About Us – Curriculum
Learn more about our leading-edge curriculum
Mark Twain Said It Best...
"It’s not where you are, but who you’re with that matters most,” and at Pinnacle Prep School, our talented teachers and staff create an environment that encourages learning in all its forms. Feels more like family.
The proven teaching strategies and emphasis on each child set Pinnacle Prep School apart from all other schools. This is also evident in our schools’ social responsibility program, where we participate in community service and volunteer work.
Why Our Curriculum is Leading Edge
We believe the purpose of a holistic education is to mold a well-rounded student grounded in civic responsibility, capable of accepting personal responsibility for their actions and respect for their fellow men. This kind of dynamic teaching environment also means that our students are challenged on a deeper level, and their unique talents and gifts are nurtured.
We offer an ability-based curriculum designed to meet the needs of individual students. We believe in exposing our children to a variety of learning situations and subject areas.
Our curriculum ensures that mastery is achieved before students advance to the next level. With this structure, our students are able to advance one to two grade levels compared to their peers.
With a student-to-teacher ratio of 8:1, we can truly ensure that no child is left behind. Because we focus on personalized learning, we are able to move beyond simple “concept learning” and help our students build a solid foundation of knowledge. To ensure an atmosphere where education flourishes, Pinnacle Prep School works with students individually to help build confidence and mastery. We teach students to be independent thinkers, to question the why in everything they do, and to write with clarity.
Lower School
Math
In math, students master addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Additionally, they cover the concepts of time, money, measurement, geometry, and fractions. The goal is to build a strong foundation by learning basic skills and then elevate it with real-world problem-solving skills combined with critical thinking and analysis. We believe in doing fun activities that will engage students and promote lifelong learning.
Humanities
Our humanities program often combines language arts with other core subjects, such as social studies and science. You will often find students learning about several content areas at one time. For example, while learning about animal adaptations and biomes, students will also be conducting their own research and presenting that information in essay form, as well as oral presentations, graphs, and illustrations.
Some of the other science topics include states of matter, the solar system, chemical/physical changes, balanced and unbalanced forces, and weather. Our social studies curriculum also involves research. Some of the topics include current events, historical events, various cultures and customs, as well as geography.
Aside from regular integration of core subjects, there is also a specific curriculum for our Language Arts classes. Starting in third grade, students participate in novel studies, which incorporate vocabulary, journaling, testing for comprehension, and other critical thinking activities. Students also write essays every week. They learn about and practice various genres, such as fiction, expository, personal narratives, fantasy, and persuasion. Each student receives individual attention during the writing process.
The teacher edits with each child one-on-one to check organization, spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Students complete a final copy after they have completed the corrections. Grammar mini-lessons and spelling are also incorporated into the Language Arts program.
Upper School
Math
Students build on the foundational skills learned in the lower school. Students continue to develop understanding and apply problem-solving skills. Topics include fractions, mixed numbers, decimals, ratios, rates, proportions, percents, equations and inequalities, and geometry.
Humanities
The humanities course employs a constructivist approach to learning. Authentic learning is not passive memorization of data but rather students creating their own understanding of concepts for long-term utilization. New learning must be built upon existing understanding of the world.
The best method to accomplish this is interactive instruction, reading the text together, discussing conceptions in relationship to others, and writing about new ideas as interpreted by students. Consistently reading, writing, and speaking with purpose in context with instructional objectives leads students to develop meaningful and lasting connections to new learning. The humanities course is designed to be an integrated study of history, literature, language, philosophy, and theater. Students participate in six to eight novel studies, which incorporate vocabulary, journaling, testing for comprehension, and other critical thinking activities.
Students also write various genres, such as fiction, expository, personal narratives, fantasy, and persuasion. Each student receives individual attention during the writing process.
Science
Our science course is designed to integrate science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and language arts. We offer a hands-on, project-based approach to science. Students are expected to express what they have learned through written reports, presentations, and speeches. With a student-to-teacher ratio of 8:1, we can truly ensure that no child is left behind. Because we focus on personalized learning, we are able to move beyond simple “concept learning” and help our students build a solid foundation of knowledge. To ensure an atmosphere where education flourishes, Pinnacle Prep School works with students individually to help build confidence and mastery.
We teach students to be independent thinkers, to question the why in everything they do, and to write with clarity. In addition to the traditional subjects, all students explore art, computer education, physical education, theater arts, and weekly study projects to include career, orphanage, world, and religious studies. Qualifying students have the option of Spanish language classes as part of their curriculum. Pinnacle Prep Theater produces two plays a year. Our past productions include Anne Frank, Twelve Angry Men, Beowulf, and The Wizard of Oz.
We offer a variety of field trips to museums, business companies, and other establishments where students learn about group dynamics, appropriate behavior, and social interactions. Our students even learn practical housekeeping skills like dusting, mopping, vacuuming, and other cleaning actions to establish basic fundamentals of responsibility and behavior. We reinforce proper class behavior, sharing, time management, cleaning up after ourselves, and being respectful to each other and to authority figures.
One of the highlights of the day at Pinnacle Prep is the morning assembly, where students are challenged to think deeply about who they are as a person and how they interact in the world. One of the core activities during this time is for students to present various ‘studies’ projects,‘ listed below, from 5th grade forward. The performances assist in refining their presentation skills and serving as a source of information for their fellow students.
Electives
One of the highlights of the day at Pinnacle Prep is the morning assembly, where students are challenged to think deeply about who they are as a person and how they interact in the world. One of the core activities during this time is for students to present various ‘studies’ projects,‘ listed below, from 5th grade forward. The performances assist in refining their presentation skills and serving as a source of information for their fellow students. In addition to the traditional subjects, all students explore art, computer education, physical education, theater arts, and weekly study projects to include career, orphanage, world, and religious studies. Qualifying students have the option of Spanish language classes as part of their curriculum.
Pinnacle Prep Theater produces two plays a year. Our past productions include Anne Frank, Twelve Angry Men, Beowulf, and The Wizard of Oz.
We offer a variety of field trips to museums, business companies, and other establishments where students learn about group dynamics, appropriate behavior, and social interactions. Our students even learn practical housekeeping skills like dusting, mopping, vacuuming, and other cleaning actions to establish basic fundamentals of responsibility and behavior. We reinforce proper class behavior, sharing, time management, cleaning up after ourselves, and being respectful to each other and to authority figures.