Crestview's Spirit Council provides student leadership for school pride and outreach activities. Composed of class representatives elected from grades 4-6, the Spirit Council provides leadership for morning assemblies, hosts a Spirit Day for the entire student body to celebrate their school pride, and sponsors two all-school community service projects each year. Class representatives are elected each fall to serve for the year.

Outreach and community service activities are an important part of a Crestview education. There are several important messages to be learned through the act of helping others. Through outreach and community service, our students learn that we live in an interconnected world, that there are those that live with less fortunate circumstances than others, and that those of us with the ability and means can - and should - do something about it. Each project is designed to be a learning experience that engages students in an act of service and/or helps them understand the impact of their work or donation. Outreach activities that engage the students personally

• Help children learn empathy.
• Show children that their actions can have a positive impact.
• Help children connect to their local, national, or international community.
• Help children better understand and cope with unpleasant events.

Individual classes/grade levels adopt favorite projects appropriate to their age and understanding. The Student Spirit Council sponsors two all-school projects each year.

Crestview prides itself on the strong sense of community within our school and our students. The relationship between older students and younger is warm and caring, and nowhere is that more apparent than in our Reading Buddies Program. Students in grades 3-5 serve as mentors, friends, and, of course, Reading Buddies for students in grades K-2. Together they share many a good book as well as field trips, class presentations, and other fun activities. Our oldest students in grade 6 reach out into the broader community to develop a relationship with young children at local preschools as their former young buddies become mentors for the incoming kindergarteners.

Every grade level at Crestview participates in field trips that are scheduled to expand and enrich the curriculum. It all begins with the Kindergarten's first trip to the LA County Fair and a visit to the animal barns where the children get up close with the farm animals. Field trips expand children's learning through personal experience with the rich resources of Southern California and increase student knowledge and understanding of a subject by adding realism to their studies. Field trips bring an adventuresome spirit to our curriculum.

Students in grades 4-6 participate in off-campus outdoor educational programs. The goals of these trips are to allow our students to experience learning outside the classroom; to develop a greater appreciation and understanding of the natural environment; and to build personal independence by traveling with the class rather than with family and a spirit of unity and teamwork with classmates. The fourth grade camps at Leo Carrillo State Park with Naturalists at Large. The fifth grade attends Astrocamp in Idylwild. The sixth grade travels to Catalina for the Catalina Environmental Leadership Program. All trips are coordinated with our curriculum to provide valuable educational experiences.

Crestview is proud to offer an instrumental music program that includes both band and string ensemble. The instrumental groups perform at a concert in March highlighting the instrumental program and are featured participants in the all school music programs.

Through this extra-curricular program young musicians develop the skills that can offer a lifetime of fulfillment through self-expression as well as develop skills in self-discipline, flexible ways of thinking, concentration, decision making, physical coordination and aural perception. Participants in the program have also found the experience builds self-esteem and self-confidence as well as nurturing a sense of responsibility and accomplishment. In addition to all those wonderful outcomes, instrumental music is fun!

Each fall the fourth grade students are introduced to the wind, brass, and percussion instruments of the band. Those who express an interest in taking up an instrument are invited to join our Beginning Band program for 4th grade students. Once they have completed a year in Beginning Band, the students continue on to the Advanced Band program in 5th and 6th grade. The String Ensemble is open to all students who have completed at least one year of private or group lessons on a string instrument.

Within the Crestview population, we serve a range of student abilities and learning styles. In order to provide for this range of students, particularly those requiring either remediation or academic enrichment, the Crestview faculty includes an Educational Advocate. The Educational Advocate serves as a resource and support system for teachers, students, and families of those students identified and referred by the classroom teacher in consultation with the Head of School and the Educational Advocate.

The Educational Advocate:

• Works with the classroom teachers to develop and support implementation of recommended strategies and accommodation to meet student needs in the classroom.
• Works with individual students or small groups who need additional personalized instruction- either remediation or enrichment.
• Offers assessment and analysis of student strengths and weaknesses through observation and evaluation.
• Provides on-going consultation with school administrators, faculty and parents regarding students' progress and needs.

Recognizing that education is not limited to the classroom or academics, Crestview seeks to nurture the multiple aspects of the child including the development of strong character and social skills. It is our goal as a school community to effectively prepare our children to navigate an increasingly confusing and complex world. Intertwined throughout our program are the daily lessons that help guide our students and support development of strong character and personal attributes. As they mature, our students in grades 4-6 participate in a personal development program designed to support this growth and development in our students. The program includes age-appropriate workshops on interpersonal relationships and human sexuality.

The Head of School and Sixth Grade Teacher work closely with the 6th grade students and their parents as they navigate the middle school placement process. Our work together begins in the spring of 5th grade with an information evening for parents outlining the application process. For the students, the process begins in the fall when they will have school presentations, a test-taking seminar, opportunities to practice essay writing and interviewing as part of the sixth grade curriculum. Individual parent and student conferences with the Head of School help identify the best opportunities for the right match between the Crestview graduate and prospective middle schools.