Special Programs and Enrichment
Arts Programs
Sunnyside is committed to providing all of our students with high-quality learning experiences in five branches of the arts: visual arts, music, dance/movement, creative writing, and theater. Additional community partners for 2010-2011 include Kid Serve, poet Gail Newman, and Flyaway Productions.
Visual Arts
- Our Artist-in-Residence program provides weekly art instruction and a major school-wide art project across all grades. We partner with LEAP (Learning through an Expanded Arts Program) which uses a variety of hands-on experiences to stimulate curiosity and foster creativity.
- Our Art Appreciation instruction and curriculum exposes students to the great works of art and encourages students to observe, think and express their thoughts about what they see and experience. This program includes field trips to the DeYoung, Palace of Legion of Honor and the Asian Art Museum. All of our teachers have received special arts training and curriculum through Visual Thinking Strategies.
- Teachers utilize the Art Cart for different monthly projects, which expose students to different mediums such as clay, watercolors, mosaic, etc.
Music
- The San Francisco Symphony provides our Adventures in Music (AIM) program which includes four concerts at our school that are both educational and entertaining. The program’s highlight is a school-wide fieldtrip to the SF Symphony.
- Our Classroom Music Teacher, Ms. Ng, visits the K-3 classrooms every other week and engages our younger students in music, singing and percussion.
- Free Instrumental Music Lessons are provided once per week for grades 4-5. Instruction includes violin, flute, clarinet and trumpet.
- In the Spring, our staff and students put on a School-Wide Musical Performance featuring instrumental music and students across all grade levels.
Performing Arts
- Our K-1 and 3 students receive weekly Creative Movement classes provided by the Performing Arts Workshop.
- The San Francisco Ballet provides weekly dance classes for grade 2 and also identifies potential scholarship students. These students also attend an SF Ballet Performance at the Opera House.
- Grades 4-5 receive weekly Drama Lessons which focus on movement, performance and individual expression.
Creative Writing
- Sunnyside’s Literary Journal, “The Ray”, made its debut at SpringFest 2010. This impressive, 68+ page journal, displays an array of art, poetry and creativity from almost every student at Sunnyside, K-5.
Science
Sunnyside prides itself on its Science focus and the program enhancements we’ve been able to integrate into the curriculum.
- Our K-5 science curriculum is provided through the FOSS Program and includes 6-8 week learning modules focused on Life, Physical Science and Earth.
- Science is integrated into every classroom. In addition, students take science-focused field trips such as a neighborhood tree walk and visits to the Randall Museum.
- The Mission Science Workshops for Grade 1 is an off-shoot of the Exploratorium. Students participate in hands-on, standards-based science activities four times per year at Mission High School.
- San Francisco State University Science Students work with our 2nd graders by doing hands-on experiments in the classroom three to four times per year.
- Science Content Specialists from Working to Improve Science (WISE) volunteer in our Grades 3-5 classrooms each week and focus on science projects and experiments.
- As part of the WISE program, our teachers receive Science Training at the California Science Teachers Convention in the summer and throughout the year at three off-site trainings.
- The Zoomobile visits all classrooms one time during the year so students can make learn about animals and make actual contact with the animals.
Garden Program
- A group of parents and teachers who are passionate about greening and gardening is in the process of organizing a “Learning Garden” which launched in Spring 2009. The mission of this program is to create an “outdoor classroom” where students can gain hands-on science experience through planting, watering, harvesting, and observing the cycle of life.
Physical Education
P.E. is a critical component of our overall curriculum.
- Sunnyside has one part-time P.E. instructor who provides two 30-minute sessions of P.E. instruction every week to each grade. In partnership with SF State, student interns from the Kinesiology department assist the P.E. teacher. In addition, our classroom teachers also provide 30 minutes of P.E. to their classes each week.
- Our P.E. coach leads morning warm-ups and stretches for the whole school three days a week.
- Volunteers organize sports and games at recess.
Technology
Sunnyside believes in the importance of integrating computer technology and instruction into the classroom.
- Each classroom is equipped with an LCD projector and document camera which allow the teachers to present more dynamic and interactive lessons.
- Currently, each classroom has 2-4 computers for each teacher to utilize in their curriculum.
- A Technology Committee continues to work on upgrading our computers and technology.
- Sunnyside is planning a new computer-based enrichment program school-wide, which will match students with challenging online activities to build critical thinking, creative thinking, problem solving, and research experience.
Leadership Development
We provide many opportunities for children to build leadership skills and character as they care for our school and each other.
- Students in Grade 5 proudly take “school jobs” such as crossing guards, playground aides, and cafeteria composting.
- All students may have rotating “classroom jobs”, from line leaders to clean-up managers.
- Kindergarteners are matched with “buddies” from Grade 5, who are trained by our Learning Support Professional to take this special role.
- All students are involved in school beautification, such as the Spring Clean and a tiled mural project.
