Focus Schools provide special instructional programs for their students.
Professional Development Academic Center
A professional development academic center is available at Riverside Elementary School. The program consists of four teachers, certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), who teach primary and upper elementary students with a focused high-quality program of instruction. The program specifically addresses the critical issues and challenges facing this multicultural.
Riverside
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Arts & Sciences
This program at Fort Hunt integrates multiple art forms throughout the curriculum. The goal is to cultivate the innate talents of all students. The fine arts focus engages students and staff in an atmosphere of continuing education and understanding with, in, and through the arts. Opportunities are available through the Kennedy Center Arts Education Forum, a partnership with The Mount Vernon Orchestra, and liaisons with the American Composers' Society, The Washington Opera, and the Corcoran Gallery of Art.
Fort Hunt
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Fine Arts
The Arts Focus School at Lake Anne complements the academic, affective, physical, and technological aspects of learning with an aesthetic focus. Additional materials, equipment, and staff enrich all areas of the curriculum by integrating the visual and performing arts.Lake Anne
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Block Scheduling
Block Scheduling is an alternative scheduling model that allows schools to organize for learning in a different way. Block Scheduling Schools have implemented a system that maximizes the use of their time, space, and school staff to facilitate small group or reduced-size instruction. Flexibility results in forming specific instructional groups in planned blocks of time based on the needs of students.
Sleepy Hollow
Stenwood
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Fine & Communicative Arts
Woodburn focuses on the arts to provide differentiated instruction. This focus is integrated in the Program of Studies as well as in opportunities after school. Currently, PTA funds and grants help to finance this arts enrichment. Teachers receive training in visual art instruction including art integration workshops held at the Kennedy Center. After school programs for students such as the Academy for the Fine & Playful Arts provide drama, music, dance, art, and foreign language enrichment opportunities with immense community support. Focus on the arts provides experiences and field trips to students who would not normally have these opportunities.
Woodburn
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French Language Focus
Kent Gardens Elementary School is the only school in Fairfax County that integrates a French language focus for all children. All students receive instruction in the French language and culture of French-speaking countries. Two options are available to families:In the French Resource Program, students receive Francophone language and culture studies in many grade-level theme projects. In addition, Kent Gardens has a French technology lab for language and technology integration for all students.
Through a partnership with the Institut Universitaire de Formation des Maîtres in Lyon, France, teachers, students, and families have the opportunity to interact with teacher interns from France. Interns instruct in classrooms, and host families share their homes, establishing personal links with these special guests. To culminate French language experiences, sixth grade students have the opportunity to visit France during spring break.
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Languages & Arts
The Language and Arts program at Graham Road is based on a strong language arts component infused with instruction in Latin for students in grades 3-6 and a Spanish Foreign Language in the Elementary Schools (FLES) program for students in grades 1-6. Latin and Spanish are integrated into the exisiting FCPS Program of Studies. The acquisition of English communication skills is enhanced through the use of the fundamentals of Latin and within the context of learning Spanish. An emphasis on the arts, performing and fine, provides students with additional opportunities for expression.
Graham Road
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Reduced Ratio
A unique ESOL program that offers students the opportunities
for both classroom
immersion and small
group language arts instruction, depending upon the needs of
the students. An innovative learning disabilities model that
combines classroom immersion with specific blocks for small group
and individualized language arts and mathematics instruction.
Pine Spring has created a unique program to further address the
needs of its students. This program has added additional resource
teachers for language arts, math, science/social studies and
technology. With this instructional model, the pupil-teacher
ratio is reduced across the grade levels during language arts.
Additional small group math remediation takes place, and enrichment
is provided in the areas social studies, science and math. This
model also includes full day Kindergarten, reduced ratio for
first grade, and collaborative team planning. Pine Spring students
are mentored through the Fairfax County Mentorworks program and
by Capital One, the school's business partner.
Pine Spring
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Science & Math
The Science and Math Focus Schools serve as model schools for instruction in science, math, and technology, offering a more challenging, enriching curriculum. Through additional staff, materials, and equipment, these schools emphasize science and math to develop higher order thinking skills through an inquiry approach to teaching and learning. The FCPS Program of Studies is enriched through integrated science, math, and technology problem-solving activities and experiences.
Hollins Meadows
Woodley Hills
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Technology & Communication
Students solve real world problems and use technology for communication, research, and artistic production. Labs support the core curriculum, the arts, and technology. Resource teachers operate the labs and provide instruction to staff and students. The focus of these programs is on best practices, design of conceptual units, and technology.
Daniels Run
Forest Edge
Providence ^ top |