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Specialist Program Detail

Science

Science at Carey is:

  • Investigating natural phenomenon by using the five senses

  • Exploring through experimentation

  • Making observations and applying scientific reasoning

  • Collaborating, exchanging, and communicating ideas

  • Applying concepts and principles learned

  • Design Challenges

  • Communicating ideas and working as a team

  • Application and relevance to current environmental situations

Magnetic, electric, adaptive, but a bit rocky sometimes. It is potential energy, kinetic chemistry and out of this world!

A Carey scientist learns through inquiry and investigative practice to:

  • Utilize scientific tools to extend the senses

  • Communicate ideas through scientific illustration, labeling and writing

  • Collect and evaluating data

  • Create scientific models 

  • Use scientific reasoning to explain observations and demonstrate knowledge through scientific sketching

  • Ask testable questions and communicate results

  • Apply scientific ideas and use the Engineering Design Process to solve a problem

  • Use evidence to construct an explanation

 

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Art

Art at Carey is:

  • Expressive and an opportunity to share about oneself

  • Learning to appreciate that there are no mistakes in art

  • Exploring personal identity through self-portrait exploration.

  • Developing our own artist voice

  • Exploring creativity and curiosity visually

Through various media and methods while learning about a variety of artists, Carey students are challenged to:

  • Develop fine and gross motor skills by using their hands with a variety of mediums

  • Build clay skills including pinching, rolling, coiling, scoring, sculpting and hand building

  • Explore color and visual effects

  • Draw shapes for objects, people and portrait features

  • Refine and hone technical art making skills through shape, shading, form, etc. in two dimensions and three dimensions

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Thinkering

Thinkering at Carey is:

  • Using our hands and tools to make and build

  • Developing basic tool knowledge, usage, safety and application

  • Developing an understanding of the Engineering Design Process and how to use it to solve increasingly complex problems

  • Exploring new creative activities through experimentation and risk taking

  • Building confidence to use or hands, tools, materials, imagination and creative problem solving so as to innovate now and in the future

Through a rich and diverse range of engaging activities, students practice:

  • Listening to directions and following step-by-step procedures to complete a task

  • Developing gross and fine motor skills and tool control through a progression of activities and projects 

  • Measuring, cutting, assembling and decorating various materials to create an object

  • Iteration - as a way to improve and fine tune the results of our work

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Music

Music at Carey is:

  • Exploring through chant, song, movement, play and fantasy

  • Learning to listen for rhythm and melody and then composing our own

  • Introducing many percussion instruments and playing music on xylophones, percussive instruments and ukeleles.

  • Appreciating various types of music and bring musicality into our lives

Through exploration and appreciation of music of all kinds, students celebrate music through:

  • Learning to sing using correct breathing and pitch

  • Counting beats and listening to the content and cadence of music

  • Improvising with musicality

  • Playing instruments- from Orff instruments to the ukelele

  • Composing pieces with growing complexity

  • Performing, leading and harmonizing as a group

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Physical Education

Physical Education at Carey is:

  • Building gross motor and locomotor skills

  • Playing fun and engaging games

  • Working collaboratively and building a love for physical activity

Through active, engaging and structured play students practice:

  • Hand, foot and eye coordination, running, jumping, skipping and other locomotor skills

  • Sport and game skills

  • Working as a team and building sportspersonship

  • Following instructions and rules of games and sports

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Environmental Education

Environmental Education at Carey is:

  • Becoming stewards of the natural world.

  • Awakening an appreciation for nature and local grown food.

  • Becoming skilled and empathetic problem solvers for issues that affect our Earth and communities. 

Through hands-on activities, nature-based field trips, and design thinking projects students participate in: 

  • Growing food in our own garden for our community as well as those in need in the San Mateo community.

  • Learning survival skills, problem solving, and team work while immersed in nature on day and overnight field trips.

  • Using a design thinking process to solve real world problems such as lack of water, lack of access to fresh produce, over-use of plastics, abundance of carbon in our atmosphere, and diminishing open spaces.

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World Language

World Language at Carey is:

  • The discovery of a new communication tool

  • Exposure to a new sound system and rhythm

  • Using a second language to communicate about real-life experiences

  • Exposure to cultural practices to build a global perspective

  • A connection with other disciplines 

  • Literacy development support

Through stimulating content and active language learning, students practice:

  • Listening

  • Practicing articulation and vocabulary in the target language

  • Phonemic awareness, fluency and comprehension

  • Reading

  • Presentational skills

  • Cultural appreciation

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Library

Library at Carey is:

  • Inspiring a love of reading and curiosity through the presentation of a variety of genres, authors and illustrators, subjects, and perspectives.

  • Giving students the opportunity to interact with the books, through discussion and activities

  • Supporting information literacy skills through access to print and online resources.

Through discussion, diverse and engaging literature and activities, students practice:

  • Learning how to find, check out, and care for books

  • Active listening, making text-to-self, text-to text, and text-to-world connections

  • Viewing literature through the lens of windows and mirrors

  • Exploring genres, and authors’ and illustrators’ crafts

  • Evaluating books and discovering their own personal preferences through writing book reviews, and book award exposure

  • Accessing online and print resources and understanding the importance of reliable sources

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Tech Integration

Technology at Carey is:

  • Integrated into each subject students are learning and utilized to enhance their experiences, opportunities, and connections beyond the classroom

  • Teachers plan and work closely with the technology specialist to model the skills and behaviors that are expected from students when they use technology

  • Harnessing many tech tools able to communicate learning in a variety of digital formats.  

Through exciting technology opportunities integrated into meaningful content, Carey students are challenged to:

  • Develop digital literacy 

  • Practice digital citizenship including how to be safe online, utilize reliable sources and avoid plagiarism

  • Learn good keyboarding skills and word processing

  • Research safely online and utilize a variety of digital presentation tools

  • Employ apps and tools to do basic graphic design, video editing, image editing, and 3D drawing

  • Investigate and learn about computer programming 

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Math Enrichment

Math Enrichment at Carey is:

  • Playing with numbers and mathematical ideas

  • Exploring with hands on math manipulatives

  • Sharing and communicating thinking and strategies 

  • Exploring mathematical relationships

  • Investigating and playing with logic

  • Learning and discovering new methods of problem solving

Through thought provoking math challenges and hands-on investigations, students work at:

  • Developing number sense

  • Finding patterns to make connections and discoveries

  • Measuring, estimating, problem solving, designing, communicating, calculating, drawing, sorting, ordering, comparing, extrapolating, generalizing and so much more!

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