Agriculture
We live in a community rich with culture and tradition stemming from agriculture; from family gardens to those raising livestock. Through the emphasis of agriculture students will have the opportunity to:
- develop knowledge and understanding of farming practices;
- preserve local farming traditions
- apply knowledge and skill to cultivate garden plots and care for animals;
- provide opportunities for students to learn by doing;
- understand the health benefits to eating locally grown fresh produce;
- learn techniques to incorporate fresh produce into daily living; and
- promote positive social (self-understanding, maturity, responsibility) and interpersonal skills.
Children care for plants and animals at La Puerta School.
The Arts
Students will have many opportunities to express themselves and what they know through many different artistic modalities; literary and expressive arts, dramatic arts, crafts, dance, music/creative movement and visual arts. In addition to developing skills specific to the various art forms students will:
- develop a sense of aesthetics and an appreciation of the arts;
- develop a proficiency in one or more of the arts;
- develop metacognitive awareness (be able to think about their thinking);
- hear more deeply, see more appreciatively, and draw on non-traditional modalities when making critical and aesthetic judgments;
- make art and music;
- make connections between art and culture; and
- sharpen the intellectual and aesthetic abilities for lifelong learning and enjoyment.
Physical and Mental Well-Being
Brain research shows that students thrive in a safe and nurturing environment. At La Puerta School we are a family of learners working toward a common goal; to work hard, have fun and celebrate learning. Additionally we strive to teach children to:
- learn how to make progressively more complex decisions and assessments of their own behavior and academic progress;
- acquire knowledge and develop practices that will foster health and physical fitness;
- kindle empathy for others and a sense of responsibility and integrity;
- teach children how to lead, how to follow and the appropriate time for each;
- encourage children to strive to realize their own potential; and
- respect the mind and body through physical fitness and proper nutrition
Social Studies
La Puerta’s interdisciplinary approach to learning about our world and community; socially, culturally, economically, geologically, politically and historically offers students opportunities to:
- develop awareness, concern, consideration, respect and compassion for other people and cultures;
- be able to analyze social problems, identify possible solutions and organize and carry out a plan of action;
- develop a social consciousness, enough confidence in their own abilities and knowledge of the political system to enable them to contribute to change;
- become knowledgeable of the history and customs of their own and other cultures and develop an appreciation of each;
- develop a global awareness and an understanding that natural and human activities in one part of the world have an impact on all other parts;
- become producers as well as wise consumers;
- prepare children to be thoughtful citizens; and
- enable each child to appreciate and contribute to his/her culture.
The Sciences
Using an inquiry-based learning approach students will have opportunities to observe, explore, question, ponder, predict, hypothesize, test, analyze, problem solve and build knowledge by approaching topics from a variety of ways. Students are introduced to a wide range of the sciences and a set of foundational concepts in each to:
- develop an appreciation and understanding of the sciences;
- develop an awareness of the importance of science in their daily lives;
- use inquiry-based techniques in observations and making discoveries;
- become environmentally conscious, knowledgeable and responsible;
- become aware of the consequences of using irreplaceable natural resources;
- understand the processes of scientific investigations and use inquiry and scientific ways of observing, experimenting, predicting and validating to think critically;
- understand the structure and properties of matter, the characteristics of energy, and the interactions between matter and energy (Physical Science);
- understand the properties, structures, and processes of living things and the interdependence of living things and their environments (Life Science);
- understand the structure of Earth, the solar system, and the universe, the interconnections among them, and the processes and interactions of Earth’s systems (Earth and Space Science);
- understand how scientific discoveries, inventions, practices, and knowledge influence, and are influenced by, individuals and societies (Science and Society);
- develop the understanding and knowledge necessary to enable students to be responsible stewards of the environment; and
- do research, build models, design objects and conduct experiments.