Lower School

Helios School’s rich and complex curriculum fosters not only the development of the intellect, but the social and emotional life of our students, as well.

"Perhaps the best testament to the impact Helios has had on our kids is seeing their joy and enthusiasm to go to school every morning and how, during school breaks, all they can talk about is getting back to school and their friends. We feel very fortunate to have found Helios."

- Helios Parent

Gifted children have little need for rote learning; they need to be actively solving problems, making connections and using their imaginations. Helios offers a rich, interconnected curriculum that provokes deep thinking, provides a real-world context, and produces meaning. We teach in mixed-grade classrooms and regularly organize students into small ability groups to ensure that students are appropriately challenged.

Students learn through our “Expeditions”, themes that students investigate for a full semester. From the Italian Renaissance to Biomimicry and Mission to Mars. These themes are explored from many angles that allow for students to learn new skills in language arts, science, humanities, reading, and writing.

In addition to their Expedition work, students participate in an Ability based math classes, Electives, PE, and iLab. Woven throughout all of these experiences is a customized social-emotional curriculum that helps gifted students manage their intense natures and better understand themselves and others.

Preserving the Mind

"Helios is a rich environment for the preservation of the human mind. It is a place where children are encouraged to think critically and creatively to stretch the boundaries of their knowledge and imagination. It is a place where passion for learning is strengthened, where a standard for excellence is encouraged, where curiosity is fostered, where divergent thoughts are fed, and where perseverance is modeled. Much like the movement to save the rainforests, we need to protect and save the human mind. It is important that we do, our species depends upon it."

- ANABEL JENSEN

MATH

Gifted children are often visual, conceptual learners who intuitively understand math concepts well beyond their years.

At the same time, their ability to write numerals or memorize math facts may be average or lower. Because of this, we customize our math instruction to keep our students challenged and engaged, while at the same time supporting them where they may struggle.

Lower school students begin with Singapore Math. In comparison with typical math programs, the Singapore Math curriculum covers foundational concepts in much greater depth, which is ideal for gifted learners. Singapore Math also makes extensive use of concrete objects and model drawing to visualize problems. This is perfect for our many visual-spatial learners, and promotes flexibility in our symbol-oriented students. When they are ready for Pre-algebra, students progress to The Art of Problem Solving. This textbook series, specifically written for gifted students, emphasizes deep understanding of mathematical concepts. Students then apply the concepts to complex, non-routine problems.

Students work in mixed-grade groups according to their readiness. It’s typical to see a third grader learning alongside a first or sixth grader and teachers will further customize lessons for each group according to its strengths and needs.

HUMANITIES

Humanities at Helios includes the study of language arts, literature, history and the visual and performing arts.

Picture of Student Theme Mission to Mars

Helios teaches the Common Core Standards for Language Arts and Literacy, integrated seamlessly into our themed Expeditions. We provide an irresistible hook and exemplary experiences for gifted learners.

In an Expedition about space exploration, for example, students had to decide which planet in our solar system would be the best one to colonize. With teachers coaching students in different ability groups on reading strategies, they researched options by reading nonfiction works. They drew their conclusions and shared their findings with their classmates. Students wrote persuasive letters to NASA about why Mars would be the best choice, and they received feedback from a NASA representative. They kept journals imagining their experiences as astronauts, while practicing narrative writing.

Additionally, lower school students receive regular, direct instruction in reading and writing, often in smaller ability-based groups. We combine short, targeted mini-lessons with practice and small group sharing.

SCIENCE

The Science Curriculum at Helios covers concepts from the Next Generation Science Standards for grades K to 4, but with a crucial difference -- we integrate everything into our themed Expeditions

Children have a particular affinity for learning through stories, so these Expedition themes ignite their imagination and help them see connections to science in their everyday lives.

In an Expedition about the Age of Exploration, for example, our first and second graders spent the semester imagining themselves as intrepid sailors on the high seas. Envisioning this world led to many compelling science questions: How did sailors get over their fears of sailing into the unknown? How did the sailors find their way? How did they navigate using stars? How did ocean currents and weather affect their voyage? It was an enticing invitation to learn about astronomy, oceanography, meteorology and geography.

With these absorbing semester-long studies, students are gradually introduced to the building blocks of science. They learn the fundamentals of the scientific method and come to view science as much more than a collection of facts. Science is a way of helping the brain grow, of finding new knowledge, and helps students satisfy their curiosity about how the world develops and works. Science is a way to understand the physical and natural world through observation and experimentation.

These themed lessons give gifted learners a compelling need to know, and provide them with the depth and real-world application they desire.

PE

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Helios offers a quality physical education program to students as part of our PE curriculum. Spark (Sports, Play, and Active Recreation for Kids) is an “Exemplary Program” of the U.S. Department of Education.

