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Curriculum

We are pleased to offer a comprehensive curriculum that provides opportunities for all students to challenge themselves and to achieve success by enrolling in the level of courses that meets their needs.  More importantly, recognizing that a student’s academic needs vary by discipline, we do not “track” our students.

Additionally, we offer numerous dual credit courses, for which students earn credit at both Mater Dei and Kaskaskia College.  As a result, students have the opportunity to graduate from college early or with additional majors or minors.

The pages below provide a listing of available courses, as well as the amount of credit earned in those courses.  For complete descriptions of each course, please review the 2018-2019 Curriculum Guide.

Business Education

Graduation Requirement: 0.5 credit of Consumer Economics

For complete descriptions of the courses, please review the 2018-2019 Curriculum Guide.

Year Long Course (1 credit)

  • Accounting Principles – dual credit with Kaskaskia College (3 credit hours)

Semester Courses (0.5 credit)

  • Consumer Economics
  • Computer Applications
  • Advanced Computer Applications – dual credit with Kaskaskia College (4 credit hours)
  • Business Law
  • Marketing *
  • Small Business Management *
  • Web Page Design
  • Cisco Networking Basics – dual credit with Kaskaskia College (4 credit hours)
  • Cisco Routing and Switching – dual credit with Kaskaskia College (4 credit hours)
  • Cisco I – dual credit with Kaskaskia College (4 credit hours)
  • Cisco II – dual credit with Kaskaskia College (4 credit hours)
  • Word Processing I
  • Word Processing II
  • Office Assistant

* For Marketing and Small Business Management, dual credit with Kaskaskia College (3 credit hours) is earned after completing both courses.

 

English

Graduation Requirement: 4 credits of English and 0.5 credit of Speech 103

For complete descriptions of the courses, please review the 2018-2019 Curriculum Guide.

Year Long Courses (1 credit)

  • English I A
  • English I
  • English I Honors
  • English II A
  • English II
  • English II Honors

Semester Courses (0.5 credit)

  • Short Literature I
  • American Literature
  • American Literature Honors
  • Short Literature II
  • English Literature
  • Practical Writing
  • Composition
  • Composition Honors
  • Effective Writing
  • Methods of Writing
  • English Composition 101 – dual credit with Kaskaskia College (3 credit hours)
  • English Composition 102 – dual credit with Kaskaskia College (3 credit hours)
  • Speech 103 – dual credit with Kaskaskia College (3 credit hours)

Fine Arts

Graduation Requirement: 0.5 credit

For complete descriptions of the courses, please review the 2018-2019 Curriculum Guide.

Year Long Courses (1 credit)

  • Concert Band
  • Jazz Band

Year Long Course (0.5 credit)

  • Wind Ensemble

Semester Courses (0.5 credit)

  • Chorus
  • Arts Appreciation
  • Art Graphics
  • Drawing and Design
  • Advanced Drawing and Design
  • Ceramics
  • Advanced Ceramics
  • Portfolio of Advanced Art Projects

Semester Course (0.25 credit)

  • Noon Chorus

Foreign Language

Graduation Requirement: none (minimum of 2 years recommended for college)

For complete descriptions of the courses, please review the 2018-2019 Curriculum Guide.

Year Long Courses (1 credit)

  • Spanish I
  • Spanish I Honors
  • Spanish II
  • Spanish II Honors
  • Spanish III
  • Spanish IV
  • Spanish V

Industrial Education

Graduation Requirement: none

For complete descriptions of the courses, please review the 2018-2019 Curriculum Guide.

Year Long Courses (1 credit)

  • Basic Shop I
  • Basic Shop II
  • Essentials of Drafting
  • Drafting

Year Long Courses (2 Credits - two periods per day)

  • Building Trades I *
  • Building Trades II *

* For Building Trades I and Building Trades II, dual credit with Kaskaskia College (6 credit hours) is earned after completing both courses.

Mathematics

Graduation Requirement: 3 credits

For complete descriptions of the courses, please review the 2018-2019 Curriculum Guide.

