Special Subjects

Integration is key in our special subject classes. When Upper Class students write haiku, they might also be learning Japanese watercolor technique in Art class. When Primary Class students study the Brazilian rainforest, they cook with delicious tropical ingredients in Life Skills class. All students attend special subjects, giving variety to their days and enriching their education with instruction in world language, fine and performing art, and technology lessons that are directly integrated with current studies in their homerooms.

Library
Preschool-Eighth
Located in the center of our building, our library has more than 10,000 titles, plus magazines and computers. Students learn how to research nonfiction and locate new books by their favorite authors. Read-aloud time is a favorite part of Library class!

Spanish
Preschool-Eighth
Skits, conversations, and artistic activities bring the language of Spanish to life! Learning a second language is fun at Japhet, where students practice making conversation, learn vocabulary, and explore Central American culture with creative activities rather than drills.

Music
Preschool-Eighth
Vocal performance is the emphasis of Japhet’s music classes, preparing them for our all-school musical performances in December and May.  Students also have the opportunity to play instruments such as glockenspiels, drum machines, boomwhackers, and other unique instruments associated with Orff music instruction.

Physical Education
Kindergarten-Eighth
The Latin word for compete – competir – is the basis from which Japhet’s P.E. classes are taught. It means “to strive together,” and the goal in P.E. is to work as a team to enable each participant to reach his or her personal best. Individual strengthening and team games like basketball, soccer, football, floor hockey, and more teach self-control and sportsmanship.

Life Skills
Kindergarten-Eighth
Life Skills at Japhet includes cooking, etiquette, and consumer economics. When in the kitchen, students prepare a dish that is usually unfamiliar to them, resulting in cuisine that ties into their current focus in Social Studies – such as colonial American foods, Native American dishes, French cuisine, or even foods for their animal friends!

Art
First-Eighth
With classical music as a backdrop, students paint, sculpt, and draw in a peaceful setting in Art class.  Japhet’s Art classes focus on developing students’ individual use of media and technique. Our Art department participates in the greater AIMS art exhibition, with student work on display in Cranbrook and other venues.

Integrated Technology
First-Eighth
Tech Class isn’t just keyboarding anymore! While keyboarding and learning to use office software is important, even more essential is the integration of technology with students' current lessons in their core subjects like Science or Language Arts. At Japhet, teachers work together so that a lesson begins in homeroom and develops more deeply in the computer lab.