Curriculum
Stevenson PACT teachers plan a curriculum which meets district and state requirements. However, parents are invited to initiate and implement enrichment activities in collaboration with teachers that support core curriculum.
Arts Focus
Arts Focus Program
The Stevenson PACT School has an intensive arts program called "Arts Focus" that is designed to help students explore art in-depth in five subject areas: clay, drawing and painting, paper arts, textiles, and 3-dimensional art. In this program, each child rotates through all the disciplines over a two-year period. The program concludes each year with a professional-grade art exhibit during the last month of school. The exhibition this year will be held at Mountain View City Hall.
The enhanced arts curriculum is designed to:
- substantially increase the number of hours the children participate in creative exploration,
- expose them to a much greater variety of art media than what the schools are able to provide, and
- contribute enormously to the children's cognitive, academic, and social development. The goal of this program is for the children to experience all phases of the creative process, with emphasis on the free expression of ideas (rather than on simply creating facsimiles of pre-established end products).
This program was conceived, designed and implemented by PACT parents who volunteer their time extensively to make it happen. It is funded by a grant from the Christensen Fund.
Music
Music Education at Stevenson
Stevenson PACT students receive music education through CSMA guest teachers, hired using funds raised by MVEF. Classes are held during the school day as a "pullout" from their classroom.
Special Programs
Second-Third Grade
Chorus
Fourth Grade
Recorder. Last year the teacher gave us a surprise at the end-of-year recorder concert: she had helped the kids learn a song that they had chosen themselves! The audience was treated to "Bad Romance" by Lady GaGa, played by 25 recorders.
Fifth Grade
Band
Read more in Music - 5th grade.
Field Trips
Offsite Learning Experiences
Whether it is a museum, a farm, a theater, or State Capitol. Children learn by immersing themselves in the "real world," from "real characters," about "real applications" of the knowledge and skills they are learning in the classroom. Stevenson PACT students go on an average of 5 OLE's per school year. (More to come.)
Garden Article
Gardening
Science. Math. Language arts. Social studies. Various components in the core curriculum are an integral part of PACT's unique gardening curriculum, where children use multiple senses to reinforce what they have learned in the classroom. Stevenson PACT parent Theresa L has been creating lots of fun lessons for parent volunteers to use when they take kids out to the garden. (More to come.)
We are excited that our school is part of the movement toward creating organic gardens as a teaching tool. Read more:
More Schools Cultivating Organic School Gardens By Caryn Rosseau, Chicago Tribune
