Academic Enrichment

ACADEMIC ENRICHMENT

Art Education

The Visual Art Curriculum for the Weston Public Schools is aligned with the Visual Arts Standards in the Connecticut State Department of Education Visual Arts Framework and the National Visual Arts Standards.  These standards articulate what students should know and be able to do within the visual arts by grade level.  Art experiences in the elementary school are structured to provide foundational experiences in the elements of art and principals of design.  Students explore several age-appropriate media, processes and  art history and appreciation based on  familiar concepts such as Patterns and Feelings.  Both two-dimensional and three-dimensional projects are undertaken.

ACADEMIC ENRICHMENT

Health Education

The Hurlbutt Elementary School Health Education curriculum has been designed around the State and National standards from the Healthy and Balanced Living frameworks.  During the year the students will learn to take responsibility for their own health.  They will do this through units on safety, germs, feelings and communication.

Curriculum

At the simplest of levels, a musician is one who understands the language of music.  In our music program we begin the process of learning music as a language by emphasizing not just singing and playing instruments, but creating, performing and responding to music from many cultures and places around the world. 

In concept-based units, children experience:

• Singing alone and with others a varied repertoire of music
• Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music
• Improvising melodies, variations and accompaniments
• Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines
• Listening to, analyzing and describing music
• Evaluating music and music performances
• Understanding relationship between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts
• Understanding music in relation to history and culture

ACADEMIC ENRICHMENT

Music Education

The Weston Public Schools Music Curriculum is directly aligned with the Connecticut State Department of Education Music Standards Framework and the National Standards in Music Education.  This curriculum offers a sequential, comprehensive, standards-based music education designed to give the elementary school child strong foundations for further music experiences.

FAQs    Get answers to our most often music education questions

ACADEMIC ENRICHMENT

World Language

For over 20 years, Weston has provided Spanish language education to students at the elementary level. Students in K-5 Spanish engage in meaningful activities in a comfortable environment where they are highly motivated and encouraged to take risks with the language. Spanish teachers use a variety of instructional activities ranging from demonstrations, group and pair work, cooperative learning and peer tutoring, addressing a variety of learning styles and needs. Expectations are flexible and appropriate to each grade level. Students’ Spanish skills in the areas of speaking, listening, writing, reading, and cultural understanding are measured through an assortment of formal and informal assessments.

FAQs    Get answers to our most often world language questions

Curriculum

Students begin with Spanish in grades K-2 for 15 minutes twice a week.  The K-2 curriculum includes topics such as, greetings, sounds of letters, numbers, shapes, and days of the week, colors, courtesy expressions, clothing, family members, pets, feelings and more. Students also learn aspects of the Spanish language and culture through celebrations, short stories, and song. All K-2 students participate in rhyme celebration each year through the CT COLT (Connecticut Council of Language Teachers) in which students can choose to learn a song or rhyme in any language.  Also, elementary students engage in a pen pal exchange with a school in playa del Carmen, Mexico.

The FLES (Foreign Language Elementary School) program is based on the belief that the study of Spanish language and culture strengthens intellectual skills such as critical thinking, problem solving and the ability to make connections between the various disciplines taught in grades K-5. Individuals who are competent in a second language are an asset to local and world communities due to their enhanced understanding of global concerns.

ACADEMIC ENRICHMENT

Information Technology Literacy

Weston Public Schools computer instruction is based on the State of Connecticut Information and Technology Literacy Framework. This curriculum framework is designed to ensure that all students develop the information literacy and technology skills to be productive in the dynamic technological environment of the 21st century. The Connecticut Framework can be accessed at the following web address:

http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/cwp/view.asp?a=2618&q=320870 

FAQs    Get answers to our most often information technology literacy questions

Curriculum

Delivery of curriculum is sequenced based on student developmental readiness at each grade level.

Kindergarten

Kindergarten computer instruction focus is on building the student’s comfort level with the elementary school lab equipment through the use of age-appropriate software specifically selected to support their learning in other curricular areas. As kindergarteners become more adept at the eye-hand co-ordination necessary to successfully manipulate the computer mouse, they gradually progress from “click-and-drag” activities to some computer-assisted drawing and eventually begin to explore letter location on the keyboard in preparation for use of the computer as a writing tool.

First Grade

As first graders’ fine motor skills develop, their typing skills progress from keyboard awareness to two-handed typing, and then to home-row awareness by the end of the school year. First grade computer instruction continues to support other curricular skills areas including math and language arts through the use of age-appropriate software. First graders also begin to use teacher-selected websites to access curriculum-related activities. Through these early Internet experiences, first graders learn the basic navigation skills that will support more advanced skills as they move through the information literacy curriculum.

Second Grade

Second grade computer instruction marks the beginning of independent computer use and productivity. Students are introduced to the basic features of word processing and multimedia programs. They use these programs to create original documents and simple presentations with teacher support, establishing the basic skills necessary to use computers as productivity tools. Keyboarding instruction continues with emphasis on proper position to lay the foundation for the development of touch-typing skills. Students begin to use the Internet as an information source in age-appropriate ways, accessing teacher-selected sources to search for information.

ACADEMIC ENRICHMENT

Physical Education

The Hurlbutt Elementary School Physical Education Curriculum has been designed around the State and National standards from the Healthy and Balanced Living frameworks.  During the year the students will learn the importance of physical activity and the effects it has on their own bodies and ability to learn.  They will do this through a variety of units such as; safety, gross motor skills, eye-hand-foot coordination, perceptual motor, balance and fitness.

FAQs    Get answers to our most often physical education questions

Positive Press

 Our Run-For-Life program is a community event involving our students and families.  This event occurs in late October and promotes cardiovascular endurance and fitness by emphasizing the life-long activities of walking, jogging and running.

Field days are a culmination of the year’s activities in physical education and have themes that correspond to grade-level social studies units.  These special events are held in June.