Elementary Enrichment Programs
Beyond the basic academic skills, our curriculum includes fine arts, computer training, gardening and community service. Students receive instruction from teaching specialists in music, dance, martial arts, physical education, art, drama, science lab and Spanish. Each classroom has several computers for student use.
We have a lovely school garden in which the students spend time weekly. Science life lab classes are offered in cooperation with the garden project. Our community service projects include activities such as road cleanups, recycling, entertaining at a senior citizen center and "buddy reading" with younger students.
Performing Arts
One of our major areas of enrichment is in performing arts. Performing Arts are a fun and creative way of learning a variety of important disciplines such as public speaking, creative risk taking, singing, acting, dance, cooperative learning and character development.
The Elementary students perform for audiences four times per year, via the following venues:
- Winter Concert: A musical and dance production
- Cultural Awareness Day, an elementary presentation around a culture or theme that is part of the Social Studies curriculum
- Spring Summit for the Planet walk-a-thon celebration
- The Ramayana!, a school-wide performance of the epic Indian morality story. This grand pageant, complete with elegant costumes and props, allows our younger students to have an opportunity to work with the Middle and High School students
Special Events
We celebrate special events throughout the school year. Some events honor holidays from various traditions. Other events are days set aside to learn in a unique way about our world. Below is a list of some of our yearly celebrations:
September: Back-to-School fun includes exploring our garden, wooded trails, and ponds, as well as class get-togethers, trips to the SC County Fair, and Montara Lighthouse or Sacramento.
October: Halloween Parade that includes poems, songs, dance and games ending with a classroom potluck of healthy foods
November: Our Fall Open House provides an opportunity for students to showcase their work to their families and the public. At election time, the classes study the candidates and the fifth grade hosts a Mock Election. We celebrate Thanksgiving with cooking projects, dressing up as Pilgrims and Native Americans, writing about our 'Thankful thoughts'
December: Winter Holiday traditions are studied as lessons in understanding and appreciating cultural diversity. The Winter Concert is an evening production that includes student dances, songs and musical instrument performances.
January: Martin Luther King Jr. Day is celebrated and studied as a lesson in Civil Rights History of the United States.
February: Valentine's Day parties are a fun way to focus on friendship and Presidents Day is studied with biographies and a focus on our nation’s history.
March: Cultural Awareness Day includes performances and celebrations around the Social Studies cultural theme for the year. Grandparents and Special Friends are invited to attend the day performance.
April: Summit for the Planet walk-a-thon is a major school fundraising event where our students raise money for our school by using an online website to solicit pledges and then participate in a 5K walk. Students also perform and display their work and projects and build and host an eco-carnival after after the walk.
May: The 3rd-4th grade go on a Sierra Outdoor School trip, which is a two-night excursion to Sonora, California. The 5th grade backpacks along the Merced River with teachers and a licensed docent for a 4 night trip.
June: The Ramayana all-school production and Graduation ceremonies ceremonies complete our year at MMS.