Year Long Courses (1 credit)

  • Essentials of Algebra I
  • Algebra I
  • Algebra I Honors
  • Essentials of Geometry
  • Geometry
  • Geometry Honors
  • Essentials of Algebra II
  • Algebra II
  • Algebra II and Trigonometry
  • Precalculus
  • Calculus and Analytic Geometry

Semester Courses (0.5 credit)

  • Finite Mathematics
  • Trigonometry
  • Statistics

Physical Education

Graduation Requirement: 1 credit of physical education and 0.5 credit of Health 

For complete descriptions of the courses, please review the 2018-2019 Curriculum Guide.

Year Long Courses (1 credit)

  • Physical Education II (boys)
  • Physical Education II (girls)

Semester Courses (0.5 credit)

  • Health
  • Physical Education I (boys)
  • Physical Education I (girls)
  • Physical Education III
  • Physical Education IV
  • Weightlifting and Conditioning – dual credit with Kaskaskia College (3 credit hours)

Theology

Graduation Requirement: 4 credits and Senior Service Project 

For complete descriptions of the courses, please review the 2018-2019 Curriculum Guide.

Year Long Course (1 credit)

  • Faith Formation Teacher (selected seniors serve as Faith Formation teachers in local elementary schools)

Semester Courses (0.5 credit)

  • Theology I: The Revelation of Jesus Christ in Scripture
  • Theology I: Human Sexuality
  • Theology II: Who is Jesus Christ?
  • Theology II: The Mission of Jesus Christ (The Paschal Mystery)
  • Theology III: Jesus Christ’s Mission Continues in the Church
  • Theology III: Sacraments as Privileged Encounters with Jesus Christ
  • Theology IV: Life in Jesus Christ
  • Theology IV: Living as a Disciple of Jesus Christ in Society

Service Requirements
An essential aspect of our Mission is to provide an opportunity for our students to both learn to serve and serve to learn. Therefore, in addition to performing service as a school community, our students perform individual service.  Through their service experiences, our students develop self-confidence, become aware of the needs of others, and recognize the many ways they can serve others with the talents God has graciously given them.

More specifically, our freshman, sophomore, and junior students perform twelve hours of service aligned with the Corporal Works of Mercy each year.  Our senior students complete a three-week Senior Service Project in January, during which they respond to the needs of others at a variety of locations in Clinton County, the greater metro-east area, and St. Louis, including day care centers, schools, hospitals, nursing homes, civil agencies, and social agencies.

Science

Graduation Requirement: 2 credits

For complete descriptions of the courses, please review the 2018-2019 Curriculum Guide.

Year Long Courses (1 credit)

  • Physical Science A
  • Physical Science
  • Physical Science Honors
  • Biology A
  • Biology
  • Biology Honors
  • Earth Science
  • Chemistry
  • Chemistry Honors
  • Physics
  • Physics Honors – dual credit with Kaskaskia College (4 credit hours)
  • Infinity Project (pre-engineering course)

Semester Courses (0.5 credit)

  • Biology II
  • Anatomy and Physiology
  • Chemistry II – dual credit with Kaskaskia College (4 credit hours)

Social Studies

Graduation Requirement: 2 credits, including American History, and U.S. Constitution test

For complete descriptions of the courses, please review the 2018-2019 Curriculum Guide.

Year Long Courses (1 credit)

  • World History
  • American History
  • Advanced Placement American History

Semester Courses (0.5 credit)

  • American Government
  • Modern American History
  • Current World Issues
  • Global Studies
  • Sociology – dual credit with Kaskaskia College (3 credit hours)
  • General Psychology – dual credit with Kaskaskia College (3 credit hours)

Driver Education

During the school year, students complete both the classroom phase and the driving (behind-the-wheel) phase of Driver Education.  (Note: There are additional fees for Driver Education.)

In addition, the classroom phase of Driver Education will be offered during the summer at Mater Dei for students meeting the applicable birth date requirement.  The fee is $60 for Mater Dei students, $85 for Central Community High School students, and $115 for all other students.  The fee must be paid on the first day of class (check payable to MDHS Driver Education).  (Note: This fee is for the classroom instruction only.  Additional fees will be charged for the driving phase, the driving permit, and the license).

To register, please submit the 2018 Summer Driver Education Registration

Section 1: 15 years old by June 22, 2018
June 11, 2018 – June 22, 2018
8:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.

Section 2: 15 years old by August 3, 2018
July 23, 2018 – August 3, 2018
8:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.