ACADEMICS
SEEKERS (Lower Elementary)
Truly seeking answers to all of their discoveries and curiosities, these students are generally 5-7 years old. While these students may not yet be confident readers or writers, they receive guidance and encouragement as they strive to develop these skills. It is important for Seekers to have frequent opportunities for active play and creative expression as they begin to train their minds and bodies.
Seekers can choose from two different schedules.
A half-day schedule meets daily from 8:00 am—noon.
A full-day schedule meets daily from 8:00 am—3:00 pm.
EXPLORERS (Upper Elementary)
Exploring ideas, information, and relationships, these students actively engage with the world around them. Explorers are typically 8-11 years old and work continuously on polishing their reading and writing skills. Their experience with connecting information and exploration keeps their minds active and their bodies engaged. Explorers become introduced to a variety of specific courses, designed to be built upon throughout their educational journey.
Explorer courses include but are not limited to:
- Legacy: Personal and Family History, US Geography, Current World Geography, World Cultures, US Presidents
- Math: Basic-Level Math
- Science: Botany, Zoology, Marine Biology, Physical Science
- ELA: Handwriting, Reading Comprehension, Writing, Communication, Spelling, Grammar
- Foreign Language: Spanish
- Personal Development: Leadership, Character
- Physical Development: Physical Education
Explorers meet daily from 8:00 am-3:00 pm.
ADVENTURERS (Middle School)
Adventurers start down the path of ownership as they learn to challenge themselves by setting and accomplishing personal goals. They learn to support their adventure through experimenting with ideas and concepts derived from digging deeply into various topics. Group projects allow them to build personal and working connections with their peers, while participating in Life Skills classes provide a needed connection between their current and future selves. Adventurers are generally 12-14 years old.
Adventurer courses include but are not limited to:
- Legacy: Texas History, US History, World History
- Math: Mid-Level Math
- Science: Geology, Astronomy, Meteorology, Nutrition
- ELA: Handwriting, Reading Comprehension, Writing, Communication, Spelling, Grammar
- Foreign Language: Spanish, other
- Personal Development: Leadership, Character
- Physical Development: Health and Exercise
Adventurers meet daily from 8:00 am-3:00 pm.
VOYAGERS (High School)
These high school-aged students prepare for their personal voyage as they build and polish their skill sets through a series of Life Skills courses offered as part of the Transition Program. With the opportunity to utilize the dual credit option through Lone Star Community College, Voyagers gain valuable experience by taking classes that award college credit for either an Academic focus or a WorkForce track. Participating in Career Navigation opens doors and insight to a plethora of career options for life after high school.
Voyager courses include but are not limited to:
- Legacy: Government, Economics
- Math: Upper-Level Math
- Science: Biology, Chemistry, Physics
- ELA: Essay Writing, Composition, Speech and Rhetoric, Creative Writing, Journalism
- Foreign Language: Spanish, other
- Personal Development: Career Navigation, Life Skills
- Physical Development: Anatomy and Physiology
Voyagers meet daily from 8:00 am-3:00 pm.
DEVELOPMENT CLASSES
Each year our Adventurers and Voyagers enjoy taking advantage of the vast array of personal development courses designed to expand their talents and abilities. Below is a growing list of possible Development Classes.
- Hand lettering/Calligraphy
- Chess
- Drawing
- 3-D Design Printing
- Drama
- Paper Crafting
- Art
- Choir
- Dancing
- Journalism
- Reader’s Theater
- American Sign Language
- Photography
- Gardening
- Speech and Debate
- Creative Writing
- Coding
- Photoshop
- Business
HOW WE TEACH
At Hillcrest Heights School of Excellence, we approach academic learning from a mastery perspective. Simply put, we replace the standard test-based grading system with a variety of unique and personalized assessments designed to lead each student to a level of subject competency. Sometimes this means that a student revisits a topic multiple times until mastery is achieved. During this process, the teacher uses formative assessment results along with student input to develop a plan for successfully filling in these gaps. The student has reached mastery once all knowledge and understanding gaps are filled, at which point the student can progress on to the next unit or topic.
All of our new Adventurers and Voyagers take an online assessment designed to determine their personal strengths and weaknesses within a variety of cognitive areas. The results of these assessments are utilized to create a personalized approach to the student’s learning experience.
PHILOSOPHY
At Hillcrest Heights, we view each student as a brilliant and unique individual, able to make their singular mark in the world. Sadly, most students don’t recognize their own potential and often feel corralled into leading the same life path as their peers. Our desire is for each and every student in our halls to discover their capabilities and develop the confidence and competence needed to succeed in the world as they choose. To support this process of discovery, we utilize our holistic view of education to carefully and purposefully support the growth of the student’s entire learning process. They eventually come to understand that success for them is much more than an acquisition of good test scores. Our goal is to set them up for life success.