Cultivating Academic Excellence at Barnhart School

Barnhart’s curriculum is designed to actively engage its students in learning and to prepare them for top high schools, college and beyond. The school offers challenging academics in the core areas of math, science, literacy, writing, and social studies, using the California standards as its minimum learning for each grade level with the intent of moving beyond them. Barnhart also utilize standards from the National Council of the Teachers of English and Mathematics (NCTE and NCTM) in establishing the curriculum. Within this framework, teachers have the flexibility to design instructional strategies, lessons, and projects that actively engage student learning in attaining these standards along with attention to promoting flexible, creative and complex thinking skills.

What do students learn at Barnhart?

Visit the campus and you will find students in English classes reading the finest in children’s literature, in history studying world cultures, in a morning chapel listening to stories read on values and virtues, in math taking an interconnected program from basic math to algebra, and these are just the core subjects. We offer a rich fine arts curriculum, with music teachers who work with musicians from around the world, along with graphic arts, choral music, and a fine arts program. Barnhart truly develops the whole child!

Students attend chapel in our beautiful sanctuary where they learn respect for diversity, and the application of virtues and values to their daily lives. Just as we develop the intellect and the soul, we exercise the body: our rich athletic program (member Foothill League) includes football, basketball, volleyball, baseball, and more. Championships are often achieved based on sportsmanship and skill level. The Barnhart Bobcats play for the joy of the game, learning essential lessons of fair play.

Academic Program Offerings

Barnhart is pleased to offer a full complement of core subjects along with co-curricular classes in visual and performing arts, woodshop, life skills, public speaking, yearbook, technology, and instrumental music. Other important features of our academic program include:

• Spanish is offered in ALL grades
• Algebra is taken by all 7th & 8th graders.
• All students visit the library once per week and learn how to access resources
• Science and social studies are offered at every grade with a Science Fair celebration in the spring.
• Physical Education is offered EVERY day.
• Barnhart School developed a strong early literacy program and use leveled books, assessments, guided reading and differentiated instruction.
• A Student Success Team (SST) works to help all of our students find success in learning.
• Writers’ Workshop is used as part of the K through 8th grade curriculum based on the work of Dr. Lucy Calkins at Columbia University. This program, with 25 years of research, enables our students to become the best possible writers.

Instructional Strategies

Barnhart School utilize a range of strategies to accommodate and enhance all learning styles of students. If a student does not learn the way we teach, then we teach the way they learn. Differentiated instruction allows for students at different levels of interest and achievement to be challenged at their “just right” level. We also use small group, large group, partner, cooperative learning, mini lessons (Writers’ Workshop), conferencing, project based, SMARTBoard technology, multiple intelligence/learning style centers, and many other types of active engagement to ensure that all students succeed.

Barnhart School, 240 West Colorado Blvd., Arcadia, (626) 446-5588 or visit www.barnhartschool.org.