PERKINS ACADEMY

Perkins Academy is a neighborhood school serving children from the neighborhood as well as throughout the city. Perkins has all-day kindergarten through grade five, in a beautifully renovated building.

At Perkins many children are taught above-grade-level math and advanced reading. As a result of our continued focus on the basic skills, former Perkins students consistently achieve status as National Merit Scholars, Presidential Scholars, and Advanced Placement (AP) Scholars.

Perkins Academy has implemented the Des Moines literacy framework.  Students spend 2-3 hours daily working in the literacy areas of comprehension, fluency, writing, and word knowledge.  Perkins classroom teachers and literacy support staff have participated in extensive literacy training ensuring every student receives exemplary instruction.

To access curriculum maps detailing content standards by grade level, click on the following link:

http://www.dmps.k12.ia.us/programs/5curriculum-literacy.htm  and then select grade level.

 

 

The staff at Perkins Academy strives for excellence in mathematics instruction. All of our K-5 teachers are participating in staff development training in Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI), which is based on the belief that children come to school knowing what it means to get more of something, to lose something, and to share quantities; therefore, they have a basic knowledge of addition, subtraction, and division. CGI builds on the knowledge students already have. Students are able to work at their own level of mathematical knowledge. Students are accelerated when appropriate, and the building supports students taking middle school math, including Pre-Algebra.

CGI, a research-based program developed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, complements the DMPS elementary mathematics curriculum development that has been taking place in the areas of algebra, number sense, and operations. At the heart of Cognitively Guided Instruction is the teacher’s facilitation of students’ thinking through the presentation of word problems containing carefully selected sets of numbers, facilitated discussions and sharing, and probing questions. When children are presented with these word problems, they form an understanding of math concepts. By explaining their solutions to classmates, students develop an even deeper understanding of concepts. Teachers are able to identify areas of strengths and difficulties for their students because they gain an in site into student thinking through observations of the methods used to solve the problems and through asking questions of the student.

This approach to instruction requires more than finding and using a collection of fun problems and memorized facts and algorithms. It is the teacher’s role to ensure that students are being presented tasks correctly targeting the mathematics to be learned. They must also strive to engage the students in mathematical discussions and use questioning to inspire students’ thinking. Finally, they must provide targeted skills instruction so students can develop number-sense and computational fluency.

 

 

Perkins offers a unique science program where children are taught through inquiry-based instruction.  Students are able to inquire and pose their own questions within the subject of study.  The science specialist follows the DMPS curriculum, and is able to supplement that curriculum with other units from the Lawrence Hall of Science.  Each grade level has two opportunities to do science out of the classroom by going on exciting field experiences.  Those trips include everything from pond studies to an anatomy laboratory at DMU.  In addition, our classroom teachers provide instruction in Health and are always finding ways to incorporate science into the curriculum.

 

 

The children at Perkins have many opportunities for artistic and athletic development.

Perkins Singers, a choir of 4^th and 5^th graders is very popular.  In addition to their concerts at school, they are frequently asked to perform at community events.  Orchestra and band lessons are available to 4^th and 5^th graders, and all of the students have performance opportunities at various times throughout the year.

Art students are involved in decorating the halls of the school.  Their work is exhibited on Channel 12 and at various community art exhibits.  The Artist in Residency program is also utilized by Perkins’ art students.

Our after-school tinikling program is extremely popular with students, and the Perkins Relays is a highlight of every year with lots of community and parent involvement in the fun.

At Perkins Academy, we are proud of our diversity. One third of our school population is made up of English language learners who are served in our ELL program by our full-time ELL staff of teachers and tutor. These students come from different cultural backgrounds from around the globe including North and Central America, Africa and Asia. They speak languages including Spanish, Chatino, Zapoteco, Chinese, Vietnamese, Arabic, Bosnian, Somali, Kirundi, and Kiswahili, in addition to others.

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Last Revised: March 04, 2010