Enrichment at Westside School
Chinese
Mandarin Chinese is taught in Kindergarten - 5th grade. Children learn to understand the culture, to write basic symbols and understand what they mean, and to speak the language. They sing songs, read simple stories, play games and more. Chinese is one of our student's favorite subjects.
Music
Music education is essential to the physical, emotional, intellectual and social development of the whole child, and develops confidence, cooperation, and coordination in our students. Children learn about beat, rhythm, pitch, melody, harmony, dynamics, and form. They do before they label. By the time they learn the name of a musical concept, they will have already experienced it.
At all grade levels, students sing a varied repertoire of music and play a variety of rhythm instruments. As students grow in their understanding of music, they begin to improvise melodies, variations, and accompaniments, and compose and arrange music within specified guidelines. The curriculum develops and reinforces a love and appreciation of music in every student. Our music curriculum is derived from the national standards drawn up in 1994 by the Consortium of National Arts Education Associations.
Spanish
Children achieve multiple benefits from the study of Spanish and Hispanic cultures. Teaching languages at an early age helps children learn their own language better and improve their higher thinking skills, and learning about other cultures helps children learn responsible citizenship. They develop insight into the nature of language and culture so that they can participate in multilingual communities at home and around the world.
Westside School follows the national standards documented by the 1999 national task force inStandards for Foreign Language Learning: Preparing for the 21st Century. Ou r foreign language curriculum follows the Five C’s of Foreign Language Learning: Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities.
Art
Art is developed around the six formal components of design: color, line, form, shape, texture and space. Students explore these concepts using many different kinds of materials and techniques through a variety of projects and experiences.
Beyond acquiring the knowledge and skills necessary to create, perform and respond to visual art, students explore the artistic achievements of cultures, past and present. Some of the artists and cultures include Georgia O’Keefe, Frank Lloyd Wright, Louise Nevelson, Henri Rousseau and Egyptian, Native American and Spanish Art. When possible, our art curriculum is integrated with other school subjects such as science, social science and language arts.
Physical Education
In PE, students acquire the knowledge and skills to maintain an active, physically fit life. They learn the components of cardiovascular fitness, balance, flexibility, and muscular strength. Safety and awareness of self-space are highlighted in a nurturing classroom environment where students have the opportunity to challenge themselves, express their creativity, and feel success at play.
Students learn to recognize and identify attributes of good nutrition, healthy habits, and regular activity for lifelong health. They incorporate creative thinking and problem solving skills in a variety of cooperative games. Physical Education at Westside allows students to demonstrate respect and cooperation with peers and adults.