Every student has a custom designed program with a combination of group classes and individual appointments. Each student has a unique schedule based on their needs. These students’ schedules show the variety that can happen at every grade level.
Maria’s day: 12th grade
Maria is a 12th grade student who came to Chrysalis in order to have a more flexible schedule to accommodate her equestrian activities. Strong academically, she is able to maintain honors and advanced classes while participating fully in equestrian competitions.
Monday and Wednesday
9:00-10:15 Honors English
My day starts with Honors English in a small group class of 10 students. Today we are continuing our discussion of world view. I have a short break after English. It’s enough time to get a drink and snack before my next class.
10:30-11:45 Advanced Chemistry
Chemistry is also a small group of 12 students. I had the same teacher last year for physics and had the same classmates. We do a lot of micro-experiments in this class and work together in lab teams.
I have an hour after chemistry before my next class. I’m looking forward to time with my friends and going out to lunch. Since we have over an hour break, we don’t have to rush back.
1:00-2:15 Spanish 4
My first class after lunch is Spanish 4. This is a small group of 5 students. My Spanish teacher is amazing! We are reading a novella together. She has traveled a lot in Spain and Mexico and has inspired me to want to visit these countries. I leave right after this class- to ride my horse. I have a competition this weekend so I will spend my evenings doing homework.
Tuesday and Thursday
I don’t go to school until 1:00 so I will sleep in, work on my English essay assignment and work on my math homework.
1:00-2:15 Drama
My drama class is with 15 other students. We are preparing for a production next month so we are finalizing costumes and set.
2:30-3:00 Calculus
I love this class because I have the teacher all to myself. I can ask as many questions as I need to and get them answered so that I understand everything.
3:00-3:30 Civics
I have Civics with my consulting teacher. We reviewed my progress report from the other teachers and I was assigned the next chapter to read before the next class. I will leave at 3:30 to ride my horse.
Friday
I spend Friday morning at the local food bank for my community service. I’ll be there until I leave for the horse show.
John’s day: 9th grade
John was struggling with his classes at a traditional school due to his ADHD. He has most of his classes one on one because he finds it difficult to do this best work in a group setting. He has all of his high level academic appointment classes on two days a week, with the exception of a group photography field trip class on Friday.
Monday and Wednesday
10:00-10:30 Spanish 1
I made sure to get to school a little early to visit with friends. I meet with my Spanish teacher for instruction and conversation. I have a half an hour before my next class. I will start my Spanish assignment in the study center.
11:00-11:30 Algebra
Math is not my favorite subject, but my math teacher is one of my favorite teachers so going to math is fun. I couldn’t do all of my homework, so my teacher helped me with the questions that I didn’t understand and shows me how to do the next section.
I decided to go upstairs to the quiet area to work right after class. At noon all of my friends are going to eat lunch together.
1:00-1:30 US History
I am meeting with my history teacher. We talked about the Civil War and the battle of Shiloh. I have a movie to watch for homework. I have a break after class to visit with friends.
2:00 Photoshop
I have a class appointment for Photoshop. I’m working on masking my photos. I’ve been taking a lot of photos on ski trips.
3:30 English
In my English class appointment we went over my essay and talked about the book I’m reading.
Tuesday and Thursday
I don’t have classes on campus. I go to the gym with my mom and help out in the kindergarten class at the elementary school near my house. Since I don’t have class at school today I work on extra assignments. I have piano lessons on Tuesdays and make sure I practice everyday. Sometimes I fix dinner and just help around the house. I like Tuesday and Thursday because when my work is done I have time to play video games online with my friends.
Fridays
9:30 I get to school at 9:30 so I can hang out with my friends before class.
10:30 Photography
My class of 22 is goes on field trips on Fridays to take photos. Today we are going to the Cougar Mountain Zoo. We go together on a coach and eat lunch together. I’m finished around 2:00.
Beth’s Day: 7th grade
Beth is a 7th grade student in middle school, at our high school campus. She likes horseback riding and enjoys school. She has PANDAs and had attendance problems at traditional school due to her illness. She has group classes for all subjects except math. She has a four day program with some short days and with no classes at school on Friday she has downtime to support her health challenges and pursue the activities she enjoys.
Monday and Wednesday
10:30-11:30 Drama Production
My day starts with Drama Production in a small group class of 12 students. Today we are exploring what play we will perform for the end of year production. We read aloud from the Storyteller’s Lament, taking turns reading the script together. I really like this play and hope it is the one we decide to perform.
I have a little over an hour break before my next class. During this time I eat my lunch, hang out with friends and exercise. Right now one of the teachers is working with a group of us on strength and physical fitness. I really enjoy this time with my friends and like learning these new exercises that make me feel stronger.
1:00-2:00 Science
My first class after lunch is Science. This is also a small group of 10 students. Today we are continuing our study of geology. We are learning all about the physical and chemical weathering of minerals and rocks.
I have a short break before my next class. It is just enough time to grab a snack and something to drink.
2:30- 3:00 Algebra
I love this class because I can ask all of the questions I want without anyone else around. Today we were solving equations by elimination. I didn’t understand it at first, but my teacher was able to go back and explain the process step by step. It is so great to be able to ask as many questions as I need so I understand what I am doing.
Tuesday and Thursday
9:00 – 10:00 Washington State History
My day starts with Washington State History in a small group class of 9 students. Today the class spit into two groups to reenact the Chiefs and Stevens Treaty negotiation. We prepared debate points, entered negotiations, and reached an agreement. It was fun! My homework is to research the “Pig War” and write a paragraph about it.
I have a 60 minute break before my next class. During this time I often eat a snack, hang out with friends, and finish any homework I may have. If my homework is done, I often play board games with my friends.
