Specialist Classes
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Art The visual arts program at Crestview provides an atmosphere that allows each child to develop self-confidence, experiment, and build independence through a journey of discovery and creativity. Our program offers a well-balanced approach in various art disciplines. The curriculum provides students at every grade level the opportunity to express themselves, explore their personal identities, think independently, and solve problems creatively. Students make art through a variety of mediums, including charcoal, oil and chalk pastels, painting, watercolor, and ceramics. They also study techniques of influential artists and apply what they learn in their own pieces.
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Computer Science
Crestview’s computer science program is crafted to prepare our students for success in an ever-changing digital landscape. We explicitly teach students the skills and habits they will need to develop as digitally responsible citizens. Students learn how to access, evaluate, and synthesize content effectively. Our program also provides a strong foundation in a range of digital skills and technologies including programming, robotics, graphic design, video creation, and editing. Through a variety of projects and assignments that promote innovative thinking, students have many opportunities to solve problems, practice communication skills, and express their creativity using technology.
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CREST CREST is an acronym that stands for Community, Responsibility, Empathy, Sincerity, and Thinking, which are some of the core values of Crestview. In CREST, 4th, 5th, and 6th graders have a chance to practice these values. They gain foundational knowledge of community service organizations, what needs these organizations address in society, and how this work gets done. Students learn that community means not just their school community, but the extended community in which they live. In CREST, students design and carry out service projects themselves, with appropriate support from their teachers. They practice empathy, learn that their actions can have a positive impact, and connect with local and international communities. |
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Design Thinking
Design thinking is an innovative approach to problem-solving that fosters critical thinking, empathy, creativity, collaboration, and resilience in our young learners. In this class, children engage in hands-on projects and problem-solving activities that require them to refine their thinking as they work toward a final product or solution. The design thinking process challenges students to step into the shoes of others, clearly define the desired outcome or problem to be solved, ideate possible solutions, build and test prototypes, and implement solutions. We believe design thinking is a crucial life skill that prepares children for the future by nurturing their ability to understand diverse perspectives and find creative solutions to real-world problems.
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Environmental Science
In environmental science, we aim to spark curiosity and a love for the natural world in our students while fostering a deep understanding of environmental science concepts. Guided by the Next Generation Science Standards as well as by issues that impact our region and local community, our students will embark on a hands-on journey to explore the wonders of nature. Through engaging activities, field trips, and experiments, students will learn about ecosystems, weather patterns, and the importance of conserving our precious resources. They will discover the role of plants and animals in our environment, and they will receive hands-on experience in growing vegetables Crestview's garden and managing Crestview's composting program. With a focus on inquiry-based learning, Crestview students will develop critical thinking skills and an appreciation for the beauty and fragility of our Earth. Our goal is to inspire a lifelong commitment to environmental stewardship and empower your child to make informed, responsible choices for a sustainable future.
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Library
Library at Crestview is both a place and a class. With over 9,000 volumes of literature and resource materials, it is a place rich with imagination, adventure, and information. Students come to the library for weekly classes that introduce literature, instruct in the usage of the many resources of the library, and teach how to conduct research.
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Mindfulness
As part of Crestview’s social-emotional learning curriculum, our mindfulness program is based on the belief that empathy, resilience, self-regulation, mental focus, and self-awareness are skills that can be taught. Students with a wide array of social and emotional tools in their toolboxes are better equipped to understand their own emotional responses and those of others and are able to respond kindly and skillfully to life’s challenges. Mindfulness classes are taught using the Random Acts of Kindness curriculum as well as Inner Explorer, a mindfulness platform designed to support mental health and well-being. |
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Music
Crestview’s weekly music instruction is sequential, comprehensive, and provided to every child in the school. Starting in Kindergarten, every student has opportunities to explore the concepts of steady beat, melody, and rhythm by participating in a variety of activities, including singing games, activities involving movement, and exposure to pitched and unpitched instruments. While learning basic music theory, students gain experience in improvising and composing, and they learn that music can be created in different ways. An awareness of teamwork develops through preparation for the annual Winter and Spring performances.
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Physical Education
A child's health and physical well-being are as important as the ability to think or create. The general goal of the physical education program is to help the children develop and maintain a healthy, vibrant, and active lifestyle into, and throughout, adulthood. Crestview offers a daily, structured, and age-appropriate physical education program to all students. Students develop physical skills and abilities while also developing social skills such as teamwork and sportsmanship. Two full-time specialists work with students for two-week units throughout the year.
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Random Acts of Kindness A companion piece to the Mindfulness program, Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) is a cross-grade, social-emotional learning curriculum that centers on lessons in six key areas: respect, caring, inclusiveness, integrity, responsibility, and courage. It is an evidence-based program developed by the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation and supported by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning. A strength of the RAK curriculum is a self-reflective component that is offered after each activity for not only the students but also faculty and administrators. Its aim is to foster emotional intelligence and make responding with kindness the default in any situation.
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Science
At Crestview, students’ natural curiosity about scientific phenomena is fostered through a hands-on, experiment-focused approach. Instruction is delivered through the use of Amplify Science, a research-based science curriculum that blends hands-on investigations, literacy-rich activities, and interactive digital tools to empower students to think, read, write, and argue like real scientists and engineers. Our program is designed to build on prior knowledge as students investigate core ideas in science in an increasingly complex manner. The goal is to help our students know and use scientific explanations of our world; to understand the nature and development of scientific knowledge and technological capabilities; and to engage productively in scientific and engineering practices. All upper elementary students participate in overnight trips aligned with our science curriculum. |
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World Language
Crestview students in kindergarten to 6th grade receive language instruction in both Spanish and Mandarin Chinese. Students learn songs, hear stories, and gain an appreciation of different cultures as part of our language program, and instruction is delivered by teachers who are fluent speakers in Spanish and Mandarin. Instruction in kindergarten to second grade focuses on building listening and speaking skills. Starting in third grade, in addition to gaining conversation skills, they also focus on reading and writing as well. Instruction is differentiated based on our students’ prior language experience.
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