Physical Education
The goal of Parke House Academy’s Physical Education program is to instill in students a love for physical activity and an understanding of the importance of developing life-long physical fitness skills. Physical Education classes are held by grade level, and students practice both competitive and non-competitive games and sportsmanship in our 4,500 square foot state-of-the-art gymnasium. Our program provides learning experiences that contribute to the psychomotor, cognitive, and effective development of each student.
Physical Education also gives the students knowledge and skills to make the most of their physical and mental abilities. It gives them the building blocks necessary for good health. Furthermore, students learn to assess their own physical fitness and maintain healthy levels of activity. New skills are taught to improve performance while gaining the self-discipline to take part in individual and group activities. Students who participate in physical education on a regular basis learn the benefits of the teamwork and value it contributes to a healthy lifestyle.
Foreign Language
At Parke House Academy all students participate in the study of Spanish language, consisting of vocabulary and cultural studies. The curriculum is adapted to fit the developmental needs of the age of the child. The younger children learn basic vocabulary while the older students build upon prior knowledge and begin conversational Spanish.
The language is taught through songs, games, manipulatives, projects and repetition. Students also enjoy cultural experiences such as making traditional foods, learning native dances, and creating artwork in the style of a specific country or artist. Geography and history are also part of our curriculum.
The study of a foreign language is extremely beneficial to a child’s intellectual growth. We strongly believe that the knowledge acquired while studying another culture will encourage our students to learn more about the world. Not only are they learning another language, they are also learning about diversity and acceptance.
Library and Media
Our comprehensive libraries assist in inspiring the love of reading that is so common with our student body. Students enjoy guided language instruction and various age appropriate reading programs and materials. Our vast selection of books and resources provide many opportunities for each student to explore literature.
Etiquette and Character Workshops
Students learn the social manners and proper etiquette that they are expected to use in society. Our Character Development program teaches students how to solve conflicts that can be encountered in the real world.
Public Speaking/Debate
• Coming Fall 2022 •
PHA is excited to announce public speaking as an elective for our 2022-2023 school year. This course will be offered for students from Kindergarten to Fifth grade. Public speaking is an important skill students should learn at a young age. There are many benefits in young children who participate in public speaking. These benefits include; improved communication skills, increased self-esteem, planning experience, and the power of persuasion. We are so excited for this wonderful opportunity to share this important skill with our PHA families.
STEM Class
• Coming Fall 2022 •
In Fall 2022, PHA will open a STEM Lab where students can further explore the world of science and engineering. To that end, we are thrilled to announce that Dr. Joe Del Rocco will be leading this wonderful program. Dr. Del Rocco has over two decades of experience bouncing back and forth between industry and academia. He has worked as a software engineer for a variety of industries, and authored and taught courses on computer science, programming, and applied software topics at Stetson, UCF, and Full Sail. Many of his former college students have worked for Fortune 500 companies and game development studios. His K-12 impact includes co-founding Cacti Council with Dr. Jeremiah Blanchard (UF), a 501(c)(3) non-profit that mentored students with computer science and programming topics at Central Florida schools prior to COVID. Cacti Council has worked with PHA in the past. With his son in 2nd grade here at PHA, Dr. Del Rocco has decided to dedicate his time toward K-12 STEM enrichment and join PHA full-time next year! Although still teaching at Stetson this semester, he is already involved in planning our STEM Lab and curriculum with activities such as robotics, VR, 3D printing, astronomy, traditional science projects, and more! We are very excited to have a dedicated STEM space for our students adjacent to Ms. Altomare’s art room, giving us a STEAM enrichment studio with planned collaborations between art and science.