11:00 – 11:30 Language Arts
I have Language Arts with my consulting teacher. I really enjoy my one-on-one time with my teacher. My teacher always checks in and sees how she can support me in my other classes. In class today, I completed a journal entry. Then we continued reading the Diary of Anne Frank and discussed the story so far. I was assigned the next chapter to read before the next class.
I have over an hour break before my next class. During this time I eat lunch, hang out with friends, and spend time outside. I really enjoy playing basketball.
12:30 – 1:30 English
My first class after lunch is English. This is also a small group of 9 students. Today we worked on writing introductory paragraphs. We start the class with a round table discussion and then we get to work. I like to get my thoughts out on paper first, and then I move to the computer for the final draft. For homework we get to pretend we are writing a script for a movie. Fun! I need to describe the plot, main characters, and setting. I will leave school at 2:00, which gives most of the afternoon to ride my horse.
Friday
I love my Fridays. I have all day to devote to riding my horse. If I am competing in a horse show, it gives me time to prepare and get ready for the event.
Liam’s Day: 4th grade
Liam’s parents were looking for a school where Liam would enjoy learning again. He was being picked on at his other school and was becoming depressed. He begged to not have to go to school. The happy learner who started in kindergarten was now anxious and unhappy. After a week at Chrysalis Elementary Liam’s parents couldn’t believe the difference! He couldn’t wait to go to school. Academics and flexibility were not a problem for Liam so he has a 5 day schedule.
Monday and Wednesday
10:00-11:00 Science
My day starts with science. This is a small group class of 8 students. Today we are working with water rockets and we got to prepare to launch our rocket creations.
11:00-11:30 P.E
My P.E. class starts right after my group class and I always look forward to it. There are 18 kids in this group class, which is my biggest class of all. We started with a warm-up and I chose to jump rope today. Today we are starting to learn how to play field hockey. I had fun with the drills learning how to hit the puck.
11:30 – 12:00 Activity Period (Independent time)
Right after P.E., I get a drink and snack and then head off to Activity Period. During this time I get to choose what I would like to do. I plan to finish the puzzle that we have been working on, then I want to play chess with my friend.
12:00 – 1:00 Language Arts
My class after lunch is Language Arts and this is also a small group class of 8 kids. The teacher for this class loves writing and books so we are always learning about such wonderful things. Today we started class with a journal entry. I chose to read mine aloud. Next we continued to work on our reports on mythical creatures. My partner and I are researching fairies. We took a quick break and then we came back to class for read aloud. We are reading a book called the Word Eater and I can’t wait to see what happens next.
1:00-2:00 Lunch and Recess
I have an hour to eat lunch, spend time with my friends, and have recess outside. Today at recess we created a new tag game. We got all the kids to play and the teams were girls against boys. It was so much fun!
2:00 – 2:30 Math/Consulting
I love this class because the teacher makes it fun. Today we were working on long division with remainders. I didn’t understand it at first, but my teacher was able to go back and explain the process step by step. It is so great to be able to ask as many questions as I need so I understand what I am doing.
2:30 – 3:00 Activity Period (Independent practice)
Right after class with my consulting teacher, I head off to activity period for the second time today. I got to read in our library until my Mom picked me up.
Tuesday and Thursday
10:00 – 11:00 Language Arts
My day starts with Language Arts. This is a small group class of 10 students. We just finished our reports on Rainforests, so today we got to present them to the class. I like talking in front of the group and enjoyed listening to my friends give their reports.
11:00 – 11:30 P.E.
My P.E. class starts right after my group class and I always look forward to it. There are 15 kids in this group class, which is my biggest class of all. We start with a warm-up and I chose to jump rope today. Today we are spit into two teams and played field hockey. It was a lot of fun.
11:30 – 12:00 Activity Period (Independent time)
Right after P.E., I get a drink and snack and then head off to Activity Period. Today I worked on building the tallest tower. One of teachers filmed me right before my tower fell.
12:00 – 1:00 Drama
My class after lunch is Drama and this is also a small group class of 10 kids. We read plays, write, and act. It is the best! Right now we are practicing for our play, The Frog Prince. Today I tried to read my lines without a script, but I still needed some help from my teacher. I play the princess so I have a lot of lines to memorize.
1:00-2:00 Lunch and Recess
During this time I eat lunch, spend time with my friends, and have recess outside. Today at recess I played foursquare with my friends.
2:00 – 3:00 Art
My last class of the day is Art. We have been working on self portraits. Mine is almost done. My art teacher is going to hang all the portraits up at school, so our parents can see them when they come in next week for our play day.
Friday
9:00- 10:00 Scientists and Inventors
I start my day with Scientists and Inventors. This is a small group class of 12 students and we do different science experiments every week. In fact, we are always busting impossible myths. Today, the myth was, can you poke a hole in a plastic bag without spilling the water. I didn’t think it was possible, but guess what, it is! We worked in teams and found out if you pierce the pencil all the way through the bag, the water doesn’t spill. Wow, science is so cool!
After class I have a quick break, just enough time to grab a snack and and have a little time with my friends before heading off to my next class.
10:30- 11:30 Art
My next class is another Art, because it is my favorite, and this is also a small group class of 12 kids. We always start the class with a drawing warm-up. Today the teacher put a cup in the middle of the table and we had five minutes to sketch. Then we learned about Surrealism. The teacher showed us examples and then we got to draw our very own surreal landscapes. I had a cow flying through the sky and it was raining ice cream cones. Pretty funny, huh!
After class my school day is over. I usually stay for lunch and recess and then I get picked up by 12:30. It is a busy school week, so it is nice to be done early on Fridays. Sometimes after school I have friends over or go on a fun trip to the zoo or museum.