Saint Agnes is one of the most technologically progressive schools in the Diocese of Arlington. Communication among parents, students, and teachers occurs online, including newsletters from the principal and PTO, and communications with teachers using the private sites Google Classroom and PowerSchool. A dedicated computer lab, makerspace, iPads in the Early Childhood Program and Primary classrooms, and mobile carts of Chromebooks in the Intermediate and Upper School classes help the students develop 21st century skills which require creativity and understanding of current technology. Use of robots, coding, 3D printing and other STEM based projects give students a strong founation in computer science and engineering.
Other technological resources we have at St. Agnes include:
- Kindergarten – 5th grade classrooms are equipped with short-throw projectors, which provide an interactive learning environment.
- Early Childhood Students use Bee-Bot robots to learn direction (forward, backward, left and right) and sequencing of instructions.
- Dash and Dot robots are used in the K – 5 classes to expose students to programming. Students also work in small groups to program robots to demonstrate concepts that they have learned in math and science.
- Makey Makey circuit boards are used to demonstrate and practice scieence lessons.
- Lego EV3 robots are used in 5th grade and up to reinforce science curriculum.
Computer Lab
A state-of-the-art computer lab, used by grades Pre-K through 8, is furnished with 25 computers that are Internet accessible and have a variety of software loaded at each workstation for productivity and the development of cognitive thinking skills. Filters are in place to ensure student safety and privacy.
In computer class, students in grades Pre-K – 8 learn:
- the concepts of hardware and software
- keyboarding
- how to create, save and edit text documents, spreadsheets and graphic presentations
- computer theory
- computer history
- digital citizenship
- introduction to programming
The teachers in all grades and computer classes work together to use the technology tools that are available in the computer lab to help the students work on STEM and cross-curriculum projects.
Classroom technology
Early Childhood
The Early Childhood classes have a total of 36 iPads which are used for centers in Pre-K and Kindergarten. The Kindergarten classrooms have short throw projectors, which allow the teachers and Kindergartners to collaborate and learn interactively.
Primary Grades (Grades 1-3)
The Primary classes have a total of 48 iPads. Students use iPads to practice writing, spelling, math, and reading skills. Each primary classroom is also equipped with a short throw projector, which enables students to learn interactively and collaboratively by using a stylus that interfaces with the projected image. These projectors are also operated from the teacher’s personal computer.
Intermediate Grades (Grades 4-5)
The Intermediate classes share a Chrome Cart, which stores 25 Chromebooks that students can use to do research for current assignments and to practice math and reading skills. The intermediate teachers have short throw projectors which enable students to learn interactively and collaboratively by using a stylus that interfaces with the projected image. These projectors can also be operated from the teacher’s personal computer. The 5th Grade classrooms have large televisions that serve as computer screens.
Upper School (Grades 6-8)
The Upper School has a 1:1 Chromebook/student ratio. This allows multiple classes to use Chromebooks simultaneously to practice grammar, access Live Binders, Edmodo and PowerSchool, and work on their assignments that are stored on the cloud and can be accessed from home and school. The science lab is equipped with a short throw projector.
Several classrooms in the school use Chromecast and Apple TV, which provide teachers with media streaming/device mirroring capabilities.
