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Academics at Bertschi
Farm to Table Market Study
Second graders engage in an interdisciplinary unit about markets around the world, exploring how food makes its way from farm to table. Students visit Full Circle Farms at Griffin Creek and Pike Place Market. Students are challenged as mathematicians, artists, and global citizens culminating in a self-run food and craft market for the Bertschi community.
Hands-On Equations
In grades, 3, 4, and 5, students engage in algebraic thinking through Hands-On Equations, a manipulative-based program for elementary-aged students Using scales, pawns, and number blocks, students explore ways to keep the scale balanced and solve for the value of the pawn, or X. This program is self-paced, and students deepen their understanding as problem solvers and creative thinkers.
Specialist Spotlight: Robotics & Technology
Fifth graders dive into the exciting world of robotics and coding with LEGO Spike Prime, guided by curriculum developed at Carnegie Mellon's world renowned Robotics Academy. Students tackle real-world challenges, sharpening their computational thinking skills, building collaboration skills, and confidence in their coding abilities through creativity and problem-solving. Robotics and coding at Bertschi empowers young minds to stretch and grow, preparing them for a future where innovation and technology shape the world, fostering an ongoing adventure in learning and discovery.
The Bertschi Village
Our campus, the Bertschi “village,” is scaled for children and helps them learn to navigate the school day independently and with confidence. Our urban campus supports students as they play, create, examine, question, and share their selves and ideas with their friends and community.
The Virtues
Layered into the curriculum in all grade levels is our celebrated social emotional learning (SEL) curriculum. The Virtues Project a hallmark of our SEL program, used as a scaffold to build important skills such as self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. As students grow, virtues become ever more integrated into our academic approach including as a tool to discuss important historical, cultural, and social issues such as stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination.