Enrichment

Students are constantly visiting our Innovation Lab to work on a big range of projects. While they really enjoy the creation component, it is important to point out that the program has a tremendous impact on our children in the long run.

Many of the jobs that exist today did not exist twenty, ten or even five years ago. If current trends continue, it’s likely that many of our children will go into careers that don’t yet exist and demand a great deal of adaptability.

We can prepare them for this shifting landscape with two essential problem-solving skills: social intelligence and perseverance. These two skills are the backbone of our innovation program and design thinking. Each of the students’ projects begin with a challenge that needs solving. Next, they go through the design process, which consists of four steps: find it (research), sketch it (brainstorming), build it (prototyping), and share it (gathering feedback).

As students go through these steps, they learn to see things from another person’s perspective and to adapt ideas to fix complex problems. 

Our Art Program is project-based and designed to encourage a holistic learning through inquiry, exploration, process, and reflection. Relevant instruction is given at the beginning of each lesson on a broad range of topics including art history, seasonal focus, global relevance, techniques, and materials.

The individual process of creation for each student is geared to build skills while encouraging innovation and breadth of imagination. Upon project completion, the class shares in group reflection concerning both the process and product. The results are increased motivation to create, and the development of artistic behavior including expression, self-reflection, problem-solving, decision-making abilities, and a deepened appreciation for the visual arts.

Twice each week, secondary school students attend Music to develop their vocal skills and play instruments using the Orff Method. This approach is a whole-body approach where students engage their bodies in the production and performance of music.

In early grades, students explore harmony and melody through singing and basic instruments. In third through fifth grades, students have focussed instruction on the recorder, xylophone, and ukulele, working towards mastery on each. Upper School students have the opportunity to star in the musical, sing in the choir, play in the rock band, or create their own music through Explorations.

Throughout the school year, there are a number of school-wide opportunities to perform what they have learned in music class, including the winter concert, a spring performance and our all-school musical.

In Theatre class, students gain confidence on the stage and have the opportunity to perform in the annual all-school musical. In addition to learning their dance numbers for our school performances, students develop their self-expression and creative thinking skills through the theatre arts program. Our youngest students find a space to be silly while also learning to work as a team. By fifth grade, our students are working in small groups to create their own skits and short sketches to perform at weekly school assemblies and semi-annual performing arts showcases.

More than just language instruction, our Spanish program offers an introduction to the many different cultures and traditions of the Spanish-speaking world. Our aim is to develop an interest in Spanish from an early age, and, in doing so, provide students with a strong foundation for language learning and fluency later in life.

Our school’s wellness program is designed to instill in children the skills and inclinations needed for life-long health. This includes enjoyment of physical activity, an understanding of nutrition and the importance of fitness alongside it, injury prevention, and targeted development of manipulative and motor skills. We also use our physical education classrooms as a place to support the larger Social Emotional Learning program at Sea Crest with an emphasis on collaboration and respect over competition.

We have two recesses each day in the primary and secondary schools and our students have physical education everyday. Our teachers also engage students in breathing exercises, meditation, reflection and yoga. Through this specialized program, students develop a greater appreciation for the connection between mind and body and the importance of an active lifestyle. In addition to physical activity, upper school students meet twice each week to discuss issues related to personal health and well-being.

Computer science is a weekly course in our secondary school, and technology is woven into the fabric of daily classroom learning.  Students learn to code with scratch in the secondary grades and integrate various tools into their projects and demonstrations of learning, from presentations to video editing.  In upper school each student is given a Chromebook, and there are a variety of opportunities to learn about computer programming and robotics through our explorations program. Seventh grade students have the opportunity to showcase their technology skills at the annual Science & Innovation Festival and compete in a variety of regional competitions.