School Electives

Club Signups

Parents may sign up for electives for their students during designed elective signup days prior to the start of each semester. Sign-ups take place in the front lobby before and after school on a first come first served basis.

Elective participation is a requirement for New Vista School students. While we may introduce them slowly for some students, it is a part of the program that helps students with their homework skills, social skills and stamina. In addition participation broadens their horizons and introduces each to different disciplines.

Elective Signups

Fast ForWord by Scientific Learning

Fast ForWord is an evidence-based reading intervention developed by neuroscientists. It uses a unique 3-part model to directly target and fix the root causes of language and reading difficulty. It provides students with the foundational language and cognitive skills, and deliberate practice they need to make fast improvements. At New Vista we provide Fast ForWord as an intervention to enhance thinking and learning skills that will result in more confident, engaged learners.

Math Support

Math Support is for students to get help with their math homework or for remediation of a lesson in math. Math Support relates to NVS values through:

• Initiative – Students take the initiative to get help with work with which he/she may be struggling.
• Problems Solving – Math Support enables students to problem-solve through instruction by the attending teacher.

Gardening/Horticulture

The purpose of the horticulture elective is to introduce gardening, conservation, protection of wildlife, recognition of plants, trees and shrubs, basic flower arrangements, and a love and appreciation of nature. The goal is that students will be future citizens who will be responsible and capable with greater self-expression, dignity, integrity, and knowledge of their environment.

Art

The focus is exploration of artistic elements, history, and materials. This elective fosters connections with peers through creativity. The students practice respect and perseverance when trying new mediums and enjoying the creativity of others.

Physical Education

Physical Education promotes physical activity among children and young adults from middle school to high school. Goals for students is to develop motor skills and physical development. In addition, students will learn and develop social and teamwork skills. Students will display respect by using appropriate body language, appropriate communication skills, listening to others, and waiting for their turn during organized team sports. Students will display initiative by being an active participant, being prepared to learn and engage in new sports. Students will display problem solving skills by adjusting mechanics to properly engaged in a physical activity.

Social Groups

Social Group elective is an introductory to advanced conversation group focusing on creating lasting friendships at New Vista that can generalize into the community. We are embedding the New Vista Core Values of Safety, Initiative, Respect, Responsibility, Resiliency, and Problem Solving, through evidenced based practices such as the UCLA PEERS, Behavior Skills Training (BST) and real-time Video Modeling. This group will break down the nonverbal social language used in everyday conversations and explore the different perspectives a person may have.

Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeons and Dragons is an open-ended role-playing game, played using only imagination and pen and paper. Students participate in stories, create characters, make new friends, and share in a new world full of creativity and fun. Students will enhance their creativity, teamwork, decision making, and flexibility as they play through stories together. This club particularly stresses Respect, as students must be sensitive to each other’s different characters and attitudes, be patient with each other, and listen to everyone’s (often conflicting) ideas. At the same time, students will build their Resiliency, as they learn from their mistakes, power through difficulties, and build emotional stamina to press through failures and disappointments and work together to complete their adventures.

Media Arts

Media Arts students develop original scripts, produce original shorts, and complete major films for the annual NVS Film Fest in January.

Filmmaking Objectives:

Screenwriting: Students use their imaginations to create original, cohesive short films, using standards-based practices to develop complex plot structures and compelling characters.

Production: Students learn about choosing a location/setting, casting, costumes, using props, designing and building sets.

Directing: Students learn how the director balances between honoring the content and tone of the script while still bringing his or her own interpretations to the production.

Acting: Students learn to follow specific stage instructions, memorize lines, communicate the character’s feelings and motivations, and work as an ensemble to tell the story.

Editing: Students learn how to use Final Cut Pro X editing software to make high quality films, while also collaborating with the directors to bring their stories to life.

Social Skills Objectives:

• Resiliency in the face of a challenge
• Problem solving when cast members are absent or equipment is not working properly
• Strategies to manage personal problems and social anxieties for the sake of the team and the project
• Communication with peers and instructors in a respectful tone
• Responsibility to manage deadlines and accomplish and prioritize each assigned task
• Empathy for a character through specialized acting lessons

Robotics

This elective focuses on the basics of robotics and teaches students know how to identify, navigate, and work with different parts of robotics. It introduces students to the topics involved in different domains of robotics. They will be more aware, develop interest at a young age, and discover their talents and skills in carving a path towards a strong career in robotics.

The class covers topics applicable to all students in learning concepts related to programming, 3D modeling, mini robots, etc. Also, students are kept engaged with fun learning through industry standard teaching tools like Scratch apps and other simple robot construction kits for younger students.

App Jam

The AppJam+ program is offered to NVS students through Dreams for Schools, which oversees programs and initiatives that contribute to educating youth about Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) fields. The mission of Dreams for Schools is to inspire, create and educate students to be STEM literate with hard and soft skills needed to become critical thinkers, creative leaders and technologists of tomorrow.

AppJam+ utilizes the concept of building software in a short period of time as a tool to excite and inform middle school students about STEM career fields while teaching them the creative and hands on technical process of mobile application development. Middle school students receive mentorship from college undergraduates and learn to make mobile apps for K-12 students.

The AppJam+ program is delivered in 10 weeks with the help of college mentors to take their mobile application through the creative process from brainstorming to task specialization to fully executing their design and presenting their final product. The class sizes for AppJam+ are usually capped at 25 students to have the best personalized learning experience.

Math Support

Math Support is for students to get help with their math homework or for remediation of a lesson in math. Math Support relates to NVS values through students taking the initiative to get help with work with which he/she may be struggling. They learn to problem solve through instruction of the attending teacher.

Cooking

The New Vista Cooking Club experience focuses on introducing new foods to students, giving students knowledge and awareness of kitchen functions, uses, and equipment, as well as how to maintain a healthy diet and establish the difference between nutritious and non-nutritious foods. Each month we focus on a particular theme and create recipes based off of our monthly theme. We follow a step by step process using our recipes and ensure that each cooking club member gets to participate in creating our dish. Whether students are setting the table, adding ingredients, or helping clean up, each student rotates and gets a chance to understand a multitude of kitchen and eating experiences.

Student Leadership Team (SLT)

SLT is an elective comprised of students from all grade levels who are nominated to be the representatives for the student body.  All members strive to improve the student experience and deepen their connection to their peers and school life through spirit days, lunchtime activities, and school dances.