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Mathematics The Saxon Mathematics Program is used at NVA. It is designed to produce a solid understanding of and use of math concepts and application. Children begin math instruction in pre-kindergarten and work at an accelerated pace with math instruction taking place every day for one hour. Mathematics at NVA provides the students with lots of classroom interaction and opportunities for live communication about the concepts being learned. The classes are lively, fast-paced and fun. Technology is integrated into the mathematics program with the use of on-line math programs, statistics and graphing. The study of mathematics begins with concepts such as sorting and patterns. These basic concepts, skills, problem solving, and more advanced concepts are taught and reinforced with increasing difficulty throughout the grade levels. The use of manipulatives for applied learning is a strong component in our program. Language Arts Literature exposure begins with exposure to books, reading aloud, and visits to the library. For reading and writing, NVA uses the Heron Basics Program, which covers reading, writing, handwriting, phonics and spelling, all done in concert with a high volume of writing and reading. It is a traditional reading program that utilizes phonics and literature, phasing out phonics as children become fluent readers. Students develop increasing comprehension skills relating to inference, sequencing, prediction, and character motivation as they explore various genres. The key ingredient of this program is that it is completely individualized for each child, and pace is at the exact level of the student. Writing and grammar are emphasized across the curriculum. Children practice expository writing skills in reports, daily exercises, essays and written responses to questions. Their creative skills are honed by exposure to and practice with short stories, poetry, letters and journals. The handwriting portion of the program is based on D’Nealian writing and focuses on the development of manual skills in pre-kindergarten through manuscript (printing) and then cursive. The spelling portion of the program includes detailed lesson plans for teaching spelling, starting with Pre-kindergarten, where it is combined with instruction in phonics, up to the end of third grade, by which time a student is familiar with the roughly 1,000 words used most commonly by children in writing. Speaking skills are taught informally in class sharing and discussions. Formal instruction is taught via the use of oral book reports, project presentations and speeches. Plays, poetry recitation, debates, and performances for parents are additional opportunities children have for developing public speaking skills. It is our goal that our students become effective communicators who clearly articulate information through speech, writing and the arts, and that they receive, interpret and act effectively on the messages of others. Social Studies This area of curriculum revolves around expanding social concepts as the grade level increases. Students study self, family, community, city, country and world. Social Studies lends itself to integration with other curricular areas: music, art, and language. Field trips enhance the students’ experiences. We design our lessons to foster students’ feeling of responsibility to be contributors to the community. We instill the respect of diverse cultures through teaching and exposure. Lastly, we teach our children how contributing resources and intelligence improves the quality of life for others. Arts NVA offers its students a very extensive Arts program. Currently the NVA Arts Curriculum delivers classes in Performing Arts that consist of Theatre Arts (acting, makeup, lighting, costume and set design), Music and Dance. It is also composed of the Fine Arts (drawing, painting, photography, film, arts and crafts). These classes are designed to culminate in a variety of events open to the public. The central event of our school year is our student Film Festival in which students participate in all facets of producing a film (writing, casting, directing, producing, filming, editing and presenting). The purpose of the NVA Arts program is to bring to the student a high level of awareness of his/her ability to create and exhibit pride in his/her work. Students fully participate in determining the content of many of our projects and are expected to maintain a high standard of quality production. Art instruction is taught utilizing methods of experience, observation and evaluation by children, class discussions, and teacher demonstrations. The curriculum is based on artistic perception, creative expression, historical/cultural context, and aesthetic values. Music Music instruction is structured for movement and participation. The students routinely sing in class and learn performance skills. Listening for moods and instruments is practiced, and critical skills are exercised in music interpretation. Students use the software program, “Garage Band” to learn music composition. Ethics Character development through ethical choices is integrated into the curriculum. From their first days on campus, students learn of the School’s expectations as outlined in the School’s 3 R’s. This code highlights desirable attributes and responsibilities, which are addressed daily in classrooms and all programs. Weekly all-school assemblies also emphasize values of good behavior and community service. A well-established ethics system is used to help students who have made poor choices learn to make better ones. The School, as a community, takes on projects to assist the greater community. Students are expected to respect the rights of others, as well as respect civil laws and authority. In addition, students need to respect school property, others’ property, and to respect others’ feelings. We teach them to be cooperative workers who demonstrate the abilities to negotiate and compromise. One of the biggest advantages to being a student at NVA is being a member of a group of people who are very much a family in addition to an educational community. We stress the concept that we are a “village” and so work as a team. Along with being a team member goes the responsibility of personal ethics and integrity. An understanding of basic ethics helps students prosper as individuals while being a part of a group. Ethics is simply the choices and actions a person takes on himself, and the ability to take responsibility for his or her actions.
