Music
All grade levels receive weekly music classes with Jordan Ingalls-Rose. The youngest students start by emphasizing singing, movement, and simple percussion skills. Students progress to learning music reading and instrument playing using recorders and marimbas. Songs are chosen to expose students to a wide variety of musical styles from around the world and are aligned, when possible, with grade level curricula, the seasons, and holidays. Student Film Festival
Since 2017, Pacific School has hosted an annual student short film festival. Students are encouraged to create their own films and let their creativity shine. Documentary, stop action, fantasy, and other genres are all welcome. Films are shown to the community in a festive evening occasion. More information and films from previous years can be viewed here. Visual Arts
Thanks to prop 28 funds, teachers can access curriculum and supplies to support classroom instruction in the visual arts. While each classroom implements art differently, most teachers include visual art in their curriculum at least weekly. Many teachers integrate art with other subject areas. For example, in fourth grade, students make salt maps as they learn about the geography of California; during their studies of the Rancho period, students make their own "diseño" land grant map; when learning about light energy, fourth graders create cyanotype "sun prints" by mixing chemicals that react with the sunlight to create negative space prints; and during creative writing about fall, students create a leaf images to compliment their writing. Each month a different classroom displays student are projects on the front wall of the school office. Drama
While all teachers are encouraged to incorporate drama into their classrooms, theater is especially emphasized in the third, fourth, and fifth grades. In the third grade, students begin their theater experience reading from Reader's Theater scripts to practice fluency and responding to cues. Then, in the Spring, theater shifts to working with WEST Creative Performing Arts to put on a stage production of "When the Mission Bells Rang," first performed at Pacific School! The story focuses on the dramatic cultural shift for the Ohlone people that occurred when the Missions were established in California. The story is told through the perspective of animals and Ohlone children living at the mission, which aligns beautifully with our social studies curriculum. The script is an adaptation from the book of the same name, and students learn theatrical skills, memorize lines, learn stage positioning, and how to work as an acting ensemble. The entire process and performance is truly magical! In fourth grade, students are led by their teacher to put on a class rendition of the musical "Gold Dust or Bust". The performance includes all students in various roles. In this play, students build on their experiences from third grade and learn to memorize lines and choreography. Over the years, the original script has been adapted to recognize various perspectives and include students' own family connections to the gold rush. Additionally, students and family members have been known to add their musical talents by providing the background music to the songs. The process of putting on "Gold Dust or Bust" has become a fond memory for many past students. In fifth grade, students participate in a class production of El Bandido Vasquez, a play about Santa Cruz history written and directed by Josephine Czarnecki of WEST Performing Arts. The performance offers opportunities for all students to participate through acting and dance. Building on skills developed in earlier grades, students learn to memorize lines, develop stage presence, and work together as an ensemble. Through the rehearsal process, students gain confidence, creativity, empathy, and a deeper understanding of local history. For many students, participating in El Bandido Vasquez becomes a memorable highlight of their fifth-grade year. |
A student working on the monster prop for the 2017-18 production of The Odyssey
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