The Music Department at Hayden Heights consists of Ms. Kay Smith and Ms. Amalie Niethammer. Ms. Smith is the music specialist and Ms. Niethammer is the band instructor.
Students from all grades rotate through Ms. Smith's music class per the prep rotation schedule and there are 6 spring concerts that include students from these classes.For concert dates, see the Hayden Heights Calendar. Concerts are at 10:00 a.m. (dress rehearsal), 2:00 p.m. (videotaping), and 7:00 p.m. (public performance).If there are any changes to the schedule, Ms. Smith will inform students and parents with a written notice at least two weeks in advance.
In music this year classes will be taught using Renzulli's Schoolwide Enrichment Model. This means that students will choose their own songs, the topic for their song and how the instruments will be used in their song. Ms. Smith will be their coach or facilitator. Grades K-3 will have more teacher suggestions and guidance. Grades 4-6 will be encourage to use their own ideas with Ms. Smith helping with musical concepts and terminology. The objective is to have more student choice. The concert is their final product (so attendance at the concerts is highly encouraged).
The computer lab contains 32 iMac computers which students use to expand their knowledge in the use of technology, as a tool for their learning process. The focus in the lab is word processing, keyboarding skills, and using the Internet as a research tool. Students should be striving to reach a goal of typing 30 words per minute by the end of the 6th grade.
Hayden Heights Science Program reaches all students from kindergarten to sixth grade. Science is taught in Kindergarten through the 2nd grades by the classroom teachers, and in third through the sixth grades by a specialist. Each year students learn about earth, physical and life science through a variety of experiments, hands-on observation, and reading. Examples of the FOSS Science curriculum include first graders sorting rocks with screens, third grade exploring how vibrations cause sound, and sixth graders testing the sugar content of breakfast cereals.
