The art curriculum emphasizes each child’s unique set of strengths and talents to help him or her improve achievement in all areas of education. Hillside’s integrative approach to learning uses art to enhance academic studies and create the best learning experience for each student. In addition, art class is an excellent area for students to practice their executive skills.
Classes incorporate topics from each grade’s core studies so students learn to connect art and other subjects. Through painting or sculpture, for example, students may illustrate the main themes of a book they have read in Language Arts, or create artwork that replicates the ancient civilizations they’ve studied in Social Studies.
Students have weekly art classes, and they may also attend Extra Art instead of recess on Friday to work on new projects or help with collaborative school-wide projects.
Research supports our goal to help children understand the importance of exercise as part of a balanced, healthy lifestyle. Good sportsmanship, collaboration, and having fun are achieved through fine and gross motor games and activities.
Music ( Grades K-4)
. Students in grades K-4 receive a weekly music program. Students benefit from music in a variety of ways including: enhanced creativity, cognitive development, emotional expression, teamwork skills, cultural appreciation, discipline, confidence, and a lifelong love for music.
Guidance (Grades K-8)
Our guidance counselors help students understand their learning needs, address behavior changes and skill deficits, and develop self-confidence through weekly guidance classes. Close collaboration between teachers and guidance counselors ensures that counselors address a student’s issues in a timely and individual manner. We also provide individual sessions tailored to our student’s needs if we believe additional support would be beneficial.
Weekly group guidance classes focus on:
developing self-advocacy skills
understanding learning styles
strengthening peer relationships and social skills
Problem-solving
Small Group Work- addresses issues that appear among several students simultaneously and are developed on an as-needed basis. If, for example, a group of students exhibits a similar behavior pattern—typically a social or self-regulation issue–they will attend small group sessions so they learn to navigate their challenges. Typically, small groups will meet weekly and run 4-8 weeks.
On-going family communication is integral to a student’s success. Counselors regularly post relevant information and articles for helping students on the Parent Portal and work with parents to address their children’s specific needs—hen.
Whole Group Language Skills ( Grades K-8 )
Because language skills are a critical foundation for learning, Hillside’s full-time speech/language pathologist (SLP) focuses on receptive and expressive language skills, Through standardized speech and language assessments, the pathologist assesses students’ strengths, weaknesses, and growth.
All students receive a class lesson and most receive small-group instruction each week. If needed, they also receive articulation therapy provided by a Carbon-Lehigh Intermediate Unit 21 pathologist. The pathologist works closely with parents and teachers to identify and explain the difficulties a student may experience, as well as to provide strategies to overcome the problem.
Weekly small-group classes focus on
vocabulary and verbal expression
word usage and grammar
memory and processing
concepts (for example, time, sequence, direction, and location)
social language (for example, reading body language, and initiating and maintaining conversations)
Reasoning
phonological awareness (for example, rhyming, and identifying and manipulating sounds and symbols)
