The Arts at East Campus
At the East Campus, our youngest students in kindergarten and first grade are introduced to the joy and wonder of the arts.
Whether it be singing together in French, rehearsing for an upcoming ballet performance, or creating a new work of art, we believe young children thrive in school when given opportunities to explore their creativity.
We invite you to learn more about our arts and innovation classes for students at the East Campus. Click on a class below to get started.
Arts Classes | Grades K-1
Ballet
Children love to move, jump, and dance, making ballet a wonderful arts class for our youngest students!
The Ballet program for Kindergarten and first graders focuses on basic ballet terminology, learning how to use the ballet studio, gross motor skills and coordination, and musicality. Our young students are also introduced to simple choreography and perform on stage at performances such as the Kindergarten Move-Up Ceremony and the Spring Concert.
French
In French class, students learn about various cultures, geography, and the world around them using the French language.
The K-1 French curriculum begins to address the four domains of language: Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking.
Our young student will also use language to learn about Art, Geography, and History through the curriculum’s emphasis on the “5 Cs”, as outlined by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL):
- Communication—Communicate effectively in more than one language in order to function in a variety of situations and for multiple purposes.
- Cultures— Interact with cultural competence and understanding.
- Connections— Connect with other disciplines and acquire information and diverse perspectives in order to use the language to function in academic and career- related situations.
- Comparisons— Develop insight into the nature of language and culture in order to interact with cultural competence.
- Communities— Communicate and interact with cultural competence in order to participate in multilingual communities at home and around the world.
Through song and dance we learn our French ABCs, 123s and Colors along with simple conversation greetings.
Meet the French Teacher for grades K-1, Madame Romuala Diaz Manfrini!
Bonjour, my name is Romualda Diaz Manfrini. I was born and raised in South Philadelphia and I am a 2nd generation Filipino-American. I received my Bachelor of Science, from Drexel University. I currently take continuing studies at Eastern University for Early Childhood Education. I speak French fluently and studied for two consecutive years in Paris, France. I love teaching at Philadelphia Performing Arts: A String Theory Charter School because I truly believe we all can benefit from all the creative arts. I am so honored to be your child’s teacher this year and I know we will all have so much fun learning.
Madame Romualda Diaz Manfrini | rdiazmanfrini@stringtheoryschools.org
Innovations in Science
In Innovations in Science, students partake in inquiry-based learning, complete project-based assignments and use the lab to its fullest to enrich their overall science experience while in school.
Students explore a variety of topics ranging from the scientific process to energy and ecosystems. Proper and safe use of laboratory equipment and is also a key feature of the curriculum for our young scientists!
Topics explored throughout the school year include:
The Scientific Method
Lab safety
Lab equipment
Ecosystems, Plants, Animals and their Niches
Force and Motion
Water and Weather
Earth and its Moon
Natural Disasters
Polymers
Matter
Electricity
Electric Circuits
Plant and Animal cells
Invasive Species
Meet the Innovations in Science Teacher for Grades K-1,
Mrs. Mary Anne Miller!
Mrs. Miller teaches Innovations in Science classes to grades Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd. In addition to being a Science teacher, Mrs. Miller has also been a classroom teacher, a Creative Writing teacher, and has experience teaching students up to 8th grade. After growing up in South Philadelphia, she went to college and graduate school earning her Masters Degree in Education from Temple University. She is married and has three boys, Keith, Nicholas and Anthony. Her favorite color is purple and her favorite animal is a sloth! Mrs. Miller loves teaching and learning new things with her students!
Mrs. Mary Anne Miller | mmiller@stringtheoryschools.org
Instrumental
In the Kindergarten through first grade Instrumental Music program, students are introduced to reading, dictating, and performing music while learning about the many instruments the world has to offer!
Students learn how to read, write and perform rhythms on various Orff instruments, read notes on a musical staff, watch and follow and conductor, and more.
This is all further connected to their general education through connections with storytelling, history, and the students’ own life experiences. Students also learn to internalize music through rhythmic and motion activities that go beyond the demands needed to make musical sound. This knowledge is then channeled into learning how to play and care for the violin.
Visual Arts
The goal of our Visual Arts program is to motivate students to express themselves visually and creatively through artistic thought and action.
In class, students build a foundation of art knowledge and skills through Studio Habits. This includes: Come up with a Big Idea, Observe and Express, Envision, Stretch and Explore, Develop Skills, Engage and Persist, Reflect and Connect. Students will partake in inquiry based learning, complete project-based assignments and use the art room to its fullest, to enrich their overall art experience while in school.
The elementary art program enriches the entire curriculum in so many ways, and has four components that create a quality program. They are: Aesthetic Perception, Art Criticism, Art History/Culture, and Art Production/Creative Expression. These four components will be a part of art class and will provide a strong connection to curriculum integration.
At each grade level student will:
- Practice problem solving and critical thinking.
- Learn history and culture through art.
- Learn to more effectively use their senses to explore the world.
- Use both verbal and nonverbal methods to express abstract ideas and emotions.
- Learn to trust their own creative intelligence.
- Learn concepts and techniques that will give them control of the visual images they produce.
- Learn to identify aesthetic qualities in a variety of artwork and in the environment.
- Learn the language of visual art so that they have a precise vocabulary in which to express their ideas.
There is a Spring Art Show in May every year, where each Visual Art student is represented. It is open to the students' families and friends! Each class donates a piece of art to be raffled off as a fundraiser at the event.
Meet the Visual Arts Teacher for Grades K-1 and 5th Grade Design Majors, Mrs. Allegra George!
Mrs. George has been teaching art in Philadelphia since 2004. Mrs. George holds a Masters in Arts Education from Boston University, and studied undergrad at Tyler School of Art,Temple University. She taught high school art for 16 years before joining us here at PPACS in 2020. In 2022, Mrs. George started the Ambassador Leadership program for our 5th grade students and leads our 4th grade art club. Mrs. George loves being part of the String Theory community and enjoys helping the arts programs grow. She believes each student holds creativity within.
Mrs. Allegra George | ageorge@stringtheoryschools.org
Vocal
In Vocal Music, students learn the basic skills and techniques necessary for musical expression via the body, imagination, and VOICE.
Although singing is the primary focus of the Vocal Music Program, other musical venues, such as rhythm, movement , folk dance, history, culture, and composition, will also be explored in order to expand student’s musical horizons
In Kindergarten through 1st grade, Vocal Music students have the opportunity to perform in the Annual Spring Vocal and Instrumental Concert. K-1 students also learn songs to be performed at school celebrations, and provide musical contributions to our school-wide events such as the Multicultural Fair.
In the classroom, students will have the opportunity and resources to…
-
Respond and Connect to music from multiple cultures and geographic locations
-
Perform the physical production of music using the voice as well as classroom instruments individually, in small groups, and as an ensemble
-
Read and notate musical notation
-
Create: Communicate using music (composing, improvising, utilizing expressive elements of music)
-
Participate in a collaborative team to create vocal music
Throughout the year, methods of musical expression students explore include:
-
Kodaly Solfege Syllables (Do, Re, Mi...etc.)
-
Gordon System of Rhythm (Du, Du-De….etc.)
-
Choral Singing in Varying Genres/Styles
-
Laban Efforts (Movement-based Analysis)
-
Musical Theatre and Storytelling
-
Orff Schulwerk (Creative Play Using Mallet/Percussion Instruments)