Your academic advisor will put together a personalized Academic Packet for each of your enrolled students. Every packet is unique, with a personalized set of courses selected for each student. The course selections are made from among St. Thomas Aquinas Academy's course catalog, which are listed in the Grammar School and High School sections of our website. The selections respond to the student's academic strengths and weaknesses, each subject being drawn from the skill level or STAA cycle that is appropriate for that child. The courses are not selected solely on age or grade level.
Academic Packets include the skills assessment evaluation, overview of courses, book ordering information, course notes, course pacing, any needed weekly lesson plans for grammar school students, any needed weekly lesson plan outlines to complement the daily plans found in the STAA Study Guides, and a Course Registration form. Following are descriptions of the various sections found in the Academic Packet:
Advisor Evaluation of Student’s Assessment
The Academic Packet begins with the advisor's comments about the student's strengths, weaknesses, and learning styles.
Overview of Courses with Advisor’s Comments
In this section are the course recommendations for the student along with short introductory comments about the courses and remarks from the advisor about personalizing the plan. This section, along with the evaluation comments, is important to print out, read closely, annotate, and have on hand for your annual Course of Study Planning appointment.
Book Order Worksheet
With books arranged by supplier, this worksheet lists only the books mentioned in the Academic Packet. ISBNs, order numbers, and estimated prices are detailed so you can even take the worksheet to your favorite supplier, book exchange, or home school conference. Ordering materials for your child's courses is a snap!
Course and Book Notes
St. Thomas Aquinas Academy has developed weekly reading or lesson pacing plans for texts that do not have their own lesson plans. This is usually the case for courses that explore classical readings or are not primarily textbook driven, courses such as Religion, History, Literature, Fine Arts, Science, Economics, and Government.
The Course and Book Notes section tells the teaching-parent what he or she needs to know about each course before starting the school year. Organized in a course-by-course format, in this section you will find:
- General teaching and "getting started" notes
- Notes and ordering information about key books and optional resources associated with the course
- Descriptions, publisher information, edition information, and the like about the books in the course
- How to schedule and pace the course during the school week and school year
- Weekly lesson plans for grammar school courses that do not already have them in the teacher’s resources
- Weekly lesson plan outlines to complement the detailed daily plans found in the STAA Study Guides (applies to some junior high courses and the majority of high school courses)
- Course notes, teaching notes, pacing recommendations, text information, and/or comments about optional supplements for courses such as math and Languages Study
- A list of what to submit in semester reporting packets if your student is enrolled in the Report Card/Transcript Option
Week-By-Week Planner
The Academic Packet includes scheduling suggestions and reading or lesson pacing information arranged in a week-by-week format for teaching-parents to slide into a binder and use as a checklist.
The week-by-week planner makes lesson planning at the beginning of each school week a simple 10- to 20-minute process of checking the suggested weekly pace for the course against your family's general class period routine. Does it have handy checkboxes and places to record grades? Yes! (Don't we all just love filling in a box with a big, dark X that screams, "We did it!"?) Mark off and mark up the lesson plans as you go; record assignment or weekly grades if you need to for reporting to other sources.