Learning

During the early academic years, Colegio Menor’s music program combines music, movement, and theater. The children learn to play Orff percussion instruments from playgroup until third grade and beginning in the fourth grade they learn to play string and wind instruments. Colegio Menor lends each student a musical instrument and students receive lessons from teachers with specializations in Music Education. In Upper School students may receive one hour classes, daily, in one of the following areas of their choice: visual arts, music, or theater. As a result of this program, our students are able to progress to advanced levels in the arts.

By using interactive activities and integrating technology standards in our curriculum, we seek to educate our students regarding the necessary fundamentals that will help them to become responsible “digital citizens”.

Colegio Menor uses a variety of technological mediums as a resource for teaching/learning opportunities. Students have access to mobile IPad labs, a sound recording lab equipped with high tech instruments, a digital photography lab equipped with Mac computers, Schoology as a learning support platform, campus-wide access to Wi-Fi, etc.

Our Early Childhood Library offers a wide-selection of children’s books in English only. Playgroup, Pre-Kindergarten, and Kindergarten classes visit the Early Childhood Library on a weekly basis where they can browse titles and select a book to share at home. Guided by our Library Specialist, students participate in read-alouds, take an in-depth look at authors, illustrators, special topics, and learn the basics about books, and library routines before graduating to the Media Center in first grade.

Our bilingual Media Center teaches weekly classes with 1st-2nd graders, bi-monthly classes with 3rd-6th graders, and at-point-of need collaborations with Upper School. Our classes emphasize literacy skills, celebrate children’s literature, connect texts to classroom curriculum, and teach research skills.

We offer an up-to-date, high-interest, bilingual collection of fiction and non-fiction materials and research databases for beginning through young adult readers and researchers.

From Book Fairs to Author Visits to Reader Promotions, we offer fun events throughout the year to motivate children to love reading and grow as readers.

The Advanced Placement program provides the opportunity for students to earn college credits while attending high school, and provides students with efficient preparation for continuing education coursework at the university level.

The counseling department’s aim is to provide emotional support, facilitate personal development, and support the wellbeing of our school’s community. Our psychologists collaborate with staff, students, and parents/guardians in order to provide resources and information regarding social-emotional and physical development that are readily available to our students. As a support network for our students, our mission is to provide them with a safe and supportive environment and to assist and encourage personal growth.

For more information about our Quito counseling team, click here. 

Colegio Menor emphasizes the importance in early identification and intervention for those students within our community that may present with learning difficulties. By using the Response to Intervention (RTI) model, students’ progress can be monitored, which allows for referrals for modifications, increased intensity of intervention, or referral for additional services that may be necessary at some point during the academic years. In Upper School, The Program of Academic Support (PAS) is also used to routinely follow-up and monitor student’s grades or progress.