Since our founding, St. Michael’s has been committed to excellence in academics and care for the whole child. Today, we are building on that foundation with a bold and intentional shift: guided by our current strategic vision, we are transitioning from more traditional methods of instruction to a research-based framework for innovative teaching and learning.

The Educational Framework

Across grade levels, these principles come to life in project-based units, cross-disciplinary exploration, and authentic problem-solving experiences. Our classrooms are evolving into vibrant learning communities where wellness, belonging, and joy are as central as academic growth.

Student-Centered Learning – elevating student voice, choice, and curiosity as drivers of discovery.
Critical Thinking & Problem Solving – moving beyond memorization toward deep analysis and real-world application.
Collaboration & Communication – creating opportunities for students to work together, share ideas, and learn from diverse perspectives.
Creativity & Innovation – encouraging risk-taking, imagination, and adaptability in the face of new challenges.
Technology Integration – leveraging tools such as interactive touch screens, laptops, and virtual reality to enrich and extend learning.

At St. Michael’s, innovation is not a trend—it is a thoughtful, purposeful progression of our mission. We are preparing graduates who are well-educated, creative, compassionate, and equipped with the skills to thrive in a world that continues to change.

Curriculum Mission Statement

A St. Michael’s education is designed to assist students in developing reflective, creative, and disciplined approaches to learning. Our broad-based curriculum is designed to foster positive self-concepts that help students to grow into caring, competent, and confident young adults. This is achieved by a dynamic teaching staff incorporating a variety of methodologies in a climate of high expectation with attention to the needs of the individual learner. The curriculum builds a foundation for future academic success and creates coherence and connectedness to everyday life experiences through interdisciplinary, integrated, and cross-curricular approaches to learning.

Academic Expectations

It is our expectation that students will make consistent progress academically. When concerns arise with academic progress, faculty enlist the family’s support to help support and improve a student’s academic performance. Learning support may include tutoring, monitored homework time, help with test preparation, outside referral for evaluation and support, required study time at School, or other means of support and encouragement.

Enrichment Courses

Our enrichment curriculum is integral to the entire educational program at St. Michael’s. As such, homework and testing will be assigned when appropriate, balancing those assignments with the demands of our core courses. We seek student and family support in placing equal priority between their core subjects and enrichment courses.

Homework Philosophy and Purpose

At St. Michael’s School, we believe students perform best when they get adequate rest and have a balanced level of activities that allow them to explore their interests and talents outside of academic classes. We also believe that homework is important in the development of strong, life-long study skills and habits. When students successfully complete homework, they build self-discipline, self-confidence, and become increasingly responsible for their own learning.

In order to help students maintain a healthy balance between academics and extracurricular activities, St. Michael’s faculty strive to assign homework that reinforces classroom learning in meaningful and challenging ways. Homework is designed to help students and teachers to:

Reinforce concepts and skills taught in class through practice and review
Prepare students for subsequent classroom learning
Allow for further inquiry into topics than class time allows
Assess students’ depth of understanding and any need for re-teaching
Meet long-term project assignments
Aid in developing time-management, study, and organizational skills

Appropriateness of Student Work

Student work (e.g., artwork, written work, work related to public speaking, etc.) for a public audience must contain content that is reflective of the values of the School. Student work that references symbols or imagery of potential concern (e.g., weapons, drug symbols or paraphernalia, alcohol, smoking, violence, gang symbols, swastikas, sexually explicit material, insulting depictions of gender or race, vulgarity, obscene gestures, etc.) will be subject to review by the teacher first, in partnership with a student’s parent(s) or guardian(s), and as necessary with the respective Division Director (and Head of School), before a decision is made regarding public presentation.

Spotlight on Innovation

Spotlight on Innovation – Building Everyday Habits of Kindness

What does innovation look like in a fifth-grade classroom? At St. Michael’s, it looks like students leading with empathy, collaborating across age groups, and turning values into action through the Kind Kids initiative. Launched in October during students’ elective...

Spotlight on Innovation – Learning Takes Flight

Learning truly took flight at St. Michael’s School thanks to a special collaboration with Civil Air Patrol (CAP), the official auxiliary of the United States Air Force. First-grade students participated in hands-on learning experiences designed through CAP’s ACE...

Spotlight on Innovation – A QR-Powered Writing Project

During a visit to an art museum in Durango, Colorado this past summer, Ms. Mandy Hart, our 4th grade teacher, noticed something striking: instead of the usual labels and artist bios, each sculpture had a small QR code underneath. A quick scan opened a video of the...

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Lower School (Pre-K-Grade 4)

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