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Specialty Classes
The Boyd School believes in education the whole child. Vital to this endeavor are specialty classes that enhance the educational experience. The work of our Specialists is a vibrant component of our school life. Our Specialists are a team of experts in their individual fields and are passionate about the importance of the learning as a life-long endeavor. We offer each child in our school experiences in the following areas. |
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Foreign Language
Language is a central and rich part of each classroom life at The Boyd School. With an array of languages spoken by families in our school community, children have rich experiences and exposure to many languages of the world. Children participate in more formalized study of Spanish (and sometimes French) with classes taught by a Specialty teacher. The emphasis begins with listening and speaking and progresses to reading and grammar study in later years. Songs, stories, poems and cultural study is woven throughout the program. |
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Physical Education
The physical education program at The Boyd School reflects Montessori's understanding of movement as the basis of learning. Self-respect, respect of competitors and good sportsmanship are goals of every aspect of the program as well as the development of a well-grounded and ethical athlete. Our Specialists for physical education programs work to develop activities that are developmentally appropriate and build a child's individual abilities in the areas of strength endurance, ability, speed and flexibility. Most importantly, we want children to have fun while learning that physical activity and keeping a healthy lifestyle is a vital life time goal. |
Art
Creative work is woven into all aspects of classroom life. The Boyd School classes enrich the environments with fine paintings, good music and special programs. The Art Specialists work with he teachers of the younger students (5 years and below) to create art experiences for the children that are available everyday in their classroom and experience a variety of media (paint, clay, paper, textiles and color). Children in kindergarten, elementary and middle school have a more formalized study of Art History and engage in larger projects in Fine Arts with the Art Specialist.
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Music and Performing Arts
The goal of the music and drama program at The Boyd School is to give awareness as well as an opportunity to participate in the joy, the depth of expression and the community experience these arts can provide.
Our Specialists guide their programs to the development level of our youngest students, so that they experience the joy of music. Our kindergarten, elementary and middle school students learn the basic tools of music and drama, including technical skills, cultural and historical references. |
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Children take part in all aspects of a music and drama production including memorization, voice projection, blocking, collecting and making costumes and props, designing and making scenery, creating programs, budgeting, selling tickets, etc... Our program also offers many opportunities for children to visit the Kennedy Center for field trips, so they are exposed to the finest professional artists available, such as the National Symphony Orchestra.
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Outdoors
A hallmark of The Boyd School is the environmental education program which gives each child an opportunity to explore their natural world. Outdoor work is based on Dr. Montessori's vision for the extended classroom and the respect and responsibility inherent in meaningful encounters with the natural world. Our school works closely with the World Nature Forum to develop outdoor learning environments that provide children opportunities to learn more about the world outside. |
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Gardening, composting and other elements of the outdoors are introduced in the earliest stages of our program.
Our elementary and middle school students experience the outdoors with additional outdoor expeditions and camping trips to study areas such as the Chesapeake Bay and the Shenandoah Mountains. |
Peace Education
Dr. Maria Montessori was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for vision and effort to achieve world peace through education. Peace education is intrinsic in the curriculum she designed for the various developmental levels of children. The curriculum is international in its heritage and focus and consciously seeks to promote a global perspective, promoting mutual respect.
The Boyd School was awarded a grant from the Washington Post to develop a Peace Curriculum to honor the work of Dr. Montessori. We celebrate our diversity within our school and set aside September 21 for our annual Peace Assembly to recognize United Nations International Peace Day. |
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Our school is very involved in community service. We support local as well as international organizations. We support a sister school in Uganda and Greg Mortensen’s Three Cups of Tea---Pennies for Peace. These two organizations directly support education for children. We also support many other organizations that improve the lives of children and families in many other ways from water and goats to shoes, clothes and blankets. It is our goal to help children learn to be ever mindful of the needs of others less fortunate than themselves. | |
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