• The Arts
     
    Visual Art
     
    Students learn to express personal ideas and feelings using their imagination, memory, and observation. They learn to value originality, artistic freedom, and the art process. The curriculum places art making at the center, and aesthetics, art criticism and history grow out of and serve students’ creative experiences. With opportunities to make choices, students cope with ambiguity and uncertainty, as they exercise judgment in solving their own artistic problems. Through the making of their own art, students learn to invent, experiment, take risks, make mistakes, and learn from each other.  An annual spring art show showcases the art students have created throughout the year.

    The Visual Arts program integrates six curriculum strands including drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture/ceramics, crafts and photography. Students in Kindergarten through 5th Grades receive approximately fifty minutes of visual art instruction every two weeks.

    Music Lori Adessa leading Music Class
     
    In Kindergarten through 5th Grade, students learn about the five elements of music: pitch, rhythm, expression, form and texture. The music curriculum is designed to teach these elements and provide various musical experiences such as performing, reading, listening, describing, creating and appreciation. A new layer of musical foundation is built as students progress from one grade to the next. Through a variety of musical pieces, students experience multicultural perspectives. Students are involved in the creative process through instruments, movement, and composition.

    Through instrumental performance in 4th through 8th Grades, chorus for 3rd through 5th Grades, and the Middle School choral program, students apply their already developed understanding of musical concepts. They attain mastery of several skill areas such as tone quality, pitch, tuning and intonation, and rhythmic and melodic perception. By participating in Chorus, Orchestra, Band or Jazz Band, students receive performance opportunities to share their skills with the community through public concerts and competitions.

    Drama
     
    Students learn many skills through drama, including public speaking and developing a stage presence, along with new ways to express themselves. Every school’s second-grade teaching team receives funding for a performing arts experience.
     
    Dance Alan Scofield's Dance Class
     
    Our dance program is provided to our Kindergarten, 4th and 5th Grade students. Kindergarten students discover the freedom of movement through a 20-week program of “American Traditions” and “Dances Near & Far.” In 4th and 5th Grades, students kick up their heels into American dance history with a lively teaching unit entitled “Dance Through the Decades.”

    In addition to dancing, connections are made to historical contexts so that students relate to the world surrounding the music and dances portrayed.

    Poetry
     
    Kiddo! provides five sessions of poetry for 1st, 3rd, 4th and 5th Grades through California Poets in the Schools. Professional poets teach students to express themselves by inspiring students to appreciate and create their own poetry, and develop a personal voice.