ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Elementary students use our state-of-the-art Adaptive Math and Reading curriculum which assigns student lessons based on your student’s individual learning needs.  The online placement test will help determine if your student needs additional support or is ready for more challenging lessons.  Lessons at the “just right” level are automatically assigned and your student is supported by certified teachers.  The interactive core curriculum features an array of animated videos, readings, and assessments. Along with our general core, students participate in electives, world languages, and specialized STEM activities.

Teacher support and live help

Our teachers and tutors hold live office hours for student support Monday – Thursday. Students can also message teachers directly within the online curriculum on the exact page that they need help with!  Teachers respond to messages on the same school day!  Our team also helps to guide student academic development by providing ‘checks for understanding’ throughout the school year; the checks are mini-assessments which the student complete via web conference or phone with our teachers and tutors.

Workload

Wondering about the workload for online school? Students typically work on the general education core and enrichment courses for about 3 hours daily for 5 days per week. Flexible scheduling allows the student to progress through the courses at their own individual pace.  General education courses include Math, Science, Reading Language Arts, and History/Social Studies.

Electives

Students benefit from a wide range of electives to choose from—they are sure to find specialty electives to help develop their STEM passions! Our electives are an eclectic mix of general elective courses, world language enrichment courses, and specialized STEM learning opportunities.

In addition to electives, students can participate in a wide range of clubs.  Blog and fine tune graphic design and animation skills with our digital media production club. Gain leadership experience as a member of the student council. Showcase your intellectual skills in our Honor Society. Compete in our various STEM competitions–globally and locally!

Our goal is to help prepare every Dolphin STEM Academy student to achieve their dreams and live their passion! Join our Elementary program!

Hello!  My name is Polly.  I hold a Bachelors of Science degree in Early Childhood Education.   Teaching and traveling are my passions!  I am experienced in teaching all subjects to a variety of grade levels.  I have 7 years of teaching experience.  I spent 5 years teaching first grade, then I moved internationally to teach at a Vietnamese school.  I came back to the United States in 2019 and have now been teaching students online for 2 years.

At Dolphin STEM Academy, we are committed to student growth and development. To ensure student progress, we universally screen all students at the beginning of the academic year and continue assessing throughout the year using a suite of assessments, our online general education curriculum assessments, and student ‘checks for understanding.’  The assessments pinpoint the strength and challenges of each student and identifies what is needed for individual continued growth.

Our ongoing student ‘checks for understanding’ give students an opportunity to demonstrate mastery of subject knowledge during an online web conference with a teacher/tutor.  The checks help to ensure that students have gained sufficient content knowledge to be successful in the course.  The data from our various assessments helps us to provide enrichment to help struggling learners and to challenge advanced learners.