Ophir Elementary School
Academics Overview
Ophir Elementary School is an IB World School offering the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program. IB World Schools share a common philosophy- a commitment to high-quality, challenging, international education- that we believe is important for our students.
Ophir Elementary School is located in the Gallatin Canyon about 30 minutes north of Yellowstone National Park in Southwest Montana. Ophir School first opened its doors in 1906 with five students. The State of Montana recognized Ophir as a school district (K-8) in 1912. As of July 1, 2012, the school district’s name officially changed to the Big Sky School District #72. Ophir takes its name from the fabled gold mines in the Bible. “They went to Ophir and took home gold”. The homesteaders, who followed the unlucky prospectors, believed that they had metaphorically found gold in the Gallatin Canyon and named their school “Ophir.”
Ophir Elementary School serves students in grades K-5. At Ophir, our teaching and learning are guided by a standards-based, inquiry-driven and constructivist approach. Utilizing Montana Content Standards for Math and Language Arts, the Next Generation Science Standards, and the 3Cs Standards (College, Career and Civic Life) for Social Studies, our study of core subjects is engaging, challenging, and interdisciplinary. In Language Arts, for example, students experience the Daily 5, an approach to instruction which allows for significant levels of differentiation, skill-building, individual and small group instruction while promoting independent learning and collaboration.
In addition to the core subjects, students at Ophir receive a holistic education through the study of a second language – Spanish, a vibrant Music and Art program, Guidance, and a balanced Health Enhancement class. The center of our building and our student life is the state-of-the-art Learning Commons, a research space where students have access to an extensive collection of fiction, nonfiction works, their Media Studies class, and a Maker’s Space.
To complement our curricular approach, students partake in experiential learning in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Students participate in Nordic and Downhill Skiing days, weekly outdoor expeditions, and a myriad of local field trips to enhance the classroom experience. Guest speakers/experts are a regular feature at Ophir Elementary School. The seminal experiential learning experience is the 4th Grade Expedition Yellowstone, culminating in a 5-day trip to explore the geographic, historical/cultural, and scientific wonders of our nation’s first national park.
The Learner Profile is the core of all we do at Ophir Elementary. Our goal, in conjunction with the IB is to help develop internationally minded children, who, recognizing their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet, help to create a better and more peaceful world. ©Making the PYP Happen, 2009
Our learners strive to be…
Ophir Elementary School
Mathematics
Ophir Elementary School uses the Montana Content Standards for Mathematics and the PYP Mathematics Standards to guide our work with learners. The BSSD72 school board has adopted Eureka Math as our formal curriculum.
Our goal is for learners to CULTIVATE a deep conceptual understanding of mathematical concepts that can be built upon year after year while also EMPOWERING learners to find joy in the subject. We ENGAGE our learners in ways that allow them to think, strategize, persevere, and problem solve, not just compute answers.
Parents can ENGAGE with the curriculum materials. To set up your account, visit www.greatminds.org
- Click the “Resources” tab
- “Eureka Math Basic Curriculum Files”
- Add your child’s grade level to your dashboard
Resources:
PYP Mathematics Scope + Sequence
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Learner Profile in Mathematics Caring: I am kind to myself and others, even when problems get tough or frustrating. Knowledgeable: I can represent ideas about the real world through oral description, drawing, modeling, and labeling. I apply my mathematical knowledge in new and novel ways to problem-solving situations. I believe in the productive struggle and persevere through challenges. Principled: I tell myself “I CAN” even if I feel unsure. I will do my best, trying multiple strategies if I need to, knowing mistakes are okay. Open-Minded: When I disagree with an idea or solution, I speak kindly and tell why I disagree. When others disagree with me, I listen to their ideas with an open mind. Responsible: I am responsible for my own learning. It takes a lot of effort to become mathematically powerful and I am capable. Communicator: I collect, display, and interpret data for the purpose of answering questions. I am willing to share my thinking, because my perspective is important. It is through mathematical discourse with one another that we can learn the most. Courageous: I know that I can improve my mathematical thinking and understanding of concepts through hard work and perseverance! Balanced: I can break numbers apart and put them back together in many different ways with the goal of making an easier problem. I have many different strategies to use with numbers and don’t have to rely on only one way to solve something. Thinker: I work with numbers efficiently. I have strategies that help me add/subtract/multiply/divide numbers quickly. Reflective: I stop to consider what helps me best as a learner. I make positive choices in the classroom that I know will help me learn best. |
Ophir Elementary School
Language Arts
Ophir Elementary School uses the Montana Content Standards for Language Arts and the PYP Language Arts Standards to guide our work with learners. The BSSD72 school board has adopted Wilson Fundations as the formal curriculum for K-3 as well as the Daily 5 and CAFE framework.
Our goal is for learners to CULTIVATE a deep love of the written word through ENGAGEMENT with a broad range of text – including non-fiction, fiction, and poetry.
In addition, we aim to EMPOWER great writers through intentional teaching. Writing, thinking, and reading are indelibly linked and we aim to bring joy to the creative process.
Print letter formation is introduced in kindergarten and reinforced in grades 1 + 2. Cursive letter formation is introduced in grade 3 and reinforced in grades 4 + 5. Typing is introduced in grade 2 and is reinforced in grades 3, 4, + 5.
