Academic Programs

Leveled reading uses various assessment tools to determine how well a student reads, and then matches them to books that are challenging enough for them to make progress. Books are categorized into levels of difficulty, which is how a perfect match, based on ability, can be made. 

 

The 7 Habits of Happy Kids and 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens are part of Steven Covey's Leader in Me program. The Leader in Me is a whole-school transformation model that acts like the operating system of a computer — it improves performance of all other programs. Based on The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People®, The Leader in Me produces transformational results such as higher academic achievement, fewer discipline problems, and increased engagement among teachers and parents. Better yet,The Leader in Me equips students with the self-confidence and skills they need to thrive in the 21st century economy.

 

COGNITIVELY GUIDED INSTRUCTION (CGI)

 

Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI) is research that is based on over 30 years of questioning how students think about math. It is not a one size fits all math program. A CGI approach to math allows teachers to better understand the common core state standards and how to meet their rigorous demands. CGI supports teachers in planning purposeful problems that allow students to develop a deeper conceptual and procedural understanding of math; this leads students to develop meaningful problem solving strategies that become more sophisticated over time.

 

Students, in CGI classrooms, are allowed to solve problems in ways that make sense to them and as a result of this, they can reason about math, explain their thinking both orally and through written work, and make connections to more complex and formal strategies. Students gain more confidence and persevere because they see that math makes sense and that they are capable  and competent problem solvers! 

We partner with the company Growing Educators to further develop our students' reading and writing skills across the curriculum.  Growing Educators use proven methodologies to coach and support teachers.  They provide ongoing professional development sessions including monthly "labs" with hands-on in-class coaching, modeling and debriefing sessions.

 

Units of Study for Teaching Writing is organized around Units of Study. Each Unit of Study lays out four to six weeks of instruction. Together the units provide the teaching points, minilessons, strategies, and tools needed to jump in and teach writing to students. Presented sequentially, these units help you teach narrative and expository writing with increasing sophistication.

 

PeaceBuilders is a science-based, research-validated violence prevention curriculum and professional development program for grades pre-K to 12. Its essence is a common language - six principles, taught, modeled and practiced. These same principles set behavioral expectations, reduce aggression, and transform the climate and culture of any environment to one which is cooperative, productive, and academically successful.

 

 

THE LEARNING GARDEN

This year The Kitchen Community has come to Harry Bridges to help implement our very own learning garden.  In unified effort, all our of students will participate in the entire garden process: planting seedlings, watering, weeding and harvesting.  A successful garden team includes teachers, parents, administration, facilities personnel, and community members contributing their enthusiasm and experience to the garden program
OUR MISSION IS COMMUNITY THROUGH FOOD
​The Kitchen Community, a 501c3 non profit organization founded in 2011, impacts over 125,000 children a day with 240 Learning Gardens in schools and community organizations across the country. These Learning Gardens serve schools as outdoor classrooms and experiential play-spaces that connect kids to real food and empower them to make healthier food choices. They are designed to be a place where students want to learn and teachers want to teach.​
At the heart of what we do is a deep seeded commitment to the value of community, so we’ve built an Education program as a resource to teachers with Learning Gardens. We assign each Learning Garden a regional Educator that works with the Garden Team and teachers to ensure a successful integration. Our Educators also host frequent teacher training workshops in each region.

 

 

Schools for Advanced Studies demonstration sites receive the SAS designation for their exemplary Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) implementation. The Schools for Advanced Studies designation, initially implemented in the 1998-1999 school year, was created to acknowledge exemplary school models of innovative, equitable and effective GATE practices districtwide. By providing high-quality differentiated instruction with an emphasis on depth, complexity, acceleration and novelty, SAS sites offer high-level academic opportunities that meet the unique educational needs of K-12 gifted learners, identified in the Intellectual Ability, High Achievement Ability, Specific Academic Ability, Creative Ability and Leadership Ability categories or verified based on critical thinking/achievement.

 

 

NATIONAL HEALTHIER SCHOOLS SILVER AWARDEE
Every child deserves to attend a healthy school. Be honored for your hard work in creating a healthier school by earning a National Healthy Schools Award. All award winners are recognized as America's Healthiest Schools.Schools that receive the National Healthy Schools Award meet or exceed stringent standards established in Healthier Generation’s Healthy Schools Program Assessment, a version of the 2017 School Health Index from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  
Awarded schools receive Healthier Generation’s National Healthy Schools Award at the Bronze, Silver or Gold level, awarded annually based on the number of best-practices they have implemented relating to children’s health. Healthier Generation’s team of school health experts evaluate schools based on their ability to serve healthier meals and snacks, get students moving more, offer high-quality health and physical education, and support staff wellness.