Electives: Physical Education, Music, Art, and Drama

Electives at ToFA are designed to be engaging, collaborative, joyful, and conducive for fellowship and connection. Students will learn to develop skills that grow creativity and confidence which ultimately further equip them to serve and bring glory to God. It is our desire that we give students the opportunities to strive towards the following goals:

​

• Grow in confidence and ability to perform/produce and communicate their art.

• Prepare students for a final performance or presentation that will exemplify their progress and skills.

• Create opportunities for students to learn collaboration and problem solving with others.

• Create opportunity for student choices and experimentation.

• Teach students how to think reflectively about their work and the work of others.

• Incorporate the knowledge and expertise of guest artist(s) from the community and/or professional organizations.

• Seek out opportunities for experiences such as art exhibits, area performances, etc., that students and families could engage.

• Expose students to sources, processes, and techniques that incorporate classical methods and philosophy.

​

Physical Education

At ToFA, we believe our bodies are God's temple and there is no better way to honor that than by taking care of your health. Students in grades K-12 participate in regular physical exercise. Grammar School students experience physical education by playing a variety of organized games that are designed to engage the kinesthetic and active learner. In Logic & Rhetoric Schools, students still actively participate in physical exercise but also learn about the human body systems and participate in academic health-related courses.

​

​

Visual Art

Kindergarten and grammar students are introduced to a variety of fun materials, concepts and ideas that will allow them to build on a foundation of art knowledge and skills.   Through a series of lessons in drawing, printmaking, painting, collage and mixed media, they will learn about and incorporate the elements of art and principles of design into their work, and study important paintings, sculpture and architecture from different art movements.  Some of the works we will see were created by Vincent Van Gogh, Faith Ringgold, and Eric Carle, just to name a few.  While having fun with these exploratory experiences, students will learn art vocabulary and techniques throughout the creative process that will help them describe and talk about their work. 

​

​

Music

Kindergarten and grammar students grow in confidence and ability to create, perform or improvise music by developing musical literacy, the reading, writing and thinking of music, as well as audiation skills, which are taught sequentially and reviewed repeatedly to encourage mastery.  In the process, students learn musical terminology to equip them to communicate effectively what they think about the music they make or hear.  The primary means of learning these skills will be through fun, interactive, engaging singing games and dances handed down through the years that combine movement with the singing of folk songs.  Through these and other collaborative activities, students will internalize and perfect their musical understanding.  They will have so much fun in the process, they’ll hardly realize how much they are learning, and their love and enjoyment of music will blossom into an appreciation they can carry over into the classics.  Students also make historical connections as they are introduced to three master composers from the time period they are studying in their history classes.  They will have the opportunity to become very familiar with each composer’s best works and style.  By actively listening to these masterworks and studying a sampling of each composer’s repertoire, students will to gain awareness of the aesthetic qualities, processes and techniques that together make for great and lasting music.

​

​

Drama

Comedy, tragedy, satire . . . Live theatre was a true passion of the ancient Greeks. Every town had at least one open-air theatre and were initially used for story telling through songs, music, and dance.  In time, the chorus began to tell the stories through acting.  It was such a hit with the Greek audiences, writers began to compile entire plays for the chorus to entertain their crowds. This year at ToFA we will explore the beginnings of Drama with references to Greek theatre. We will study the aspects of Greek theatre, learning the use of the Greek chorus and it’s many contributions to theatre that we still use today. Students will participate in multiple productions including The Tortoise and The Hare, coming November 2023. The purpose is to enable them to build confidence as they stand, speak, and perform for others.

​
 

After-School Sports

ToFA is proud to offer After School Sports for Grammar School children. Students who participate in after school sports cycle through 6 week courses of a variety of sports including soccer, volleyball, basketball, track and field, and even pickleball! ​If your student is interested in participating in after-school sports, please contact Nick Kelly at nickkelly@tofacademy.org

​

​

​

​

 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​