Grade Level Resources
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Learner Profile in Language Arts Caring: I am kind to myself and others, even when reading or writing is tough or frustrating. Knowledgeable: I can engage confidently in the process of writing. I keep on trying even when challenged because I believe in the productive struggle. I have strategies in place that I can use to help me decode and comprehend text. I know when to take a break, but I always try again. Principled: I listen attentively when others are speaking and use language to explain, inquire, and compare. I tell myself “I CAN” even if I feel unsure. I will do my best, trying multiple times if I need to, knowing mistakes are okay. Open-Minded: I participate in the collaborative learning experiences and acknowledge that people see things differently and are entitled to express their point of view. Responsible: I am responsible for my own learning. It takes a lot of effort to become a strong reader and great writer and I am capable. Communicator: I understand and respond to ideas, feelings, and attitudes expressed in text and show empathy for characters. I am willing to share my thinking, because my perspective is important. Courageous: I know that I can improve my decoding skills and reading comprehension through hard work and perseverance! Balanced: I can break words down into smaller parts (individual phonemes, root words, prefixes, suffixes) with the goal of understanding the parts of the word. I have many different strategies to use to decode and comprehend and don’t have to rely on only one way. Thinker: I wonder about text and ask questions to try and understand what the author is saying to the reader. I work with language efficiently. “I write, to know what I think” as Joan Didion famously observed. Reflective: I stop to consider what helps me best as a learner. I make positive choices in the classroom that I know will help me learn best. |
Ophir Elementary School
Inquiry
Inquiry, in its broadest sense, is the process initiated by the students or the teacher that moves the students from their current level of understanding to a new and deeper level of understanding. This can mean:
- Exploring, wondering, questioning
- Experimenting and playing with possibilities
- Making connections between previous learning and current learning
- Making predictions and acting purposefully to see what happens
- Collecting data and reporting findings
- Clarifying existing ideas and reappraising perceptions of events
- Deepening understanding through the application of concept
- Making and testing theories
- Researching and seeking information
- Taking and defending a position
- Solving problems in a variety of ways ©Making the PYP Happen, 2009
Ophir Elementary School has worked to integrate the C3 Social Studies Standards and the Next Generation Science Standards into thoughtfully and uniquely crafted Units of Inquiry. These units CULTIVATE within our students a spirit of inquiry by ENGAGING them in learning experiences that are thought-provoking, highly engaging, and authentic in context. Our curriculum emphasizes the active construction of knowledge and EMPOWERS students with purposeful learning. These units are continually refined and reflected upon by our team of professional educators, the PYP coordinator, and the principal.
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Grade Level Resources
Kath Murdoch’s
INQUIRY CYCLE
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S P E C I A L S
Ophir Elementary School
Art
In Visual Arts instruction at Ophir Elementary, Montana Content Standards for Arts as well as PYP curriculum are utilized to guide our students in “Creating, Presenting, Responding, and Connecting” their personal expression artwork to local and international culture. Through ENGAGING lessons and with the CULTIVATION of art sense and vocabulary, students are EMPOWERED to show pride in their work and share their work with the community.
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Ophir Elementary School
Guidance
Ophir Elementary School guidance lessons follow a combination of Montana State Standards and the International Baccalaureate (IB) Learner Profile standards. We CULTIVATE students to aim for living the Learner Profiles: Communicator, Inquirer, Courageous, Knowledgeable, Principled, Caring, Balanced, Open Minded and Reflective.
Our school counseling/guidance program provides a system that ENGAGES and promotes academic, career, and personal/social development in preparation for any challenges. Our school counseling and guidance program have a positive impact on students, parents or guardians, and teachers. The guidance lessons EMPOWER students to be role models for our community.
Resources:
Montana School Counseling Program Standards
Ophir Elementary School
Health Enhancement
Ophir Elementary School uses the Montana Health Enhancement (Health Enhancement/Physical Education) Content Standards and Kids CrossFit to guide H.E. curriculum and weekly lessons. Students are exposed to a variety of games, activities, and skills to ENGAGE all students at their ability.
Our goal is for students to CULTIVATE an awareness and understanding of the value of physical education for health, enjoyment, challenge, self expression, and/or social interaction. We EMPOWER students to take the knowledge they learn about health and physical education and use it in their daily lives.
Resource:
Montana Health Enhancement Content Standards
Ophir Elementary School
Library
The Ophir Elementary Library provides both space and resources for the development of future ready citizens and a lifelong love of reading. We CULTIVATE an environment that encourages students to ENGAGE in multiple technological skills and to explore a variety of literary resources as well as numerous building kits and materials. We EMPOWER students to think critically and use information safely, ethically, and legally.
Resource:
Montana Content Standards for Information Literacy – Library Media
Ophir Elementary School
Music
Ophir Elementary School combines the teaching approaches of Orff Schulwerk and the Montana Content Standards for the Arts to develop meaningful, holistic music lessons for students in kindergarten through fifth grade.
Our goal is for learners to CULTIVATE an appreciation for music as an essential form of creativity and expression. We EMPOWER learners by teaching key skills and knowledge so that students can access and grasp a wide range of musical experiences. Throughout the curriculum, we ENGAGE students through movement, dance, song, and play!
Resource:
Montana Content Standards for the Arts
Ophir Elementary School
Spanish
Within the Spanish Language Program at Ophir Elementary School, the Montana Content Standards for World Language, the PYP Standards and best practices are utilized to create a safe and engaging language learning environment.
The goal of the Spanish Language Program is to ENGAGE students in an expressive classroom environment in which everyone feels inspired and EMPOWERED to share their language knowledge and to CULTIVATE that learning at a deeper level while having fun!
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Ophir Elementary School
Indian Education for All
At Ophir Elementary, our goal is for our learners to CULTIVATE an appreciation for the diversity among the twelve sovereign tribes of Montana. Students ENGAGE in authentic learning tasks centered around tribal cultures, traditions, and languages. Students are EMPOWERED with the knowledge that history is a story most frequently relayed through the subjective experience of the teller – and frequently the history told by American Indians conflicts with the stories of mainstream historians.
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