Students and the community will be involved in planning and building the outdoor habitats. Within each theme plants and animals are also emphasized. A student who enters Deer Park in kindergarten will have the opportunity to study each theme twice, once during kindergarten through second grade and then again during third through fifth grade. Interdisciplinary curriculum that helps students see the connections among different areas of study Extensive hands-on learning Wide range of projects and investigations through which children learn to use scientific methods, solve problems, make decisions, work together, and communicate Partnerships with science museums, colleges and universities, city parks, and environmental agencies Building designed for science and team teaching, with suites of classrooms and labs joined by science prep areas, located adjacent to the Virginia Living Museum, Deer Park, and Lake Maury Projects and activities that involve families All Newport News schools are built around the same core curriculum and meet all state Standards of Learning. Like all elementary students, children in the Environmental Science Magnet Program will receive a solid foundation in reading, language arts, social studies, the arts, health, and physical education.
All children are welcome to apply for the magnet program.
It is especially appropriate for children who like to explore, experiment, and are comfortable doing research in all kinds of weather and who don't mind getting wet and dirty. Students will be selected by computer lottery. Students who live in the school's shadow zone have priority. Students from the elementary Environmental Science Magnet Program will be well prepared for any middle school. They have priority for admission to the middle school Math, Science and Technology Magnet Program at Crittenden.