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HOLY CHILD
CONNELLY SCHOOL OF THE
Holy Child Is a Catholic, college preparatory school committed to the intellectual, spiritual, artistic, physical, and social development of young women in grades 6 through 12. Holy Child welcomes students and families of different faiths and diverse backgrounds. In keeping with the philosophy of our founder, Cornelia Connelly, Holy Child values the uniqueness of each individual and fosters a life of service to others. Holy child has a school culture focused on the education of well-rounded young women of faith and action through personalized academics, joyful learning and selfconfidence building.
10 REASONS TO CHOOSE AN ALL-GIRLS EDUCATION 10
INSPIRATIONAL ENVIRONMENT - Girls' schools champion the educational needs of girls. Single-sex programs create an institutional and classroom climate in which female students can express themselves freely and frequently, and develop higher order thinking skills.
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ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT - Girls' schools create a culture of achievement. More than 80% of girls' school grads consider their academic performance highly successful.
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DEVELOPS LEADERSHIP SKILLS - Girls' schools empower students to become bold leaders. Programs at girls' schools focus on the development of teamwork over other qualities of leadership, while the qualities of confidence, compassion, and resilience also ranked prominently.
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SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, & MATH (STEM) - Girls' schools champion the educational needs of girls as a group underrepresented in STEM majors and careers. Girls’ school grads are 6 times more likely to consider majoring in math, science, and technology compared to girls who attend coed schools.
BUILDS SELF-CONFIDENCE - At girls' schools, a girl occupies every role. All-girls settings seem to provide girls a certain comfort level that helps them develop greater self-confidence and broader interests, especially as they approach adolescence.
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DEDICATED TO HOW GIRLS LEARN - Girls' schools capitalize on girls' unique learning styles. A study prepared for the U.S. Department of Education observed, “more positive academic and behavioral interactions between teachers and students in the single-sex schools than in the comparison to coed schools.”
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HIGHER ASPIRATIONS - Girls' school students strive for greatness. Students at allgirls schools have higher aspirations and greater motivation than their female peers at coed independent and public schools. More than 2/3 expect to earn a graduate or professional degree.
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EXCELLENT MENTORING - Girls' school students are mentored by a community of peers, teachers, and school administrators. The overwhelming majority of girls’ school students feel supported at their schools: 94.6% feel supported by their teachers, 89.9% report feeling supported by other students, and 82.8% feel supported by their school administrators.
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PREPARES GIRLS FOR THE REAL WORLD - Girls' schools engage students in activities that prepares them for life beyond the classroom. All-girls schools prepare students for the world beyond school by requiring outside research, encouraging them to connect ideas across problem domains, and challenging them to grapple with problems with no clear solution.
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ALLOWS GIRLS TO BE THEMSELVES - Girls' schools provide an environment where students feel safe to express themselves and engage in an open and safe exchange of ideas. Over 88% of girls’ school students report they are comfortable being themselves at school, which means they are free to focus their energies on their learning. Source: National Coalition of Girls’ Schools
Holy Child’s middle school is designed to support and develop the minds, talents, and gifts of our adolescent young women so that they believe in themselves, belong to the Holy Child community, and become the best version of themselves.
Believe
• Building confident girls with strong voices and compassionate spirits. • Developing minds, talents, and gifts of each of our students. • Creating highly engaging classrooms that emphasize 21st century skills.
Belong
• Providing an advisory program that builds connections and relationships between students and teachers. • Recognizing that each student has something unique to contribute. • Providing extracurricular activities that allow students to develop their talents and gifts.
Become
• Developing young women that are committed to charity and service. • Creating strong leaders that analyze global issues with tolerance and respect. • Encouraging students to become learners who approach their learning with flexibility, curiosity, and persistence. • Forming students that are confident risk takers in the classroom, on the field, on the stage, and in their community. • Developing students that create, imagine, innovate, and lead.
Middle School Academics At Holy Child, we are committed to making every girls’ middle school experience one that prepares them for a future that is constantly changing. Through our flexible classroom design, we have created dynamic environments that: • Provide 21st century tools that encourage collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving. • Integrate technology for each student through our 1:1 Microsoft Surface program. • Provide a collaboration lab for group projects, state of the art science labs, transformative classroom environments, and the Coakley Center for Innovative Learning. • Implement cross-curricular units of study between disciplines. • Offer co-curricular electives to enrich opportunities for experiential learning.
