Specials
At Community Partnership School, the specials are an integral part of our curriculum. Throughout their time at CPS, students are actively engaged in physical education, reading at the library, and the visual and performing arts.
-
In the art classroom, CPS students are encouraged to take risks as they paint, draw, sculpt, and weave. In addition to hands-on experiences in the classroom, our students are exposed to Philadelphia’s thriving arts and culture scene through field trips. All grades visit art spaces in the community and connect those experiences back to their work in the classroom. For example, first grade makes mosaics after their yearly visit to Philadelphia Magic Gardens. We are also lucky to have our own kiln at CPS, so ceramics is a large part of our art curriculum.
-
Our music program focuses on responding to music, creating music, and performing music. Beginning in Pre-K, our students learn about musical traditions from cultures all over the globe, and each semester culminates in a school-wide performance centered around a different theme. Each spring, our music and art programs come together to celebrate the continent of study at our annual Continent Fair.
-
During their time at CPS, our students have many opportunities to participate in theater presentations. Through a collaboration between the music, art, and classroom teachers, our 2nd grade students perform “Readers’ Theater.” Students write their own music, create the sets and props, and perform the final work for the entire school community.
Our 5th grade students spend the year as a class developing and writing an original play, and then going on to cast and perform the play in the spring.
-
Our mission in the Community Partnership School Library is to offer instruction, space, and programming that encourages a love of reading, empowers students to seek and find information, facilitates inquiry and student voice, honors intellectual freedom, and establishes a culture of ownership and belonging.
In the fall at the CPS Library, we focus on learning the library, teaching skills ranging from using the library catalog to understanding the Dewey Decimal system. In the spring, we focus on non-fiction literature and research, with an emphasis on question formulation, using physical and digital sources to find information, and evaluating resources.
Our aim is for every CPS student to feel at home in our library, and to transfer their literacy and information-seeking skills to any library they encounter.
-
The Health & Wellness program at Community Partnership School is a comprehensive program that includes physical activity and health education with comprehensive nutrition and food education to encourage lifelong healthy habits for our students.
A core part of both our SEL and PE programs is that children need to be outside practicing both their gross motor and interpersonal skills. Our students will be on the playground daily in all types of weather.
Students attend Physical Education class twice a week. CPS emphasizes exercise and play while fostering awareness of the body. Students engage in games and physical activity designed to build physical agility, skills in teamwork and cooperation, and confidence. Physical expression is complemented by health education to help students gain a deeper understanding of their bodies and how to grow and perform at their best.
CPS has a partnership with the Health Promotion Council and all of our students receive a four-week module on nutrition including the preparation of healthy snacks.
In grades K-5th, all students participate in a six-week module of human development and sexual health. We encourage family partnership during these modules.