Activities
E.M.C. Elementary offers a variety of activities for students, some of which include parent involvement. Please see below for more information.
Student Activities
- Art Club
- Band
- Orchestra
- Chorus
- Panther Pride Assemblies
- Fitness and Organized Game Clubs
- Reading Olympics
- Student Council
Art Club
E.M.C.'s Art Club takes place during lunch recess for 4th and 5th grade. Students are split into groups to attend one of the four days in our cycle. With limited direction from Ms. Hower, students are encouraged to explore, experiment, draw, paint and sculpt independently or with their peers, to create unique, self-driven works of art. Throughout the year, Ms. Hower demonstrates techniques and teaches students where to find and how to care for materials on their own to help foster their creativity, independence and responsibility in a community. The Art Club has a strong emphasis on recycling and primarily uses donated or recycled materials. Throughout the year, the Art Club will hold sales to raise money for a field trip to an Art Museum at the end of the school year. The Art Club really allows students to hone-in on their personal artistic strengths and interests and express themselves in a community of creative minds.
Band
Elementary Band
The band program begins with like-instrument lessons groups (e.g. flute with flute, trombone with trombone, etc.) and is open to students in grades four and five who have an interest in studying a band instrument. The instruments offered for study are: flute, oboe, clarinet, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, trumpet, French horn, trombone, baritone, and percussion. Students receive one small group lesson once every week, in most cases with other students who play the same instrument, and one band rehearsal with all of the band members in the school once every week. These lessons are scheduled on a rotating system so that children do not miss the same time of day every week. Throughout the year students learn proper instrument performance techniques, as well as how to read printed music. Students are invited to join the large, mixed instrument group (concert band) when they have achieved the benchmark that appropriately prepares them to understand and perform the music used for concert performances. There is typically one performance in the winter and one in the spring. If your child participates in band, you will receive more information about the performances from the band director. Information will include location and time of the concerts, meeting place for performers, and proper concert attire.
In addition to the band program, there is an elementary honors band program.
Orchestra
Elementary Orchestra
Fourth and fifth grade students who sign up for the Orchestra Program will gain experience playing an orchestral string instrument (violin, viola, cello, or bass). To play in the orchestra for the Winter and Spring Concerts, students must pass the beginning benchmark from their lesson book as indicated by their teacher. All orchestra students receive one 30-minute small-group lesson per week and attend one 40-minute orchestral rehearsal with the entire group. Throughout the year, students learn progressive technical and musical techniques and develop skills for group playing and performance. Students participate in both the Winter and Spring Concerts. Exceptional elementary string students who pass the required benchmark are invited to participate in the SASD Elementary Honors Orchestra.
Chorus
Elementary Chorus
Chorus is open to all fourth and fifth grade students. There is NO audition process. We encourage all of our students to be a part of this fun and challenging ensemble! Rehearsals are scheduled into the school day with students having one rehearsal every week. Students are expected to perform in the winter and spring concerts. If your child participates in chorus, you will receive more information about the performances from the choral director. Information will include location and time of the concerts, meeting place for performers, and proper concert attire.
There are many things that we work on during our chorus rehearsals besides just learning correct tones and rhythms. We work on extending the range of our voices and how to use the proper muscles to provide support for singing. We learn how to pronounce our words so that the audience can understand them. We work on getting the correct tempo (speed) of the music that we perform, the correct dynamics (levels of loud and soft), and the correct style of the piece. We prepare a variety of music that touches on many different styles, time periods, and cultures. We teach many facets of music performance and have a lot of fun in the process!
Panther Pride Assemblies
Each month E.M.C. students and teachers gather for a celebration of learning. During this assembly children sing the school song and recite the school motto. Students to share poetry, songs, choral reading or other work they have been doing together. We highlight special events that have occurred in the past month and encourage reading, hard-work, and persistence, as well as upcoming events. Additionally, we share ideas about the Character Counts trait and the Book of the Month. A Celebration of EMC is the perfect place for us to honor learning and to growing in our caring school community.
Fitness and Organized Game Clubs
The students at E.M.C. Elementary School have many opportunities to have fun and stay active during recess. In addition to the traditional recess games of kickball, hopscotch, basketball, and playground, we offer our students fitness clubs and organized games clubs. Students can participate in organized sports clubs to learn sportsmanship and specific skills related to sporting activities.
Reading Olympics
Students in grades 3, 4 and 5 may choose to participate in Reading Olympics, a competition sponsored by the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit. Each year a list of books is identified, and students then read as many of the books as they can. Teams then compete in 40-question sessions to see who can answer the most correct questions about all the books.
Student Council
E.M.C. Elementary School has a student council made up of fourth and fifth grade students. Student Council representatives meet regularly with a faculty advisor. The purpose of the student council is to: develop student leaders, raise and expend money to promote and benefit the general welfare, morale and educational experience of the whole school community. Our Student Council supports student activities that are just simply fun for all students! In the past students have raised money through fun activities such as: crazy hair day, twin day, career day, mismatch day, etc.
Parent Involvement Activities
Mystery Readers
Second grade parents are invited to take turns as the guest/mystery reader in their child's classroom. The students look forward to this tradition and love being surprised when a family member reads aloud and interacts with their classmates. The mystery reader should bring an age-appropriate picture book of their choice and try their best not to spill the beans! The second grade teachers will distribute a sign-up sheet and provide additional information at Back to School Night. Feel free to also email your child's teacher throughout the school year for available upcoming dates. We look forward to listening to your favorite stories when you visit our classrooms!
Read with Me Friday
Over the past several years, we have offered parents the opportunity to visit the First Grade classrooms one day each month to read with their child. We believe it is important for First Graders to share their accomplishments and their learning with you. We would like to continue this meaningful experience again this year. One designated Friday, in October through April, has been selected for, "Read With Me Friday" in First Grade. We are inviting parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, neighbors and friends of the family to join us in sharing and celebrating our learning. You and your First Grader will have the opportunity to read together, sharing and enjoying books. Our hope is that this will be a relaxing, special time for participants to "curl up" and enjoy good books together. We also hope that natural discussions will occur as you read and experience stories together. We welcome you or another significant person in your child's life to join us. Additional information regarding specific dates and times was shared at Back to School Night.