Elementary School
kindergarten to 5TH GRADE INCLUSIVE
Mon-FRI | 8:30am - 3:00pm
optional extended day is 7:00am - 6:00pm
¡Hola! ¡Bienvenidos a la clase de Ingles y Español!
HELLO, AND WELCOME TO OUR CLASS IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH!
Elementary School
kindergarten to 5TH GRADE INCLUSIVE
Mon-FRI | 8:30am - 3:00pm
optional extended day is 7:00am - 6:00pm
¡Hola! ¡Beinvenidos a la clase de Ingles y Español!
HELLO, AND WELCOME TO OUR CLASS IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH!
Elementary School | grades 1 -5 | Serving Virginia Beach, VA
FULL SPANISH IMMERSION
All grade levels (1st through to 5th) are full Spanish immersion.
THE BILINGUAL ADVANTAGE
NO SPANISH EXPERIENCE OR FAMILY BACKGROUND REQUIRED
If your child has ZERO SPANISH, he or she will catch-up – we’ve seen it many many times. We have never had a student fall behind academically. They may struggle for the first month or two; at this age (6 to 10 years), they tend to end each day excited, and begin each day apprehensive for the first while, but soon they will catch-up and every day will become a gift to them today, to you, and to their future.
SMALL CLASS SIZES
MAKE A HUGE IMPACT
ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
BEYOND THE BASICS
Courthouse Academy uses the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL’s) educational goals as a guideline for the school year. With the additional Spanish curriculum students experience at Courthouse Academy they will have a much fuller and more enriching education which will open doors in their future.
READING TWO GRADE
LEVELS ABOVE PEERS
WE CARE FOR THE MIND & BODY
LOW STUDENT-TEACHER RATIOS AND SMALL CLASS SIZES
What they say about smaller class sizes is true – kids learn better, faster, and get far more personalized attention. That’s why we offer a 1-8 teacher to student ratio which is much lower than most other private and all public options. This means your child will excel through much more individual attention from his teachers.
ALL-INCLUSIVE ENRICHMENTS
FULL STEM / STEAM CURRICULUM
GROUP PROJECTS THAT
INSPIRE TEAMWORK
Some of the recent group projects the children have completed include reading the book The Dot by Peter Reynolds and then working together constructing chains out of one single piece of construction paper, students also had to see who could make the highest tower out of index cards and sticky dots. During the summer the students built a bridge for the playground. Kids learn cooperation, teamwork, and communication skills in our group projects.
EXPERIENTIAL, HANDS-ON APPROACH
HOMEWORK CLUB
Students who attend our Extended Day program have the opportunity to get their homework done before going home in the evening- a true lifesaver for parents!
EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES AND CLUBS
ART CLASS
In Art class the children will experience learning through strengthening their fine motor skills, creativity and confidence. Learning how to hold a paint brush and scribbling with a crayon or marker will help them to develop their fine motor skills. Allowing them to have the freedom to use their inner creativeness will enrich their minds and build their self-confidence while they complete their masterpieces.
COMPUTERS
We live in a technologically advanced world and therefore introduce computers as another way to teach the students in a media alternative to pen and paper. Students delve into a (closely monitored) world of the internet which has never ending possibilities for research and learning.
GYM
Physical Education Class (gym), whether it is outdoors or indoors in our gymnasium will teach the children how to cooperate in a team setting, follow rules and stay focused. Gym class will help strengthen the children’s gross motor skills while they run, play games, learn sports and interact with each other.
MUSIC
In Music class the students will learn to become masters of memorization and to be able to develop language and reasoning while entering a world that engages them to be silly and creative. Music helps to build upon pattern recognition and math skills and helps children to be more focused. Music guides them in their emotional development.
TAP AND BALLET
HIP HOP
Hip hop keeps the children active in a healthy way. Moving to the rhythmic patterns in hip hop class the students will enjoy their time dancing. Students improve their ability to focus and follow directions while learning to command their bodies. At the end of the year the hip hoppers will put on a recital and showcase their costumes and their moves!
SOCCER
Soccer shots comes to the school and teaches the children the fundamentals of soccer. The kids love it and the coaches are fantastic!
FUN BUS
The Fun Bus drives into Courthouse Academy weekly and parks at the school. The kids cannot get enough. It is fitness and fun on wheels.
BOOK FAIR
Twice a year Courthouse Academy hosts a book fair where families can peruse a wonderful assortment of books, activities, and toys and may make their choice of purchases. These fairs support our students’ reading and also supports the school as Scholastic provides the school with academic materials.
ROCK-IT SCIENCE
Rock-It Science offers a fun hands-on class and also encourages development of fine motor, language, math, and thinking skills. It’s mission is to introduce young students to the scientific method and encourage a desire to find answers, come up with questions, and predict outcomes.
FAQs
Frequently asked questions
Extensive studies have shown the benefits and increases to creativity, focus, lateral thinking, and other enhancements that occur in a child’s brain. These last a lifetime. If your child continues to practice their Spanish and become fully bilingual, it will then become a competitive advantage for college and jobs afterwards. It’s an excellent feature to distinguish yourself on a resume! Read more on our page “Benefits of Being Bilingual“
This is a very common question from touring families. Families do not need to speak Spanish in order for their children to be successful learners. This is where the process of immersion is especially valuable. Because your child is being spoken to in Spanish throughout their school day, they are getting enough exposure to the language to grasp and master Spanish without using it at home. Of course, practicing at home or with other Spanish speakers is always helpful, but research shows (and our experience confirms) that children with little or no reinforcement of Spanish at home are just as successful in immersion programs as those with native speakers at home. Moreover, families and caregivers do not need to speak Spanish to have good communications with teachers and other staff, either. We will always speak to parents & caregivers in English.
This is one of our most-asked questions. It is completely understandable for parents to wonder how their child will be able to follow along when they begin in an immersion classroom. Your child will understand what is going on in class and learn Spanish the same way they learned their first language—naturally.
Your child’s teacher will:
• use lots of gestures and visual prompts including hand and body cues, inflection, and facial signals to make sure all children in class are able to follow along easily, and
• utilize stories, songs, games, and play to make clear what is being conveyed.
While all of these methods are used to encourage understanding Spanish, there is always a English speaking teacher in the room to translate and clarify when necessary.
Not at all; we teach in both languages to ensure that our students excel in both.
