continued,
Other programs include instrumental music, where students are eligible to participate in group lessons on string instruments in grades 3-6 and band instruments in grades 5-6. The thirty minute lessons are free of charge and scheduled during the school day in consultation with the classroom teachers. In September, the music teachers demonstrate the instruments and distribute information on how and where to rent an instrument. Concerts are scheduled through the year, culminating in a combined performance by the four Union 38 schools in the spring (held at Frontier Regional).
In an effort to provide the best education to our students, the curriculum in the Deerfield Elementary School, based on Common Core established by the Massachusetts Department of Education, is continually examined and revised by teachers and staff. Current research and strategies about best practices in teaching and learning are considered. The Deerfield Elementary School currently has teacher-authored curriculum guides in the areas of Language Arts, Spelling, Science, and Mathematics. These guides outline overall instructional goals, as well as, specific grade level skills for students.
A school community is a set of relationships: among children, among school staff, among family members, and community members. In the Deerfield Elementary School community, these relationships are valued, supported and nurtured. We believe that these relationships are more likely to flourish when community building becomes an explicit part of what we do each day with children. Clearly, the more children feel that their school community cares about them, and meets their needs, the more likely they will feel a part of the community, to practice the very values that the school promotes, and to thrive as learners.