We use the SPARK Physical Education program in all grade bands. SPARK is a unique program designed to help teachers lead activities that are inclusive and highly active, integrate academic and wellness concepts, and are fun for all students. Additionally, instructional units are designed to develop students’ motor, cognitive, and social skills.

With SPARK Physical Education/Physical Activity students will:

Enjoy and seek out physical activity.
Develop and maintain acceptable levels of physical fitness.
Develop a variety of basic movement and manipulative skills so they will experience success and feel comfortable during present and future physical activity pursuits.
Develop the ability to get along with others in movement environments (e.g., share space and equipment, employ the “golden rule” of competition: be a good sport and demonstrate cooperative behavior).

ELECTIVES

SEL

SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING

Gifted learners aren’t just cognitively complex — they’re emotionally complex, too.

Social-emotional learning (SEL) is a particularly important part of their education, so at Helios we guide students with an SEL curriculum developed in-house and specifically designed to help gifted learners understand themselves and navigate relationships.

From their first days in kindergarten, our students sense the kindness that permeates our school culture and feel valued and supported. Our teachers weave SEL lessons into everyday classroom experiences as well as curricular themes, to provide deep exploration of the key skills of emotional literacy.

As a result, our students:

Develop an awareness, understanding, and acceptance of themselves and others;
Develop interpersonal skills to interact and communicate effectively;
Recognize how others are feeling, develop perspective-taking skills, and appreciate and interact positively with diverse groups;
Participate in activities that promote personal responsibility and service;
Develop leadership skills;
Use appropriate criteria for resolving conflicts and ethical dilemmas;
Create and sustain a learning environment in which everyone feels safe and supported.

OUTDOOR LEADERSHIP

Opportunities to connect with nature are woven throughout our curriculum and through students’ daily experiences on our campus and beyond.

In keeping with our Guiding Principles, we help children learn to care for and respect nature through our Environmental Literacy Program which includes Camping, Fieldwork, Wilderness Village and Gardening.

Starting in Kindergarten, our smallest students camp overnight on campus in their Spring semester. The trips get gradually longer and farther with locations like New Brighton Beach and Manresa State Beach.

We relish the time spent learning with our students in the wild. Over the years we’ve seen multiple, complementary benefits:

Children overcome anxieties as they spend more time outdoors and become comfortable in nature.

Children develop a greater sense of confidence and self-reliance.

Students gain a better understanding of and appreciation for the environment.

Teachers learn even more about their students’ personalities and behaviors.

Students and teachers grow closer as a class and community due to their shared experiences and reliance upon one another.

CAMPING

These trips, taken by students and teachers, are special bonding times for each class.

We begin by teaching basic skills such as tent setup, outdoor cooking and cleaning, then build to map reading, plant and animal identification, and basic first aid. We create a safe atmosphere so students can expand their comfort zones and feel empowered to try new things.

Trips often tie into our multidisciplinary Expeditions. One year, at the end of a semester-long study of the Age of Exploration, our first and second graders camped on the beach and imagined they were shipwrecked.

When students have the opportunity to make connections like this in their areas of study the learning is deep and meaningful.

FIELDWORK

Our Helios curriculum regularly takes students out of the classroom to provide real-world examples of what they’re studying.

We don’t call our outings “field trips”, as students are doing actual field work. We rarely use “off-the-shelf” tours. Instead we work to create experiences in the community, which give students the opportunity to conduct research and interview experts connected to the current semester’s theme of study.

This approach allows students to become deeply engage in the subject material.

GARDEN

Research shows that hands-on, self-directed learning with plants and animals is beneficial for physical development, including large and fine motor skills.

Our Garden is a special retreat where children play and care for plants during recess and after school.

Children practice kindness and empathy as they care for the plants and develop a meaningful connection to their food and the earth.

In addition to student-directed play in the garden, they also maintain and beautify the space, participate in large-scale projects such as permaculture design, and do planned experiments like seed-saving, soil tests, composting, and caring for their own garden plots.

WILDERNESS VILLAGE

Our extensive outdoor space provides a rich opportunity for students to play, learn and connect with the natural world. In addition to tending our farm and garden, they build with pallets, scrap lumber and zip ties in a wooded area the students dubbed the “Wilderness Village.” What begins as a blank slate evolves into an elaborate world where they’re free to create, interact, and imagine.

We provide students with gentle adult supervision and reinforce our school motto, “Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be Kind.” But above all we give them the time, space and agency to create. With this freedom, the Wilderness Village becomes a community in microcosm, where students interact with the environment to create their own culture. They build cottage industries, design currencies and trade commodities. They practice science in the field, learning that a sloped roof will shed rain and how a pulley system works. They plan, conceptualize, work as a team, project manage, improvise, take risks, learn from failure and persevere to success.

Most of all, our students practice critical social-emotional skills as they collaborate in their ongoing adventure, discovery and play.