At TdVA, You Belong is more than just our motto. It’s our belief, and this is especially true in Encore. Students find that they belong in Encore as they express themselves and explore the arts through problem-solving, collaboration, critical thinking and exploration. Personal expression is encouraged and supported by our Encore teachers who teach using an Arts Integration approach, guiding students to construct and demonstrate understanding through art forms.
Encore teachers support students in the general education classroom through co-teaching in Math, Science, Language Arts, and Social Studies lessons. Students use their bodies to act out fractions and graphs in Math, create masks and dances to become different animals or camouflage butterflies to blend into their classrooms while learning about animal adaptations in Science, or create rap songs to understand elements of poetry.
Each grade level at The da Vinci Academy participates in Galleries; a student created “informance” where students share their learning through the performing arts. Encore teachers work closely with grade level teachers to select an academic concept for students to explore, and as a culminating experience, students invite their families to the galleries to demonstrate their learning.