ACADEMIC  TESTING  RESULTS	Cascadia emphasizes academic education. We participate in standardized academic testing (the ITBS and WASL tests). Overall, for all of the past school years tested (00-01, 01-02, 02-03, 03-04, 04-05, 05-06,06-07, and 07-08), Cascadia's scores were better than 99 percent of the elementary schools in the nation that are now being tested! Our brochure contains more detailed information about testing results.
PLACEMENT OF CASCADIA'S  "GRADUATES"	Students graduating from Cascadia (finishing at least grade four) have been very successful at their next educational level in competing for admission to the area's private schools and to special programs offered by the public school system.  Our brochure provides detailed placement tables for previous years.   For last year, our eight fourth grade students applied to several different schools in the area. Four applications were submitted to Forest Ridge and all four students received offers of admission. Five applications were submitted to Overlake and four were  accepted. Two applications were submitted to Lakeside but neither was accepted. Four applications were submitted to other private schools (Eastside Prep and Bear Creek Christian) and all were accepted.
CONTRACT CLASSES	Each year, we contract with specialists to help provide a well-rounded program. This school year's program includes: Art Instruction:  Sally Brucker, a Certified Monart Instructor, provides wonderful art lessons at the school.   The artistic topics vary by lesson and developmental levels of the students.   Music and Performing Art Instruction:  Music and associated performing arts are provided by Natalie Scollick who is a professional instructor in her field.  For grades pre-k, kindergarten, first and second, Mrs. Scollick provides lessons on campus. For the upper class, lessons are conducted off-site where the students work with her to create a musical. All grades present an all-school concert in the spring. Our students gain valuable experience and confidence performing in front of an audience. Physical Education Classes:  Physical education is taught by professional instructors from MiniMountain.  Instruction focuses on physical conditioning games, sports skills, and teamwork. Lessons occur in appropriate facilities at nearby locations.
EXAMPLE FIELD TRIPS	Field trips are an important source of information and help students expand their perspectives of our community and their ability to participate in the larger community context.  Approximately three to five field trips are selected and scheduled as the year progresses to focus on areas of study. Examples of our field  trips are described below: Focus on Nature Discovery Park, Seattle:  Park Rangers provide instruction and guidance. Rangers guide students focusing on the plants and animals that live in that environment and the ecological interactions that take place. Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle:  Docents guide the class through a variety of tours.  Tours have included Animals of the Far North, Animals of the African Savanna, Animals of the Tropical Rain Forest, Endangered Species, Reptiles, Nocturnal Creatures, and others. Mercer Slough, Bellevue:  This facility is sponsored by the Pacific Science Center.  They provide guides for such adventures as "Guided Tour through the Wetland" followed by hands-on work in their on-site lab. Puget Sound Beaches:  Lessons are provided by instructors from the Seattle Aquarium.  Students visit a site at the edge of Puget Sound, obtaining instruction about the Low Tide Beach Environment.  The students focus on the plants and animals (especially invertebrate creatures) that live and interact in this ecological environment. Focus on the Arts Seattle Children's Theatre:  Students attend performances presented at this terrific theater located in the Seattle Center.   Seattle Art Museum and Asian Art Museum, Seattle:  These wonderful facilities provide docents to lead tours through the museums' standing and touring exhibits.  The docents guide students in appreciating and understanding the artists' works.  We also try to arrange time in "SAM'S" art studio when scheduling permits. Focus on History Museum of Flight, Boeing Field:  The museum's docents provide instruction and guidance.  Students experience real examples of planes and other flying machines through modern history. Emphasis is on perspective of flight including technology, timelines, and those who have made pioneering gains in this field.   The Underground Tour of Seattle, Seattle:  A field trip for the older students to walk through a fascinating part of Seattle's history.  These are guided tours that help students understand changes that take place over time. Tillicum Village, Puget Sound:  This field trip is an all-day trip to Tillicum Island where Native American Indians share their experiences and information about their food, clothing, shelter, and culture in general. Public Library King County Public Libraries, Bellevue and Redmond:  Students visit the library once each month.  They look forward to checking out a variety of books, including good literature and resources for studies underway at school.
EXAMPLE CLASS PROJECTS	Pre-K and Kindergarten Class: Examples of class projects at this level are creating project booklets about Living and Non-Living Things,  Continents of the World,  and Leaves. Other projects are often coordinated with the booklets. In conjunction with the "leaves" booklet, for example, another project involved collecting and pressing real leaves that were then used to create pictures (a mouse, a fox, flowers, and decorative designs). First, Second Grade Class: Project booklets are also a focus at this level, but are more in-depth. An example at this level is a study about the far north and arctic environments.  Students studied how the Native Eskimo lived off the land to provide for the basic needs of food, clothing, shelter, and transportation.  This study was enriched by a field trip to the Woodland Park Zoo, where students received a tour and lessons about the animals and environment of the far north.   The Upper Elementary Class: Projects at this level involve more skills and multi-media aspects. Two examples follow. Systems of the Body - The upper class students were divided into groups, each group focused on one system of the body.  Each group produced detailed class lessons, including a test, for the class members in the other groups. A Power Point presentation and a creative skit were also created by the groups.  Regions of the United States - Three regions of the United States were covered by the upper class during the year. All the students studied the same region at one time. Groups were formed and each group focused on one state in the region.  Each group produced a report and a summary "travel guide brochure" that was presented to the rest of the class.