Words from Primary

Between our elementary school MIT STEAM rollercoaster exhibit, fifth grade overnight field trip to Hotel and Club La Campiña, and Prep’s original masterpieces using recyclable materials, it was a full week of hands-on learning.  

Upcoming Dates

• May 15-19: MAP (3rd and 4th grade)
• May 22-26: MAP (1st, 2nd, and 5th grade) 
• June 7: UCR Choirs Concert (for Elementary Students) 
• June 7: 2nd-4th grade End of Year Music Performance at 8:30am in the theater 
• June 12: Prek-1st grade End of Year Music Performance at 8:30am in the theater  
• June 12: EC end of the year shared snack (coordinated by each class) 
• June 12: Prep Moving Up Ceremony at 9:30am in the theater 
• June 13: 5th Grade Moving Up Ceremony at 8:30am in the theater 
• June 15: ES end of the year shared snack (coordinated by each class) 
• June 16: Report cards are available in iSAMS 

MIT STEAM Rollercoaster Challenge (Elementary Students)

This spring, all CDS Middle and Elementary School Students participated in an MIT STEAM Roller Coaster Challenge and today, our student teams had their roller coasters on full display for our school.  This exciting project-based learning activity was brought to CDS as part of our partnership with MIT and our very own STEAM Team: Xavier Villafranca, Giancarlo Hwu, and Jose Garcia.   

Similar to the High School Roller Coaster Challenge this past fall, our younger CDS students learned about the art, physics, engineering and collaboration components necessary to build a functional roller coaster out of recycled material.   

This is a great example of the active and engaging learning that results from our partnerships with organizations like MIT and Julliard.  Make sure to check out our Flickr account for all the great pictures!

MAP Tests 

CDS students in Grades 1-5 will take the Spring MAP Assessment on May 16-May 25. This standardized assessment will assess students’ literacy and math skills and is given twice per year.  MAP scores are a helpful data point for CDS staff to use in identifying areas for additional instruction, the performance and progress of a specific grade level, or whole school trends in learning and growth. MAP Growth scores are just one data point that our instructional team uses to determine how a student, or group of students, is performing. If a student is absent during a scheduled MAP testing session he/she will be able to make-up the test on another date.  

Below is the testing schedule for students in Grades 1-5.