
Parish 3rd grade students blast off during the annual Rocket Launch event.
STEM is the purposeful integration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. As a school, Parish is known for entrepreneurial and innovative programming founded upon educational research and best practices. Therefore, it is in this tradition, along with our effort to redefine high-quality independent education, that we have adopted the most recent recommendations of the National Academies of Science and the integrated STEM approach.
Parish integrates science, technology, engineering, and math in order to provide more opportunities for relevant hands-on applications. As the curriculum spirals across grade levels, fun hands-on lab activities, projects, and design challenges allows students to deepen their understanding of such cross-cutting core concepts as pattern recognition; cause and effect; scale, proportion, and quantity; and energy and matter, stability and change through the unified approach of STEM. This seamless approach to the math and sciences will help Parish students develop as critical thinkers as well as appreciate how math and science so permeate our daily lives.
I can’t imagine attending Parish without being a part of the STEM program. The skills I have acquired can’t be attained in a traditional classroom. This program is special. It allowed me to lead, learn to fail and try again, be the truest version of myself and gain incredible confidence. – Whitney Wheeler '17
Mathematics
At Parish, the mathematics program in grades 1-4 aims to ensure all students gain mastery in core grade level skills while providing learning opportunities to meet each student at his/her instructional level. That may mean extra practice in core skills for some and challenge work to develop problem solving and application skills for others. Meeting the diverse needs of the students occurs through a combination of whole group lessons, small group guided lessons, individual conferences, independent work, centers, games, and a variety of software including IXL and Reflex Math. We use the standards and focal points from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) to guide curriculum development. The Everyday Mathematics program remains the core of our program since it aligns closely with the NCTM standards.
STEM enrichments
Pre-K through second grade students have a dedicated space, the Beasley STEM Center, to complement classroom instruction. The center houses seven open spaces: IQ Lab (Inquiry and Questioning), Exploratorium, Digital Den (Technology), Learning Lounge, Innovation Station, the Fleeger Family Kitchen, and the Nauslar Garden. The STEM Center features state-of-the-art technology and manipulatives including SmartBoards, iPads, a green screen, digital microscopes, LEGO® robotics, building materials, math activities, and critical thinking games – all designed for the budding engineer, scientist, architect, and inventor.
As the math and science curriculum spirals across grade levels, fun hands-on lab activities, projects, and design challenges allow students to deepen their understanding of such core concepts as pattern recognition; cause and effect; scale, proportion, and quantity; energy and matter; and stability and change through the unified approach of STEM. This seamless approach to the math and sciences will help Parish students develop as critical thinkers as well as appreciate how math and science permeate our daily lives.
When visiting the kitchen and garden, students see, touch, taste, smell and hear about nutrition and nature through positive healthy experiences. In the Fleeger Family Kitchen, students enjoy a unique approach to learning in a commercial grade kitchen built just for their size and classroom needs. Parish students discover nature’s life cycles through experiences in the Nauslar Garden and by observing the STEM animals. They gain knowledge to empower healthy choices while being engaged in innovative math, science, and critical thinking practices.
Mathematics
At Parish, the mathematics program in grades 1-4 aims to ensure all students gain mastery in core grade level skills while providing learning opportunities to meet each student at his/her instructional level. That may mean extra practice in core skills for some and challenge work to develop problem solving and application skills for others. Meeting the diverse needs of the students occurs through a combination of whole group lessons, small group guided lessons, individual conferences, independent work, centers, games, and a variety of software including IXL and Reflex Math. We use the standards and focal points from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) to guide curriculum development. The Everyday Mathematics program remains the core of our program since it aligns closely with the NCTM standards.
3rd Science/Engineering
It builds upon and formalizes science process skills developed in second grade. Third grade incorporates Engineering is Elementary projects during the year, which integrate engineering with elementary science, literacy, social studies and mathematics. Students will investigate the field of engineering through the following units - Weather, Chemistry, Electrical Circuits, Rockets, Forces, Motion and Simple Machines. They will build circuits and design, assemble and launch rockets. Invention Convention will allow the children to familiarize themselves with the engineering design process as student teams work at school to design and build obstacles for a miniature golf course. As we close the year, Robotics will serve as the students’ engineering capstone project.
4th Science/Engineering
The goals are to foster in children curiosity and delight about the wonders of science and engineering while making sure the 4 C’s (communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity) are an integral part of each unit. Emphasis is placed on strengthening students’ investigative skills while developing knowledge of science vocabulary, facts, and theories. Students will engage in Experimentation and hands-on applications are employed to allow flexible, independent science and design experiences. In addition, students will use computers as tools for expansion of knowledge and acquisition of stronger technology skills.
Units are pulled from a variety of science strands, the Next Generation Science Standards, and engineering topics. Some of the topics include process skills, the design process, life science (brain, nervous system, ecosystems), earth science (landforms, erosion, weathering, natural resources), and physical science (matter, energy). Students will explore robotics during the year. The robotics program will give students an opportunity to experience programming and to develop their creativity with hands-on activities.
5th grade students at Parish sample the full spectrum of enrichment offerings (Art and STEM based) available to Middle School students. For their STEM enrichment fifth grade students may choose from:
6th grade students are required to take Parish Inc., students especially interested in STEM may then also choose from FIRST LEGO League, Civil Engineering, or Reverse Engineering.
7th & 8th grade students interested in STEM may choose from the following enrichment offerings:
*Prerequisites: Instructor Approval. Recommended course work Introduction to Engineering or Robotics and Automation, engineering or robotics competition experience preferred.
Parish's award winning Robotics program was established in 2009 by a core group of visionary and entrepreneurial freshmen and sophomores. In two short years, driven by student interest, passionate parents and supportive teachers, the Robotics program grew to span all grades - PreK - 12th.
This comprehensive program is:
Parish’s Robotics program known regionally for promoting, competing, placing and winning in competitions such as Dallas BEST™, Texas BEST™, FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL), FIRST® Tech Challenge (FTC) and FIRST® Robotics Competition (FRC). Parish teams currently compete in FIRST® LEGO® League and FIRST® Tech Challenge competitions.
Our goal through Parish Robotics is to inspire students to excel in science, technology and engineering and cultivate critical thinking, problem solving and communication skills as it fosters self-confidence and innovation.
Parish is home to Texas’ only high school NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge (HERC) team!
The NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge is hosted by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL and held annually at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, high school and college teams from around the country compete to design and build a pedal powered rover that can successfully navigate a half-mile obstacle course design to simulate Martian and Lunar terrain.
Each year the team designs, fabricates and builds the rover from scratch. The team’s work is made possible by advanced design and fabrication equipment in the Walton Alford Welding Shed and Wheeler Family Woodshop housed in the Design Den.