Special Areas

All students will join Mrs. Langevin once a week in art class! The practice of visual arts within an educational program is essential to facilitate growth and foster skills in cognition, critical analysis, and physical motor development. Students grow in their creative capacities, problem solving skills, and ability to derive aesthetic judgments from the richness and complexity of the images of art.

Elementary Health Education is taught sequentially each year to all K - 5th grade students.  Health is considered a special area subject where students in grades 1 - 5 receive instruction one hour each week.  Students move onto middle school with an early understanding of the body systems, how to get along with others, controlling emotions, making healthy decisions concerning food choices, peer pressure, hygiene, harmful substances, and safety.  Instruction is geared toward providing accurate information that will help mold young attitudes and behaviors into living a healthy lifestyle. All grade level students will need parental permission for the family life and human development lessons taught in May. 

The MAE library media center is a hive of activity! Here are just a few things our students do here: 

·                Evaluate sources for authority, reliability, and content 

·                Conduct research using websites, databases, and print materials 

·                Synthesize information to show new learning 

·                Respect intellectual property by citing our sources 

·                Understand how to protect ourselves from online threats and cyberbullying 

·                Distinguish facts from opinions 

We also do the fun stuff like... 

·                Coding 

·                Running the morning show 

·                Engaging in Battle of the Books 

·                Exploring literary genres 

·                Reading this year’s Black Eyed Susan book nominees 

·                Visiting the Scholastic Book Fair 

And, of course, we select and check out books for our personal enjoyment and information needs. 

·                Students can check out books any morning from 8:45 to 9:15. 

·                Students attend library media class every week and can check out books during our class every other week. 

·                Students can check out up to two books. 

·                Our circulation period is fourteen days. 

·                We don’t charge for overdue books, but books that are overdue by more than two months will be marked as lost. 

·                Students need to pay for lost or damaged books. 

·                Students can log in to Destiny from home to view what items they currently have checked out. 

Ms. Precht is our Library Media Specialist. Ms. Taylor is our library clerk. We are happy to help you with your information needs! 

Login with CCPS student login credentials to see what your child has checked out by clicking here - http://ccpsdestiny.follettdestiny.com                     

 

 

At Mt. Airy Elementary, every student will attend weekly music classes with Mrs. Bradley. During our time together, we explore music through performing, creating, connecting, and responding. We focus on musical elements including rhythm and beat; pitch and melody; form; texture and harmony; tone color; and expressive qualities. Throughout the elementary music experience, students are exposed to a broad repertoire of music encompassing many different genres, styles, and cultures. Learners are encouraged to participate in a variety of activities including singing, dancing, playing instruments, writing, reading, and beyond. While we constantly work toward mastery of skills, emphasis is placed on personal growth and finding different ways to connect with ourselves and others through music.

 

In addition to weekly music classes, fourth and fifth graders have the option to participate in the Cardinal Chorus, and perform in our winter and spring concerts! Information about chorus will come home with students at the beginning of the school year, & again following winter break.

Every elementary student participates in developmentally appropriate physical education class for ninety minutes per week. The elementary curriculum is based on the following themes: fitness, throwing/catching, striking, movement education, and group challenges/initiatives. A variety of sports and movement activities are incorporated to provide a foundation of knowledge of lifetime fitness and sport skills.

All students are expected to dress appropriately for class. This includes clothing that allows freedom of movement and athletic footwear, ensuring that students are able to participate fully and safely.  Students are also encouraged to bring a leak-proof water bottle to PE so they have access to water at the athletic fields.

CCPS offers elementary students in grades 4 and 5 the opportunity to learn how to play an instrument in the band or orchestra.  In the elementary grades, students involved in the instrumental program receive small group lessons on their instrument as well as full ensemble rehearsal for the authentic study of musical literature.  The small group lessons are scheduled as a rotating pull out from the school day schedule.

Instrumental music is one of the first opportunities a child's education for the child to formally reach beyond the required course of study into an elective.  Children who study instrumental music develop a work ethic that emphasizes attention to detail and delayed gratification.  These are two traits that are found in the most successful academic students.  Since lessons are a pull out program, children will have the opportunity to develop habits of personal responsibility, such as making sure that they get any make up work completed that occurred while they were out of the room. Therefore, this is a discussion that parents should have with your child before joining the instrumental music program.