All You Need to Know about Specials
Spanish, Music, Library, Drama, Art, PE, Design Lab—at NMS, we name these classes Specials, and with good reason.
What’s so special about Specials?
Ask your child what they like most about school. Answers might include “seeing my friends!,” “doing my work,” “having great teachers.” More likely than not, your child will also light up about Specials. The experiences they offer include...
designing and building a cool project from scratch
singing songs and playing Orff instruments
getting active with friends in the gym
creating beautiful art for the whole community to enjoy
hablando y escribiendo en Español
learning from our amazing story-teller and librarian, Ms. Denise
performing in a play, with a puppet you made yourself
...all memories that will last a lifetime! Ask your child for their favorite Specials memory.
How are Specials experienced by age group?
Our Beginner students enjoy Spanish, Library, and Music classes each week. In Primary, these classes continue with age-appropriate curricula; students also attend Art and Physical Education classes and experience Drama through their class assemblies and in Kindergarten Readers’ Theatre. Once in Elementary, Design Lab and a more structured Drama class are added. Read more about the classes on our Specials page.
Why so many Specials?
We want to provide experiences for the whole child, and this includes fostering their creative and physical growth while building their cognitive and academic skills. Hearing a second language from a young age helps a student learn foreign languages later in school. Knowing how to access reliable information in the library empowers a student to engage with an ever-changing world. Developing strong gross motor skills builds the core strength needed to sit in class and is crucial for good fine motor skills such as handwriting.
In the bulletin Preparing Students for the Next America, The Arts Education Partnership cites a variety of research highlighting how instruction in the arts increases learning and achievement and many areas. For example, Drama instruction increases reading readiness and word fluency. Students who participate in learning music perform higher on math assessments than students who do not study music. Through the arts, students learn to collaborate, communicate and persevere—all habits of mind that are vital in school, work and life.
Please join us on March 15th for the All You Need to Know about Specials event and experience some of the classes for yourself. Not only will you learn more about how these classes help develop your child’s skills, you will experience the best part of the classes – the talented Specialists themselves! We hope to see you there!