Our Ethics program is a unique aspect of NVA. Our faculty help the students make decisions that are in their best interest and in the best interest of the class. Being aware of how their behavior impacts those around him or her then is expanded to include how decisions (by both children and adults) can affect the community and eventually the world.
Although academics is the focus of the school, there are sometimes behavior, attitudes, relationships and other situations that can compromise one’s ability to do his/her best. Our faculty, specifically teachers who are trained to work with our children on ethics, are available to students when they are having difficulties in any situation. Students are very comfortable asking adults for help, and going to them when they have a problem. Physical Education Physical Education is a daily part of each child’s curriculum. Skill development stresses gross motor skills and hand-eye coordination; this moves to more specific skills as children mature. Leadership, sportsmanship, cooperation, empathy and positive self-image are encouraged throughout all grades. Team sports played include football, soccer, basketball, volleyball, hockey, and track and field. Leadership, sportsmanship, cooperation, empathy and positive self-image are encouraged throughout all grades. Spanish Our Spanish curriculum is based on listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. Spanish words are incorporated into vocabulary by building on the English language. The majority of each class is taught in Spanish. Technology Computer instruction begins in Prekindergarten. The use of computers extends across the curriculum. Each student has access to a personal laptop for curricular projects in the classroom. In addition, students work on multi-media and video projects as well as basic word-processing, spreadsheet, and drawing applications. We believe that the use of technology increases the creativity of learning in that it fosters experimentation and discovery and allows new ways of creating original work. Educational Enrichment
An Enrichment Program is offered to siblings, parents, referred students who attend other schools and staff of the New Village Academy. This program provides courses that teach subjects such as technology, communication, parenting, drug awareness and prevention, self-image and improvement, logics, ethics and how to study so that you can apply what you are learning. The Education Enrichment Program provides support for all facets of the New Village. By putting the methods in the hands of the parent, the parent is more empowered to assist his/her child in his/her daily schoolwork, as well as life. Continuing education for the staff of New Village is made possible through our Education Enrichment Program so that our staff can hone their skills and improve their knowledge base. Our “Homework Help” program gives assistance to older siblings of New Village students using the same, effective study techniques. This creates a winning combination where all participants in the learning process work in harmony. Faculty members are encouraged to attend seminars and conferences to constantly cycle in best practices. Qualifications Department Upon completion of a subject chapter such as math, spelling, etc., the teacher sends the student to “Qual”, where he/she is given an exam in various forms. If the student scores anything less than 100%, the Qualifications teacher will sit down with him/her and go over the part of the exam that was not fully understood and check for misunderstood words, skipped gradients and conceptual understanding. This is done to help the student so that they gain 100% certainty. If a student is having difficulty in class in a particular subject, the teacher can send the child to Qual for assistance in removing study barriers. Qual staff will intensively work with the student to determine why he or she is not progressing and work with them one on one until they are moving and winning again. Qual is also used to make sure that each student is on target in his/her school program. Qual keeps track of each student’s entire program and makes sure that he/she is moving at a smooth and comfortable pace. Qual works in unison with the teachers to help them with the students so that all the children are learning, progressing toward their goals and happy in school.
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