In-Classroom
STARBASE
STARBASE is a five week program offered to 5th grade students. The goal of the program is to motivate El Sol students to explore Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) with the hope that they will be inspired to continue their education in one of these areas.
Each week students learn through an inquiry-based curriculum which offers “hands-on, mind-on” activities. They study Newton’s Laws and Bernoulli’s principle; explore nanotechnology, navigation and mapping. Students explore the field of engineering by using computers to design space stations, all-terrain vehicles, and submarines. Math is also embedded throughout the curriculum and students use metric measurement, estimation, calculation geometry and data analysis to solve questions. At the end of the five weeks, students build and launch their own rockets. STARBASE gives students the opportunity to engage in real world math and science application.
Rumbo a la Universidad
Rumbo a la Universidad- is a school-wide initiative for students of all grade levels to be exposed to several universities, college level vocabulary (such as ACT), Financial Aid, the differences between UC, CSU, and Private universities, etc. This program is tailored to each grade level and every classroom has adopted a college or university. In every classroom, we have a university bulletin dedicated to this program. Please ask your child’s teacher for their designated college/ university for the school year. College/ University t-shirts are provided early in the school year through their primary teacher. The design includes our school logo, the university name, mascot, and the students’ college graduation year!
Science Beyond Books
partnership with UCI
Service Learning with Sage Hill High School
Service Learning with Sage Hill High School – our 3rd grade students go to Sage Hill (a private high school in Newport Beach) once a month and work on a Science Lecture. When students go to a field trip, parents are able to chaperone and experience the trip with their son or daughter. In 4th grade, Sage Hill students come to El Sol and spend their day with our students and work on a Writing lecture. The Service Learning Program is great because it gives our elementary students the chance to have a high school “buddy” and learn from their peers. Service Learning is great since a couple of the Sage Hill Students in this program are El Sol Alumni.
UCI Partnership
The El Sol Academy and the UC Irvine School of Nursing have built a vibrant partnership since 2011 with the purpose to provide students with a basic understanding of health, healthy habits and young medical professionals as role models on campus. The program takes place for 12 weeks during the school year at the El Sol campus. The UCI BSN students teach the El Sol students in the classroom. The Preschool, TK and Kindergarten students are taught about germ washing and germ killing, first through third grade are taught about healthy nutrition habits, third through fifth grade are taught about self-esteem, and middle school students are taught about healthy bodies, puberty, self-awareness, saying “no”, etc. During the school year El Sol students have the opportunity to go on a field trip to the UCI campus called the Future Health Champion. They tour the campus and the medical simulator lab. They also learn to give CPR and practice First Aid.
For more information about the El Sol partnership with the UCI School of Nursing, please feel free to contact:
Sara Flores
Chief Student and Family Support Officer
E-mail: sflores@elsolacademy.org
(714) 543 – 0023
ST (JiJi) Math
El Sol Academy uses ST (JiJi) Math, a game-based instructional software created by MIND Research to engage students in 1:1 adaptive learning. The program is designed to boost math comprehension and proficiency through visual learning. It incorporates the latest research in learning and the brain and promotes mastery-based learning and mathematical understanding. Students progress through the software’s gently scaffolded games at their own pace, advancing to the next level only through mastering the previous level. The ST Math software games use interactive, graphically-rich animations that visually represent mathematical concepts to improve conceptual understanding and problem-solving skills.The latest research in learning and motivation informs game design to build intrinsic motivation in students along with a thirst for challenge and life-long learning.
For more information about JiJi please visit http://www.mindresearch.org/stmath/features or contact Mrs. Zavala at (714) 543 – 0023 or jzavala@elsolacademy.org