Students experience multiple Encore classes each week to enhance the core curriculum that is taught daily. The STEAM Initiative creates an environment where students take risks, try new ideas and live out the engineering design process. The strong, intentional and creative partnership between the classroom teachers and Encore teachers is a hallmark at CMDS. These enriching and stimulating learning opportunities enable students to foster and discover a wide range of new skills, interests and passions.
Art
2K – 6th Grade
Our students attend Art class weekly and use the subject daily through cross-curricular integration, most notably through our STEAM Initiative. We know parents love to see the end result of their child’s art project, but our focus is more on the process and right-brain development. We challenge our students to learn, experiment, take risks and solve problems; because of that, engineering principles are used in every Art class. Understanding that there are no wrong answers in Art allows the roof to come off and gives our students the freedom to try new things and grow as creators.
Bible
2K – 6th Grade
All students, 2K through 6th Grade, participate in daily devotions and weekly chapel and Bible classes. In Early Childhood, students spend the year learning about those stories of God’s truth and faithfulness. In Lower and Upper School, students strategically study God’s Word by completing the Bible in a six-year period. The student’s understanding of the Bible is enriched by sharing plays in Chapel, leading Christmas programs and by acting in the annual Easter Walk-Through presentation. The primary goal of our Bible program is to experience God’s love, as well as to learn from His Word.
Discovery Lab
2K – SK
Our STEAM-influenced Discovery Lab encourages our youngest students to be scientists and engineers. The course includes a rotation of science and nature, engineering and construction and a tinker space where students can explore freely. The curriculum strategy is to encourage students to ask questions, gather information, form hypotheses, experiment, share and collaborate. Introducing them to the design-thinking process at a young age fosters creative experimentation, critical thinking, problem solving and a love for science and engineering.
Electives
5th and 6th Grade
Upper school students in 5th and 6th Grade have the opportunity to choose elective classes during their Encore Block each week. Students can choose a new elective each quarter, or continue in the same one to build even deeper skills and knowledge about a topic. Classes in subjects such as music, journalism, computer programming, robotics, gardening, drama, Bible study, leadership and other topics give our oldest students the chance to explore and refine their interests.
Engineering Lab
1st – 6th Grade
The E-Lab at CMDS is an interest-driven STEAM learning experience. It incorporates the design-thinking process, which involves analyzing, designing, developing, implementing and then evaluating a project or challenge. Building on what our younger students have learned in Discovery Lab, this class stretches our students to revisit and continuously improve their work as a project’s circumstances evolve. Problem solving and teamwork are foundations of the CMDS E-Lab experience. When students graduate from CMDS, they should be able to tackle a problem strategically and with confidence.
Global Preschool Studies
2K – JK
GPS gives our Early Childhood students an international perspective of the world God created. Passport and ticket in hand, students “travel” to different countries where they are immersed in that nation’s culture. They study the geography, food, art, holidays, basic vocabulary, clothing, music and literature of each country they visit.
Literacy Lab & Media
2K – 6th Grade
A child’s library education begins in our Early Childhood program. Reading aloud to children makes an impression on them for a lifetime as they mature in their listening, thinking and reasoning skills. We use author studies and read a wonderful array of children’s literature while encouraging a love of reading. In Lower and Upper School, students are taught library, study and research skills. They learn how to select books for pleasure reading, school assignments and for exploring new interests and discovering new worlds.
Music
2K – 6th Grade
Our music program builds a foundation for students to enjoy and appreciate music. Early Childhood music instruction uses singing, playing instruments, dancing, clapping and keeping a steady beat to engage students in learning. Lower and Upper School students study many genres of music and are introduced to a variety of instruments and composers. All CMDS student learn to play Orff rhythm and barred instruments, the soprano recorder and the ukulele. Fifth and sixth graders also sing in the school choir.
Pillars
1st - 6th Grade
The CMDS Mission Statement highlights four pillars of student development: academic excellence, spiritual development, social responsibility and personal integrity. Newly formed in 2022, the Pillars Encore class focuses on the third and fourth pillars directly. CMDS seeks to instill in our students a desire for servant leadership as well as the ability to understand themselves, their peers and the world around them. By weaving these concepts into the curriculum and daily experience, our students are able to build and develop their abilities in the areas of social responsibility and personal integrity.
Science Lab
1st – 6th Grade
Our goal is to spark an interest in science and to encourage the student’s ability to solve problems. In Science Lab, our budding scientists work in groups of three or four using an investigative, hands-on approach to answer various questions. Carolina Biological developed our curriculum, which covers life, physical and earth/space sciences. The study spirals throughout a student’s CMDS career. Along with experiments, Science Lab incorporates educational experiences in our Learning Garden as well as exploring dissections in Upper School.
Spanish
1st – 6th Grade
CMDS Spanish is a FLEX (Foreign Language for Exploration) program. Just as children learn their native language, our students are exposed to the Spanish language through the process of comprehensible input, including hearing and acting out stories, singing songs and playing games in Spanish. Students also engage in activities that allow them to explore the culture of Spanish-speaking countries and their people. The goal is for our students to leave CMDS with a well-rounded understanding of the Spanish language and culture.
Tech Lab
1st – 6th Grade
Students apply computer and technology skills to general problem-solving as well as discover innovative approaches to learning. They use multiple forms of technology including computers, digital cameras, software applications, the Internet and more during daily lessons to understand the scope of technology and its impact on society. Students will utilize the technological design process where they can brainstorm, visualize, sketch, model, construct, test, experiment and refine designs.
Tech Lab helps to incorporate the use of technology in all academic content areas. Instruction is closely tied with classroom teachers to help integrate the core curriculum into the planning and development of technology lessons.
Wellness
2K – 6th Grade
Physical Education and daily recess at CMDS encourage students to maintain an active and healthy lifestyle. Students play a variety of organized sports and games in Wellness and are taught the importance of sportsmanship. Our Wellness teachers also teach weekly “healthy habits” that children can independently apply to their daily lives.
