Curriculum

We encourage students to pursue their interests, discover their strengths, and find their purpose. Our elementary programs will ensure your child has the toolkit necessary to thrive at the middle school and high school level.

Your child's elementary years are the basis for how they will learn throughout the rest of their lives. From their very first day of school, Hopkins students are immersed in a learning environment that is responsive, academically rigorous, and supportive. Our six elementary schools serve students in preschool through sixth grade.

Beyond the basic skills of literacy, math, sciences, social studies, physical education, and the arts, individual student needs are important. We meet those needs through:

Personalized Learning
Spanish and Chinese language immersion options
Spanish instruction begins in kindergarten
Schoolwide Enrichment (formerly called talent development)
STEM curriculum and technology-rich learning environments
Orchestra and band
Special education
English Language Learners (ELL) programming
Outdoor Learning
Other support systems — nurses, guidance counselors, and social workers

Hopkins places a priority on world language and STEM to set students up to have a brilliant future.

To register your student, please visit HopkinsSchools.org/enroll or email Enrollment@HopkinsSchools.org, or call 952-988-4110.

For questions about elementary curriculum, please contact Nancy Anderson: Nancy.Anderson@HopkinsSchools.org or 952-988-4133.

Elementary Programs

Elementary Spanish

We are committed to providing high-quality world language instruction to all Hopkins students starting in kindergarten. All Hopkins elementary schools have Spanish language instruction integrated into their regular curriculum. This language instruction is not a full language immersion program — to learn more about elementary language immersion, please see the Language Immersion tab in this section.

Program Description

Students have Spanish instruction for 60 minutes per week in grades K-6.
The goal of the program is to develop Spanish language proficiency and cultural knowledge and understanding.
Curriculum is content-related and aligned to Hopkins content standards for language arts, social studies, and science.
Instruction is primarily in Spanish.
Students completing the K-6 Spanish program will be ready for Intermediate Spanish I in junior high, or they may choose to apply their language skills to the learning of a new language starting in grade 7.

Elementary World Language: Spanish from Hopkins Public Schools on Vimeo.

Language Immersion

Hopkins Public Schools offers students a unique opportunity to develop language and cultural proficiency through two language immersion programs: XinXing Chinese immersion and Juntos Spanish Immersion. Both programs provide rigorous and innovative curriculum that opens the door to global competency for Hopkins students.

XinXing Chinese Immersion

XinXing is a fully articulated K-12 Chinese immersion program. XinXing attracts students from all parts of the Hopkins School District, as well as from other school districts in the Twin Cities area through open enrollment. XinXing Academy opened at Eisenhower Elementary School in 2007. It provides an early total Chinese immersion education for students in kindergarten through grade 5. Students will join our XinXing Chinese immersion program at West Middle School and Hopkins High School.

More about XinXing Academy

Elementary Juntos Spanish Immersion

Kindergarten Spanish Immersion began in fall of 2020. We will add grade 1 Spanish immersion next year. The Elementary Spanish Immersion program at Eisenhower Elementary complements the existing English and Chinese immersion pathways already in place and fits into our larger vision to develop holistic, global thinkers. The program will grow into a full K-12 Spanish Immersion Program one grade level at a time through grade 6. Students will join our successful Juntos Spanish immersion program at North Middle School and Hopkins High School.

More about Spanish Immersion

STEM

STEM Education

STEM is not just about learning science, technology, engineering, and math in silos. The most effective and true STEM learning is a hands-on integration of all these disciplines, through experiments and development of real-world problem-solving skills.

Students need STEM's project-based learning to build 21st century skills. Science and engineering jobs are growing 70% faster than other occupations. This means our students will be at an advantage when competing for the high-tech, high-wage jobs of the future.

Learning by doing is inviting and exciting so students remember more. Successful, hands-on experiences exploring engineering can have a major influence on motivation and confidence in learning. Ultimately, we hope to inspire students to challenge themselves and consider careers in STEM fields.

AVID

Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID)

AVID is a belief system that directly teaches students strategies to engage in higher levels of thinking and prepare for all opportunities beyond high school.

What is AVID?

The AVID Elementary program focuses on:

Student Success Skills: Communication skills (e.g. listening, speaking, writing), self-advocacy skills, note-taking strategies, critical thinking, study skills, and developing a growth mindset teaching students how to be better learners by equipping them with the skills they need to succeed.
Organizational Skills: Both mental and physical, students learn to use organizational tools, as well as learn and practice skills around time management and goal-setting.
Lifelong Learning Skills: Instruction focused on Writing to learn, Inquiry, Collaboration, Organization, and Reading to learn (WICOR) at high academic levels across all content areas.

