Special Educational Programs [Art, Music, Physical Education, Spanish]

Specials

Spanish

Bienvenidos. Welcome to Mountain School's Spanish Program. Learning to communicate in Spanish and attaining a passion for learning a foreign language and culture is our goal. Learning a foreign language is not only exciting, increases your cultural sensitivity and future job possibilities, it also develops classification skills, concept formation, analogical reasoning, visual-spatial skills, creativity, and other cognitive gains!

I am Señora Michelle Galloway and I am delighted to work with Mountain School's faculty and families to create a culturally diverse Spanish curriculum and to facilitate TeamMastermind! I am a NAU graduate with a major in French, a minor in Spanish and complete course work in secondary teacher certification. My teaching experience includes Spanish (K-12), French (middle and high school), English as a Second Language for K-8 and adults, the Arboretum and the Museum of Northern Arizona.

Michelle Galloway, Spanish and TeamMastermind Teacher

Michelle Galloway, Spanish and TeamMastermind Teacher

Contact Michelle via Email

I have studied, traveled and lived in Mexico and Spain. However, I feel it is important to broaden students' knowledge of numerous Spanish-speaking countries, focusing on 4-5 countries a year. I welcome Hispanic families and those with experience in Spanish language and foreign travel if you would willing to share. Lessons will primarily utilize a TPR curriculum. TPR, Total Physical Response, is a method that involves teaching a language using body movement or gestures to establish meaning. Students will be equipped with skills to understand and even speak Spanish right from the start. ¡Ándale!

TeamMastermind

Learning is about more than just the three R's. It's about thinking outside - way outside - the box. That's why we developed TeamMastermind, an innovative curriculum that not only fosters critical thinking, teamwork, and self-evaluation skills but also empowers kids to use their heads, hearts, and hands - the three H's - to learn. Since 1999, thousands of students have benefited from TeamMastermind.

TeamMastermind is appropriate for any student in grades K-8. At Mountain School all students in grades 2-6 have one Mastermind session each week. Each highly experiential session introduces a theme that students explore through discussion, reading, and hands-on problem solving in small groups. For more information about TeamMastermind, click here.

Art

My name is Ellen Hobson and I will be the Art Teacher for Mountain School. I have been teaching art for 16 years - from the Navajo Reservation, to Gilbert, Arizona, to here in Flagstaff at St. Mary's/SFdA Catholic School.

I feel that art is crucial to the development of a child in that they can explore, create, problem solve, and communicate in a variety of ways. There are many solutions to the art query and giving children opportunities to develop their artistic skills can enable them to express themselves more confidently.

I am looking forward to teaching art to the students at Mountain School!

Ellen Hobson, Art Teacher

Maggie Weidinger, Music Teacher

Music

Music is fun and should be accessible for all. I believe in creating an environment that allows every child to gain life long appreciation for music. My goal for the Mountain School Music program is to allow the students to experience music through a variety of hands on experiences with instruments, movement, singing, and listening exercises.

Physical Education

As a Physical Education instructor, it is my goal to teach the students to understand the importance of a healthy lifestyle, and how physical fitness will help them today as well as in the future. My classes foster an environment that teaches students self discipline in a safe and caring manner. Students will develop balance, coordination, self esteem and creative movement in a non-competitive approach.

KC Hershey, PE Instructor