The student artwork lining our hallways greets visitors and makes a bold visual statement about Chugach. Pieces are grouped together, effectively highlighting their similarities and differences. It’s a powerful display of community.
It’s also a visual example of the optional philosophy at work. Nurturing growth of the whole child is a core belief at Chugach, and that underscores the importance of our childrens’ art, PE/health, music and library experiences as a complement to their regular classroom curriculum.
In each area you can find concrete examples of how the optional philosophy informs and inspires the learning environment. Here are just a few:
Encouraging teamwork and problem solving
“In Physical Education we incorporate life long fitness goals and skills into games, team challenges, and individual activities. There is always an emphasis on cooperation and the students are encouraged to problem solve whether that is through strategies, team initiatives, or other activities. We work a lot on social skills such as teamwork, getting along with others, and how to be inclusive in everything we do.” –Polly
Integration with the classroom curriculum
“In music I base much of what we do on the units being covered in the classroom. From songs and musicals to group projects, there is so much to be gained from linking music lessons to what kids are already studying. A perfect example is in Upper when the students are studying structures we do structure compositions in music. Students work in groups to come up with a composition or a sound painting that reflects the structure they have chosen. When the projects are finished, each group presents their project to the class and talks about how their piece is like their structure. This gives us a chance to not only work with musical composition, but to compare vocabulary used in both architecture and music such as composition, variation, form, repetition, and so on.” –Kelly
Developing the “incharge” learner
One of the goals of the Chugach library is to develop in charge learners by teaching students how to use a variety of tools. “The list is long, but includes appropriate book selection and location skills, using our computer catalog and online databases, how to review a book, book handling skills, Internet Safety, writing a bibliography, ABC and number order and how to use the dictionary, atlas, encyclopedia, telephone book and almanac. Our hope is that when students leave Chugach and head off to middle school they will be well prepared to successfully handle any assignment that comes their way. By being “incharge learners” our students will know how to find the information they need, make sense of it, and present it in a variety of ways whether it be orally, written, or in a project form.” –Alice
Building a community
Parents also play a key role in nurturing the whole child, and they either help with or initiate events that are tied to physical education, art, music and the library. These include Running Club, Ice Skating, Art Night, African Drumming and Dancing, World Celebration Day, and more!
The Chugach school community has worked hard to reflect a common philosophy, no matter what the subject or student event. You can see it every day, just on a stroll down the hall!
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