Elementary School
Imagine an elementary school where...
- seeking excellence means building on the gifts of each individual.
- students are encouraged to explore the outdoors — every day.
- managing relationships with care and compassion is as important as multiplying fractions.
- younger and older students work together regularly.
- faith is a part of everyday life.
- serving others is modeled and encouraged.
- family and church perspectives are valued.
These are our values at Eastern Mennonite Elementary School.
Welcome!
Maria Archer
K-8 Principal
archerm@easternmennonite.org
Experiential Learning
- Our curriculum allows time and space to ponder, reflect, be creative and discern as students gain new experiences.
- Students learn to write with clarity, organization, and creativity.
- Through the Everyday Mathematics program we connect each new concept to its use in the “real world.” Hands-on activities and manipulatives reinforce the concepts.
- In science, students ask questions, conduct experiments, collect data, draw conclusions, and explore ways to effectively display their results with graphs and charts.
- Through the History Alive social studies curriculum, students make connections between historical events and life today. We use role-plays, small group problem-solving challenges, and simulations in each unit.
- Students also learn to gather information from a variety of sources including textbooks, trade books, and experts in the field. They hear and speak Spanish twice a week in class. They play outside every day during recess and as part of our physical education curriculum.
The Arts
- Our music curriculum is based on the Kodály approach, which uses quality, folksongs and singing games from around the world and other experiences to foster a love of music, including music reading.
- We believe in music's power to further students’ development as whole people and to bring us closer to God and to each other.
- Elementary music program includes:
- Twice weekly music classes, K-5
- Weekly choir, grades 3-5
- Weekly K-5 Gathering includes singing
- Two K-5 programs per year include singing, instruments, and dance
- Art
- Art stimulates creative, lateral thinking and learning persistence.
- Through a variety of strategies, art media and disciplines, students explore their reactions to their world, their family, and the faith they are developing.
- We aim to develop and reinforce a healthy self-concept through success in the creative process.
Faith Community
- We gather weekly to hear others share how they live out their faith in the world. We sing, pray and discuss issues.
- Each grade takes part in a peacebuilding lesson every week.
- We foster spiritual growth in the classroom; everyone gets an opportunity to express their beliefs.
- Teachers model their faith, creating a respectful classroom where honesty and integrity are emphasized, and each person is valued.
- Elementary families enjoy a potluck each fall. In September, we celebrate the International Day of Peace. At Thanksgiving, we share an international meal and program. At Christmas, we share a music program. In the spring, we offer a dessert theater.
- When someone is experiencing hard times, we create cards, provide food, pray and offer support.
- Students grow through partnerships with local organizations such as Roberta Webb Child Care Center where older students are reading buddies to younger students.
- Fifth grade students take turns at lunch with the kindergarten class assisting with microwave use, opening stubborn containers and managing personal space.
- We prepare food each day in kindergarten to share with each other, and often with other grades.
VISITING IS THE BEST WAY TO GET A SENSE OF OUR LEARNING COMMUNITY.
Parents of elementary students are encouraged to visit without their child first to minimize any confusion for younger children.
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