Special Subjects

Music education at Grace reaches all students, from Preschool through Grade 5, and is built upon the belief that all children have the ability to learn and express themselves as musicians. Grace students experience music through the Orff Schulwerk approach to music education, a philosophy centered around student creativity, meaningful play-based experiences in music, drama, and dance. Orff Schulwerk places value in the contributions of every learner at every ability level in every activity.

Performance media explored in music classes include speech, creative drama, singing, instrument playing, body percussion, dance, creative movement, improvisation, composition, rhymes, folk tales, and children’s literature. Throughout their time at Grace, students explore and create on pitched and unpitched instruments, recycled and self-made instruments. Our sources for music learning come from all around the world, incorporate our own students’ cultures and communities, and embrace a diverse and current repertoire of musical selections. 

Grace students have music class two times a week, depending on their grade, offering them consistent opportunities to develop their musical skills and grow as creative and confident individuals. Music at Grace is a collaborative process that often extends beyond the music classroom. Lessons are interwoven with homeroom class projects (PBL) and other special subjects such as Spanish, Science and Art. Students participate in ongoing lessons centered around essential skills that support their understanding of our world, such as collaboration, responsibility, compassion, creative problem solving, and risk taking. From weekly Chapel services and Campfires, to annual performances such as Christmas Chapel and the Spring Musical, music at Grace is an integral part of our community life.

Students at Grace participate in a well-developed physical education curriculum that encourages fitness and a lifelong love of physical activity. The physical education program for our youngest students provides movement experiences that encourage children to explore spatial relationships, develop physical skills and enjoy movement challenges. A variety of activities and equipment are used to increase agility, coordination, and strength.

Students use the skills developed in the earlier years to engage in sports, fitness, and team building activities. The importance of daily exercise and healthy nutrition is emphasized. Both organized sports and informal sports are available to students as they progress through the grades.

The science program for Early Childhood children encourages students to develop an awareness and appreciation of the natural world. Life, earth, and physical sciences are explored through hands-on experiences integrated throughout the curriculum. Children have opportunities to work with simple scientific tools and to observe, question, compare, classify, predict, experiment, and record. Indoor and outdoor learning experiences encourage excitement about phenomena such as: seasonal changes; caring for the environment; animal habitats and life cycles; the growth and health of our bodies; movement and gravity; and magnetism.

For Grades 2-5, science comes to life through experiential, hands-on activities that allow students to explore the natural world. Whether on our nature trail, in our rain garden, or in the lab, students work in an environment that sparks curiosity and fosters enthusiasm. Explorations, labs, and demonstration are integrated into the earth, physical, and life science topics cycle. Through this engaging curriculum and approach, students develop a working mastery of scientific processes while gaining a fundamental understanding of the concepts being addressed.

Spanish at Grace is a six level program that begins in Kindergarten and ends in Grade 5. It develops the skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing in a gradual, logical progression. The students participate in language learning activities in a positive, creative environment. As Grace welcomes new students at any grade level, many of whom have no previous experience with Spanish, our Spanish classes include review of fundamental elements of the language every year.

Students in Grades K-5 receive Spanish instruction two days a week. At all levels, students gain linguistic competence by hearing, speaking, reading, and writing Spanish in contexts that are meaningful and fun. We use a combination of materials that children find accessible and engaging to get kids thinking in Spanish without the tendency to translate from English.

In all classes, the approach to learning is diverse and inclusive using audiovisual materials and opportunities to research all Latin American countries. This approach promotes a more sophisticated grasp of cultures and community events, such as Dia de Los Muertos Chapel and Latino Expo, provide opportunities for students to learn from and work with other members of the community, including family members. The goal is to inspire students to want to continue learning Spanish throughout their lives and to give them the tools to do so!

Technology and computers are viewed as teaching tools to be integrated into the learning experience. Grace believes that students should learn computer skills through the subjects that they are studying. The classroom teachers design activities that complement the development of computer skills with the content being taught in the classroom. The technology teachers are available to assist with planning lessons, helping students, and/or teaching specific computer skills.