AVID Essentials

Instruction: WICOR forms the foundation for instruction in the AVID elementary classroom.
Culture: Avid Elementary sites incorporate rigorous, relevant, differentiated opportunities for all students in an environment that promotes college readiness.
Leadership: AVID Elementary leaders support, guide, and facilitate implementation for all students.
Systems: As an AVID school, we align our systems within the four pillars of excellence: accountability, articulation, assessment, and calibration. This ensures the success of AVID implementation.

Seniors return to their elementary schools during their final week of graduation

Schoolwide Enrichment

Schoolwide Enrichment (formerly called Talent Development)

Hopkins' Schoolwide Enrichment framework is grounded in the belief that gifted behaviors are a skillset to be mastered. Schoolwide Enrichment programming capitalizes on the natural curiosity that all children innately have. Our program is affirming to all learners and provides pathways for each of our students to discover their talents, develop their strengths, and reach their full potential. This pathway looks different for every scholar.

Through gifted exploration, practice, and application, Hopkins' Schoolwide Enrichment approach encourages self-directed learning based on students’ interests and passions. Through our program, scholars will grow concepts like risk taking, resilience, empathy, responsibility, and collaboration. We use academically rigorous concepts to develop gifted behaviors and complex problem solving skills in all scholars.

Outdoor Immersion

Learning and exploring in nature

Your child will build connections to the natural world as they spark their curiosity, inventiveness, and excitement for school. While each of our elementary schools prioritize outdoor exploration and observation, both Eisenhower Elementary and Gatewood Elementary have dedicated outdoor immersion classrooms.

Gatewood Elementary is an environmental focus school and has an outdoor immersion kindergarten program, a greenhouse, and other outdoor spaces where students can connect with nature and engage all of their senses in learning.

When scholars have opportunities to go outside to learn, they become motivated, observant, collaborative, and self-directed. Lessons held outdoors increase student engagement in school — even after students return to indoor learning spaces.

Benefits of Outdoor Learning

According to research, an outdoor learning environment has a positive effect on the brain and can lead to better learning outcomes.

Other benefits include:

• Increased engagement and focus
• Enhanced curiosity and discovery
• Connects children to the outdoors
• Encourages exploration and inquiry
• Develops resilience and confidence

International Baccalaureate (IB)

a child explores a natural classroom outside

Nurturing learners who are curious, confident, and empathetic

The International Baccalaureate (IB) program builds on the belief that children are naturally curious and learn deeply when they are engaged in relevant topics. Children ask questions that guide their desire for knowledge, lead to discovery, and make education an adventure!

IB provides a rigorous curriculum framework that encourages students to think critically and solve problems. Hopkins Eisenhower Elementary is currently an IB candidate school. In each of our elementary schools
your child will discover relevant and engaging subjects, instructors that encourage curiosity and exploration, and inquiry-based learning.

Why families choose IB

IB promotes conceptual based understanding, student agency, and inquiry that helps students build critical thinking, care, and connections in our diverse and interconnected world. (International Baccalaureate Organization, 2022).

Other benefits include:

Learning about multiple perspectives
Development of the whole child through engagement with the IB Learner Profile
Building student confidence and collaboration skills
Rigorous learning opportunities that encourage engagement, critical thinking and action

Gatewood is a Candidate School* for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme. This school is pursuing authorization as an IB World School. These are schools that share a common philosophy—a commitment to high quality, challenging, international education that Gatewood believes is important for our students.

*Only schools authorized by the IB Organization can offer any of its four academic programmes the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP), the Diploma Programme (DP), or the Career-related Programme (CP). Candidate status gives no guarantee that authorization will be granted. For further information about the IB and its programmes, visit www.ibo.org.

VirtualEDU Online and Blended Learning

Flexible options for K-12 scholars to thrive

VirtualEDU is a K-12 program that provides an innovative and student-centered learning experience. In Hopkins, online learning is an opportunity to realize Vision 2031 in a virtual setting. Our program is designed to showcase the learning priorities for Hopkins Public Schools — learning led by your student’s interest and curiosity and helping your child feel good about themselves by building empathy for others.

VirtualEDU offers rich, live teacher-led lessons and independent learning built into each day. Students will have access to extracurricular activities and athletics through the physical school buildings and community.
Our online academy staff were selected because they are highly skilled at instruction and building relationships in an online setting.

Benefits of Online Learning

Online learning is expanding opportunities for personalized learning. Traditionally, education has been limited based on geographic location. Through online learning, your child can access quality education to increase their productivity and overall academic success.

Other benefits include:

• Flexible schedule and environment
• Self-discipline and responsibility
• Quality teacher-student interaction