Curriculum
Languages
When we say languages, we really do mean the plural version of the word. Out of the 9 to 10 classes our students have on a daily basis, two are reading (primarily English), one is writing (again, primarily English), one is Spanish, and one is Chinese, so at least half the day is devoted to learning those three languages.
Why we teach all three languages
English may be the lingua franca (ironically, the literal translation is "French language") of the world right now, but Spanish and Chinese are already both quite important on the international scale and increasingly prevalent every day. Even just in Las Cruces, it's a coin flip as to whether or not the next person you meet will speak Spanish, and the label of just about every consumer good you purchase will have the word "China" on it.
More information: English | Spanish | Chinese
Math
Math is only one class a day, but besides slipping math into our other classes, we're borrowing curriculum from Singapore. The Singapore math curriculum, which essentially has the philosophy of "teach it right the first time so you don't have to go back", has proved itself by consistently placing Singapore at the top of the world in international tests and competitions. (more info)
Science
Like math, science is the main topic for just one class per day, but we're going to make the most of our time by doing something really unusual in science class. Instead of just talking about scientific discoveries people have already made, we talk about how what science really is: questioning the world around you. (more info)
The Arts, Social Studies, & More
Communicating, calculating, and questioning are all important things to learn how to do, but there's much more to life. Social studies and the arts (both classes at LCA) are good examples. So are current events, which are part of the last class. (more info)
Physical Education
Not only do we have a physical education class every day, we've placed breaks all throughout the day so students can get up, run around, and generally be kids. Giving them these frequent breaks serves two purposes at once by both giving them the exercise healthy kids need and refreshing their focus for the next class.