Our curriculum has several major themes each year that culminate in Annual Events. These form a significant part of our shared life at Breakwater, and are often memorable in their own right!
Multi-cultural Travel Week. Every Fall, all students spend some time learning about other countries, celebrating the diversity of the world in which we live. Students in each grade study one country in depth and learn about its culture and customs.
The culmination of these activities occurs each year in December, and is called Multi-cultural Week Travel. During this week students visit one of the four "countries" set up at the various grade levels, have their passports stamped, listen to presentations by the students whose grade they are visiting, send postcards from “abroad” to their friends, sample foods from the country, and generally have a grand time.
Countries that students have studied in recent years include: Thailand, Japan, Australia, Mexico, Peru, Brazil, Scotland, Italy, Israel, Egypt, Morocco, Guinea, Ghana, South Africa.
Earth Week. Our original Earth Day celebration has grown into a 3-5 day outdoor learning program and celebration of our environment. It is relevant, experiential, and integrated into both our classroom and science programs, with a different theme each year. Recent themes have included:
- The Greater Portland Watershed
- The Soil Beneath Our Feet
- Urban Wildlife and City environments
This Spring, Preschoolers will be exploring ponds in the Portland area, while First through Fifth Graders will be immersed in the study of aquatic eco-systems including ponds, rivers, estuaries and the ocean. We will be testing both water quality and diversity of plant and animal life, and reporting our findings to the Gulf of Maine Research Institute's Vital Signs Project. Students typically learn concepts such as energy flow, cycles, interrelationships, diversity, and change.
Learning Buddies. Small groups of students from different grade levels meet weekly on Fridays starting in late October to work together on various community service projects. Each student learns to work with students of different ages (both older and younger), while completing a series of projects with the assistance of one or more faculty members.
This program builds relationships between students in different grades, as well as between students and faculty members who may not be in their classroom very often.
Founder's Day. A day to celebrate our school's history, and remind ourselves of our core values and mission. We are fortunate that our founder, El Costa, continues to visit us several times each year. Her passion and energy continue to inspire our students, faculty, and parents.
LEAP Projects. 5th Graders spend a significant portion of their school year working on their Lifetime Examination and Analysis Projects (LEAP). Students are asked to choose a person that interests them, and learn as much as they can about their subject's life and achievements. At the conclusion of their biographical research and analysis, they present the results of their work to the assembled crowd. Student products are often dazzling, and have included movies, documentaries, artwork, music, comics, posterboard displays, essays, and community service projects.
5th Grade Graduation Day. Each 5th Grade student spends the last several months of their year preparing a reflection on their Breakwater experiences, which they present to our assembled community on this day. All Breakwater families are invited to attend this not-to-be-missed celebratory culmination event, which provides us all with annual proof of what a Breakwater education does for our children.