Language Arts Our middle school language arts curriculum offers a myriad of opportunities for students to express themselves and support the study of themes that are meaningful to them. Literature extends beyond novels to include short stories, plays, essays, memoirs, and poetry. All selections provide the foundation for studying literary themes, plot, character traits, and other literary elements that generates deeper understanding. Students engage in literary discussions allowing them to construct knowledge while at the same time fostering their social and communication skills. Through writing, classroom discussions, and public speaking, students are able to find their voice and learn how to communicate for a variety of audiences and purposes.
Mathematics The math curriculum at Holy Child is structured to achieve proficiency through mastery of skills, concepts, and processes. Our math classes are collaborative spaces where student apply their knowledge to real world challenges. The end result is the ability to think, reason, model and solve problems. Our middle school program is organized by course, not by grade, allowing placement to be individualized. Students who demonstrate talent and skills in the area of math have the opportunity to enroll in upper school level math courses such as Algebra I Honors, Geometry Honors, Algebra II and Precalculus.
Science
The middle science courses are designed to encourage curiosity and foster critical thinking. Our classrooms are inquiry based, where students discover and challenge their understanding of the natural world through hands on labs and field experiences that are based on real world applications. This environment will provide students with the opportunity to further their understanding of the concepts, themes, and laws developed within the domains of the biological and physical sciences.
Social Studies In social studies, students will analyze primary and secondary sources of the ancient world through the history of the United States. Students will learn to distinguish between fact and opinion, and reasoned judgment using text. They will explore the role of historians and the process of historical inquiry related to the social sciences, and be able to describe how history transmits culture and heritage.
Religion
Religion at Holy Child is considered a life-long learning process through which the stories, traditions, rituals, and insights of a community of faith become integrated into every aspect of each student's life. Our goal in religion classes in the middle school is to help the students grow in their relationship with God. The three essential questions, which will be explored throughout their middle school years include: Who is God? (6th) | Who is Jesus? (7th) | Who am I? (8th)
World Languages In world language classes, the focus is on the fundamentals of language through the courses of Spanish or French. Students develop communicative abilities and the understanding of the culture that they are studying. The materials presented will encourage the improvement of the four skills in the acquisition of the target language: speaking, writing, reading, and listening. Exceptional students will have the opportunity to enroll in upper school level courses.
Visual Arts Middle school students are given the opportunity to express themselves in a variety of ways through our art program. Sixth grade is an introductory year as students learn the foundation of the Holy Child visual arts program with a focus on elements and principles of art and design as well as art history. Seventh grade branches out more and uses their skills to deepen the appreciation of color theory, strengthening their painting techniques while beginning to think about bringing personal meaning into their work. Eighth grade students explore thematic ideas, digital art, and graphic design. Students develop a rich visual language and have a strong sense of how to make their art personally meaningful and use it as another key to communication. For those students who are passionate about studying art, after school enrichment opportunities are available.
Music
The focus of music for grades sixth through eighth is to develop a better understanding of pitch, rhythm, proper diction, notations, and so much more. Sixth grade is introduced to music theory and sight-reading as well as major composers while learning how to work cohesively in a group. Seventh grade learns more about music notation and piano skills to continue exploring programmatic music and music history. Eighth grade is a culmination of all of the skills they’ve learned in the previous two years while studying the form and structure of music in preparation of their own songwriting project. After school programs for woodwind ensemble and strings are available.
Physical Education
Physical education goes by the mantra of “play with a purpose.” Students begin to build their skills in a variety of athletic endeavors. Each grade approaches physical education through the three aspects of fitness: flexibility, strength training, and cardiovascular exercise.
Student Resources SOCIAL EMOTIONAL CURRICULUM
Middle school students face rapid changes physically, emotionally, and intellectually during adolescents and our advisory program is the foundation that creates a community where each student feels connected, contributing, and cared for. Incorporating a responsive advisory program, “provides a space and structure for teachers to support students, both individually and as a group, as they develop their sense of self and identity in connection to their relationships with peers.” Advisory classes are multigrade groups that build opportunities for leadership and sisterhood that will last through their time at Holy Child. In addition to advisory meetings, students also meet daily for advisory check-ins to work on study skills, time management and meeting with their teachers. The middle school counselor provides additional support through class meetings where students address the everyday stresses and triumphs of life in middle school.
Enrichment Electives
Middle school students are adventurous, curious, and wired to explore! They thrive by engaging in a variety of explorations that allow them to understand themselves and the world around them. Through our enrichment electives, we provide opportunities for them to be inquisitive, take safe risks, and experience a variety of courses that help them develop interests and passions. Students select courses by trimester in a variety of areas that focus on service, design thinking, and creativity. Enrichment courses such as Acting, Leadership, 3D Art, Speech & Debate, Actions Not Words, and Making & Tinkering are a few of the courses that have been offered to encourage our students to develop their interests and passions.
