Our school offers many educational opportunities. View the items below to learn more.
Art and music are taught on Friday as a break from the regular routine. Art class has, as one of its main objectives, the study of God's creation and the forming in the mind of each student an enduring link between the beautiful things of nature and the God who made them. This year will see us really concentrating on drawing natural objects by using an observe/draw/observe/draw method. I would really like to see us develop some real skill in observing and drawing/modeling of Northwest Coast Indian art forms. This should tie in nicely with our social studies.
Our Bible program is NOT designed to make Seventh-day Adventists out of non-Adventists! It IS aimed at helping each student grow in;
- Their knowledge of God as creator and sustainer of the universe, and as the guiding force in human events.
- Their relationship to Him as their Saviour and best friend.
- Their role as His servants here and for eternity.
We cherish our Bible classes as times when we can; test our views with scripture, think through and communicate our beliefs, explore our thoughts and feelings about spiritual things, and learn to be empathetic and compassionate toward others.
Two years ago, the students placed their memory verses on 5½" x 4" cards. Once the verse is memorized the student stamped and addressed the card and mailed it out to a member of our community.
Click HERE to view our electronic memory verse cards!
Our math books are published by Heath, and are designed to equip the student with the tools and skills he or she will need to understand how math works and how to work math.
We try to involve the students in individual and group experiences in which they will be challenged to use math thinking and skills to solve real-life problems. This year, one of our main emphases will be on story problems.
Our music program is built around two themes; becoming familiar with church music through the use of the hymnal and learning to know and enjoy great classical works of the masters. Through these two mediums, students learn the basics of why and how music is created, and how to use and enjoy it throughout their life. The skills are reinforced through singing as that is the instrument most readily available.
We believe that the skill of reading is best learned in a phonics-based environment. Our primary students start by memorizing a few very basic words just to get them started, and from then on the approach is one of learning to recognize the sounds that certain letters and groups of letters make. The skill of using the context, or surrounding words, to fill in gaps of meaning is added as the student progresses. We do use a workbook, which, in our setting, offers a structured way to introduce the many skills which a student needs to master. Our reading materials are produced in-house, and are an interesting blend of prose and poetry that is Bible-based, and service-oriented.
I also require a minimum amount of outside (student chosen) reading to be done.
We believe that the study of the natural world is, in essence, the study of the mind of God. Our main goal for the students we serve is to help them gain tools and skills for a lifetime of nature study.
Science is best learned through actually experiencing various aspects of the observable universe. We try to make science a hands-on time. Students are taught the use of the scientific method, and given opportunity to use it in their studies. We will continue the use of Taylor Lake as an outdoor lab. Check it out by clicking here: Taylor Lake.
The study of the United States will keep us occupied this year. This will fit nicely with the work we are planning to do with Northwest Coast Indian cultures in art.
Our technology philosophy is based on the premise that students should learn to use technology as they study traditional curriculum. A completely equipped computer lab is located in the classroom for easy access at any time. Such projects as keeping track of lunch money and graphing real-life math problems are done using Excel spreadsheets, the design and production of newsletters are carried out on Publisher, PhotoDraw is used to manipulate graphic images for various assignments, and, of course, Word is used everyday for a host of tasks. Skill in keyboarding is achieved with a networked and teacher administrated program called UltraKey. We are connected to the internet, and use its vast resources for a growing number of on-line science, social studies, and math projects. Donations of computer equipment from large corporations make it possible for students to salvage components and build personal computers for use at school. Using a digital still camera, students learn to record images for use in various school projects, and to document and publicize our community service activities. We also offer the use of a growing video recording and editing lab which allows students to gain skills in the layout and production of video films. This exploding field offers tremendous potential for creative expression and above average income.
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