The Primary program builds a solid foundation to the elementary years of education.

At Desert Sun Primary, we believe learning is student-centered and nurtures the whole child.  Students are active participants in their education, developing ownership, responsibility, and a love for learning.  We recognize that children learn best when they feel safe, known, and connected.  We honor developmental readiness while maintaining appropriate challenges to encourage children to take risks, make mistakes, reflect, and grow, building competence and resilience.  This program is new, and we hope to grow up to grade 6th,  but remain small in class sizes and strong in our philosophy.  Let’s change what education looks like!

Reaching state standards and goals through a child-centered, inquiry-based curriculum.  Desert Sun Primary is based on the constructivist and social constructivist approach.  Children learn from each other, direct experiences, and interacting in the world around them.  Our program draws from multiple curricula to ensure that children build strong foundational academic skills.  We have many specials as part of our curriculum.  Specials include and are not limited to music, P.E., theater, mindfulness and movement.  We hope to help students see purpose and connection in what they are learning to the world around them.  A lot of learning begins with the seed of curiosity.

The Primary classes are:

Regular Day Monday - Thursday  8:30 am - 1:30 pm Fridays 8:30 am - 12:00 pm.

Extended Day Monday - Thursday  8:30 am - 3:00 pm Fridays 8:30 am - 12:00 pm.

Students are required to bring their own snack and lunch. Scholarships are available through ESA and IBE.

67_expanded_gallery3.jpg

ELA - Grade 1 (Foundations of Learning)

  • Phonics & decoding. 

  • Reading simple texts with fluency.

  • Writing sentences. 

  • Retelling stories with key details.

ELA - Grade 2 (Building Skills and Connections)

  • Complex phonics patterns (blends, vowel teams, prefixes/suffixes). 

  • Reading informational texts. 

  • Writing opinion & informational pieces.

ELA - Grade 3 (Applying Knowledge)

  • Reading comprehension (main idea, cause/effect). 

  • Introduction to cursive writing. 

  • Opinion writing with supporting reasons. 

  • Research skills.

Mathematics - Grade 1 (Foundations of Learning)

  • Covering addition and subtraction within 20.

  • Understanding place value (tens and ones). 

  • Measurement and comparison. 

  • Shapes and basic geometry. 

  • Word problems

Mathematics - Grade 2 (Building Skills and Connections)

  • Addition and subtraction within 100. 

  • Place value to hundreds. 

  • Measurement and data. 

  • Time and money. 

  • Shapes and equal shares (intro to fractions).

Mathematics - Grade 3 (Applying Knowledge)

  • Multiplication and division concepts. 

  • Place value to thousands. 

  • Fractions as numbers. 

  • Area and perimeter. 

  • Data and graph interpretation

Science Grade 1: 

  • Properties of materials. 

  • Plant and animal needs. 

  • Sun and weather patterns.

Science Grade 2:

  • Properties of matter.

  • Life cycles of plants and animals.

  • Earth’s features and maps.

Science Grade 3:

  • Forces and motion.

  • Ecosystems and food chains.

  • Weather vs. climate.

  • Life Cycles.

History and Social Science - Grade 1 (Communities: Living and Working Together)

  • Community helpers. 

  • Map basics. 

  • Rules & responsibilities. 

  • U.S. symbols and holidays.

History and Social Science - Grade 2 (The World Around Me)

  • Community and government roles. 

  • Comparing past and present. 

  • Basic economics (goods & services).

History and Social Science - Grade 3 (Arizona History: Prehistoric to Present Day)

  • Arizona history. 

  • Native American cultures. 

  • Chronological thinking. 

  • Geography of Arizona and the U.S.

Social and Emotional Skills

Before we can teach a child anything academically, they need to feel safe, regulated, and connected, and that's what Social-Emotional Learning is all about.  We use two programs, Mindfulness First and Conscious Discipline.  These programs help kids understand their emotions and actually learn how to manage them. One of the most powerful things we teach is that feelings are not facts. Your child might feel like they can't do something, but that feeling isn't the truth. We teach them to notice that feeling and how to work through it.  Every single morning, we start with a class gathering — a few minutes to check in, set intentions, and feel connected as a community before the learning begins. You'd be amazed at how much that 10 minutes changes the entire tone of the day.

Executive Functions

Through how the classroom is organized and managed, students will get to work on their executive functions.  They have to be able to organize and manage their time to complete their responsibilities.  Becoming a balanced learner and a community member is a skill that will bring your child success.  Executive functions are:

  • Task initiation (the ability to start tasks quickly without procrastination).

  • Planning (creating a step-by-step roadmap to achieve a goal).

  • Organization (The ability to arrange and structure physical spaces, time, and information). 

  • Prioritization (Knowing what tasks are more important and need to be tackled first). 

  • Time Management (Accurately estimating, allocating, and using time to meet deadlines). 

  • Goal - Directed Persistence (Following through and finishing what you start, despite distractions). 

  • Emotional Control (Managing and regulating feelings when faced with stress, frustration, or high emotions). 

  • Metacognition and Self-Monitoring (Stepping back to evaluate your own performance and ask, “How am I doing?”)

Our Goal is to integrate real-world project-based activities to deepen our understanding on these standards.

A great way to support this is through passion projects.  Passion projects strengthen ourselves in our foundational skills while improving or inspiring the community around us.

Art

  • Explore and use a variety of art materials and techniques to create personal artwork.

  • Experiment with color, texture, and line in open-ended art activities.

  • Observe and discuss art from various cultures and artists.

  • Express thoughts and emotions through art projects.

Music

  • Explore rhythm by clapping, stomping, and playing a steady beat with a group.

  • Sing songs with varying tempos and dynamics (fast/slow, loud/soft).

  • Match pitch and echo short rhythms and melodic patterns.

  • Engage in creative movement activities that correspond to music.

Development of Concepts

  • Identify and explain that descriptions of natural occurrences can be sorted in different ways

  • Identify that in the natural world cause-and-effect relationships exist

  • Use and design models to understand natural occurrences

  • Recognize that in the natural world change occurs

  • Identify the relationship between the function of an organism and its structure

Health

  • Identify healthy habits, including handwashing, proper dental care, and nutritious eating.

  • Recognize people and places that provide help when needed.

  • Discuss safety rules for school and home environments.

Physical Growth and Development

  • Participate in simple games and physical activities that develop coordination.

  • Demonstrate balance through activities and games..

Listening and Speaking Skills

  • Retell personal experiences or creative stories in a logical sequence.

  • Follow multi-step directions with increasing independence.

  • Share ideas, information, opinions, and questions during discussions.

  • Actively listen and respond to stories, poems, and informational texts.

  • Participate in group discussions, demonstrating turn-taking and attentive listening skills.