Grades 1-8

Academic Excellence
Each year, St. Matthew’s Lutheran School administers academic achievement tests to students in grades 3-8. Results are shared with the parents.

All third grade students take the Wisconsin Reading Comprehension Test.

Spring 2005 Third Grade Reading Test
100% of St. Matthew’s 3rd grades achieved at the “advanced” or “proficient” level.

Although the state of Wisconsin requires public schools to administer achievement tests to all 4th and 8th graders each year, St. Matthew’s chooses to test all students in grades 4-8 every year with the CTB McGraw-Hill Terra Nova Multiple Assessments Test. This testing allows us to compare the academic achievement of our students with other students throughout Wisconsin and to analyze year to year progress. Our students consistently score higher than the national and state averages because St. Matthew’s is characterized by dedicated teachers and a high percentage of parents that give quality support to their children. In this aspect of our Christian education we need to give credit where credit is due: to Christ. Quality teaching and parenting is a blessing from our gracious Lord. Parents and teachers motivated by a spirit-created love for Christ provide quality parenting and teaching.

Fall 2004 Grade Equivalents (example: 5.7 equates to what a typical 5th grader in the seventh month of the school year would score).

Fall 2004 National Percentiles (example: a score of 74% means that the class ranked higher than 74% of the rest of the nation).

Grade 4 - 74%
Grade 5 - 71%
Grade 6 - 68%
Grade 7 - 80%
Grade 8 - 72%

High Schools
Students that graduate from SMLS typically enroll in one of three different high schools: Lakeside Lutheran High School in Lake Mills, Luther Prep School in Watertown, and Oconomowoc Senior High School. For more information on any of these high schools or how our graduates fare at these schools, contact our office.

Partners in Literacy Program
Our school has an exciting program that offers literacy support for our young readers. Trained volunteers, or Partners, work with individuals or small groups of children in the lower grades. The children are guided through the text, and are offered support as they apply the reading strategies they have learned in class. St. Matthew’s has built an extensive library of guided reading book sets to be used in this program. At this time, there are over 500 sets of books for our lower grades that provide a great balance of fiction and nonfiction. The Partners in Literacy Program has been a key part of the reading success at St. Matthew’s School since it was implemented in 2000.

Interscholastic Athletics
St. Matthew’s offers many opportunities for its students to participate in interscholastic athletics. Offerings include: volleyball, cross country, basketball, track, softball and cheerleading. Knowledgeable coaches teach sound fundamental skills at every level, and encourage each student-athlete to develop and use these skills as part of a team. The St. Matthew’s Lutheran Cardinal teams compete against 9 other Lutheran schools that comprise the Little Lutheran League.

Field Trips
At SMLS we believe that active learning is the best teacher. All grades take many field trips off campus to a large variety of places for real application learning. In the Art and Music Curriculum the grades are scheduled to attend Milwaukee Symphony Concerts and tour the Milwaukee Art Museum every other year. The school employs a field trip curriculum to ensure that your child gets to many field trips in each of these areas: science, social studies, and the fine arts.

Forensics
Our school offers students in grades 5-8 the opportunity to be a part of our school forensics team. Students may compete in one of the following categories: Prose Reading, Poetry Reading, Storytelling, Four Minute Speech, or Demonstration Speech. The forensic team then competes in an interscholastic forensic competition. We have two forensic coaches on our staff. Speaking in front of others is an important life skill. Forensics is a fun way to practice that skill.

Piano Lessons
Piano lessons are offered on our campus after regular school hours. The lessons are taught by several of our experienced and qualified school teachers. The students perform in worship services and in a spring recital. The 5th-8th grade students also compete in a Fine Arts Fair competition held each spring. Upper grade students are offered a variety of experiences playing for classroom singing and for the musical groups on campus.

Musicals
Each year school families and friends look forward to a musical presentation prepared by either upper grade or lower grade students (one a year, on a rotating schedule). Many parents and faculty members are involved, helping with rehearsals, costumes, staging, and refreshments. Students look forward to this opportunity to use their musical and dramatic talents to perform in front of large audiences.

YOUth Praise Choir
The YOUth Praise Choir is a co-curricular offering for students in grades 5-8. Rehearsals take place during the school day, and there are many exciting singing events held throughout the year. This choir sings many times for church services and also participates in a Fine Arts Fair competition in the spring. During this competition, students are given the opportunity to be judged in solo, duet, and small ensemble performances. In addition, the choir performs in two concerts each year: one at the Fine Arts Fair, and one here at St. Matthew’s. The choir director holds a Masters in Church Music degree and has over twenty years experience in directing youth and adult choirs.

Pre-Band Opportunities
Children in the lower grades perform at fine arts concerts in the winter and spring, getting experience with such things as rhythm band, boomwhackers, and recorders. These performance opportunities not only help brain development and overall learning, but they provide a background for children wishing to play an instrument in the upper grades.

SMLS Band
The SMLS band is open to all students in grades 5-8. Band at St. Matthew’s is a co-curricular subject, so lessons and rehearsals are held during the school day. Its real strength as an academic lies in its “cooperative learning” atmosphere. All participants are working together to achieve one objective—that of an authentic musical experience. In order to achieve that, the course content is selected carefully in an effort to challenge all participants in their unique skill levels. Each student is challenged individually to achieve at his or her maximum ability level. They are at once responsible to themselves and also to each of the other members of the ensemble. It represents team learning at its best.

There are four regularly scheduled performance opportunities for band members, as well as numerous opportunities throughout the year for individuals or small groups to perform. The band is directed by Mr. David Reul, a nationally recognized band director and speaker.

Future School Plans
St. Matthew’s is looking forward to building a new school in the northeastern part of Oconomowoc. Thirty acres of land has been purchased near the intersection of Highways P and K. Preliminary plans are downloadable. This is an exciting time to be part of St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church and School. We invite you to discover just how much difference a Christ-centered education can make in your child’s life. Come and grow with us!