Cogito Program, silhouette of St. Peter's

Cogito Academy (NEW)

What is Cogito Academy?

The COGITO Academy at Our Lady of Perpetual Help is a program that fosters  academic rigor and success for all students in an environment that emphasizes structure and order.   It covers the regular Alberta Education curriculum at a faster pace, allowing time for exposure to more complex concepts and academic enrichment. 

The Cogito Program challenges and encourages students to consistently produce their best work. A balance of formative and summative assessments is used to check for understanding, to allow teachers to adjust their teaching, and to provide students with the opportunity to improve their skills and understanding.

The Cogito Program recognizes that parents/guardians are true and valued partners in their children’s education and can look to the teacher and administration to foster this important role. On-going communication about student learning and conduct occurs between teacher and parent/guardian.

Eligibility

Students who are attending the above schools are eligible for COGITO Academy and will go through an assessment process to qualify prior to registration. In order to begin the assessment process or to learn more about COGITO Academy, please fill out this brief form:

COGITO Academy Interest Form

What are the goals and benefits of Cogito?

Goals

  • Sequenced knowledge content, with emphasis on mastery learning
  • Focus on attention and increased concentration
  • Strong work ethic

Benefits

  • Emphasis on reading and writing skills
  • Emphasis on math and critical-thinking skills
  • Explicit spelling and grammar instruction
  • Strong mental and written math skill development that emphasizes computational and problem solving skills
  • Improved work ethic, study habits and organizational skills
  • Preparation for a wide range of future academic, professional and skilled employment opportunities

Program Delivery

  • Teacher-led, whole group instruction that focuses on students learning and progressing through the curriculum together
  • Structured classroom environment
  • Regular homework
  • Recitation, memorization and practice exercises to improve learning
  • Early reading instruction in phonics--understanding letters, sounds and syllables
  • Second language instruction or Choral introduced in Grade 1
  • Additional opportunities to study core subjects in-depth
  • Uniforms or a dress code requirement
  • A high level of parental support and commitment

Who is Cogito for?

Cogito programming is designed for students willing to work to achieve high academic excellence in an environment that emphasizes structure and order. This program appeals to dedicated students who learn well through rote delivery of course material and value consistency. Students experience direct instruction and participate in daily homework.

There is an emphasis on memorization and automaticity of skills as a precursor to mastery and application. There is no academic entrance requirement for this program, and all families who feel this is a good fit for their child(ren) are welcome to register; however, there is an expectation that parents/legal guardians meet with the school administration before being accepted into the program. 

This is not a program designed specifically for gifted students.  A variety of students will benefit from study in the Cogito Academy.

 

What are the Fees?

There are no additional program fees for Cogito. The program may have some student attire requirements, which are at the expense of the family. (Decision on attire - pending consultation with parent community.)

 

Register Now

Families new to Elk Island Catholic Schools who are interested in any of our programming, including Cogito, should go to our Registration Page.