Athletics
Our athletics program teaches commitment, teamwork, sacrifice, self-discipline, and perseverance. Athletics at Holy Child helps to build and foster integrity, leadership, sportsmanship, and cultivate school spirit. Offerings include: Soccer | Field Hockey | Equestrian | Basketball | Lacrosse | Softball
Campus Ministry Our campus ministry program develops opportunities for our girls to live out their faith through monthly Mass, weekly prayer blocks, annual retreats, and service projects. Offerings include: • Middle School Day of Service: a full day dedicated to service that involves all middle school students and faculty. • Prayer Block: Upper School students help design and lead prayer service that meet every two weeks as whole school community. On the other week, middle school students plan and lead their own chapel service.
YEARLY THEMES FOR SERVICE • Charity begins at home. • Serving the school and faith community. • Using her gifts to make a difference in the world.
RETREATS • 6th and 7th Grade: one-day retreat. • 8th Grade: three-day retreat.
Performing Arts
Through an interdisciplinary collaboration of art, music, theater, and dance classes, students work together to prepare for the middle school musical theater production. The program is integrated into the music classes for the first and second quarter. Students have the opportunity to audition for a principal role and ensemble member, or join the stage crew, which includes stage management, costumes, sound, lights, props, and scenery.
Leadership Opportunities
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
• Student Government Association (SGA) representatives in all grades acquire valuable skills in self-expression, debate, cooperation, and leadership. SGA reps work closely with the Middle School Coordinator of Student Activities and the Campus Minister to organize schoolwide community service initiatives in addition to discussing student perspectives on various aspects of the school. NATIONAL JUNIOR HONOR SOCIETY • The National Junior Honor Society is an international student organization that is open to all students in grades 6-8 through an application process that looks at a student’s scholarship, service, leadership, character, and citizenship. Students that are invited to become members of the NJHS chapter at Holy Child will volunteer and make connections with and serve within our community and beyond. BEST BUDDIES • The Best Buddies program fosters one-to-one friendships between individuals with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities in which they share interests, experiences, and activities. Holy Child’s Best Buddies program consists of both middle and upper school students, and meets regularly.
Traditions Traditions are an important part of the Holy Child community that involve all grades. Middle school traditions are centered around curriculum and service, providing students more hands-on experiences to promote the joy of learning and faith in action. ALL-SCHOOL TRADITIONS: • Blue/Gold Competitions • Walk-a-thon (MS Walks for Bethesda Cares) • Grandparents Day • Lessons & Carols • Spirit Week • Thanksgiving Food Drive • Mother/Daughter Morning • Enrichment Electives
MIDDLE SCHOOL TRADITIONS: • Team Building and Ropes Course • Father/Daughter Dance • Winter Skate Party • Homeroom Golden Tiger Competition • Easter Egg Hunt • Environmental Field Trip • Middle School Field Day • 8th Grade Six Flags Trip
Technology
Technology facilitates and enhances students learning by providing multiple ways to reach and teach students. Through a variety of integrated technology applications teachers are able to deepen student understanding, build critical thinking, and apply creativity and communication skills to strengthen their voice both in and out of the classroom. To personalize and enhance student learning Holy Child teachers: • Incorporate digital notebooks for collaboration, organization, and feedback on and off line • Use a variety of tools in their instruction that use text, video, and audio recordings to gather student responses and reflection. • Review and apply the student strength assessments to understand each student’s unique strengths and interests,- and to provide meaningful classroom experiences. • Utilize classroom webcams to facilitate virtual learning, engagement, and relationship building with their students from any location.
Network
Connelly School of the Holy Child is part of a network of 10 schools in the U.S. and a community of more than 30 in the Society of the Holy Child Jesus, a congregation founded by Cornelia Connelly in 1846. You can find schools in England, France, Ghana, Ireland, and Nigeria.
Admissions Process
There are several steps in our admissions process including a school visit, an official application with supporting materials (teacher recommendations, test scores, etc.) as well as an in-person interview for the applicant and parents. You can find more information about this process on our website.
Visit Us
We encourage you to come visit us. There are numerous opportunities to experience Holy Child and its community first hand through Open House, private tours, exploration days, and more. Please check our website for available dates, time, and registration.
Financial Aid
Financial aid is available at Holy Child. We work with the National Association of Independent Schools to provide the Parents’ Financial Statement (PFS) as a first step in the financial aid process.
Transportation
We provide several bus routes making the commute to campus more convenient. Current routes include stops in Arlington, Great Falls, and Bethesda/D.C.
Tuition
Please visit our website for tuition rates and fees.
9029 Bradley Blvd. Potomac, MD 20854 holychild.org/visit