Crestwood Elementary School

I started my afternoon at Crestwood Elementary school with high expectations, and I was not disappointed.  I always wanted to visit a forest within the city limits, and to my surprise, I got to visit one at Crestwood Elementary school.  Crestwood Elementary School is located at the edge of the MMSD school forest, giving students a wonderful opportunity to learn about ecology, botany, and wildlife.

A special shout out to ESL Teacher Nobel Perez for taking time out of her day to show me the Crestwood portion of the school forest and the school garden.

After our forest visit, we made our way back inside the building. Principal Hanson showed me the occupational therapy room.  Occupational therapy is one of the reasons I am so successful today as it taught me the fine motor and coordination skills necessary for daily living in the community. The occupational therapy room is large and bright with many activities for students who need to increase their coordination and daily living skills.

I next visited the 4 K classroom, the 1st grade classroom and the 5th grade classroom.  All the classrooms are well lit and very organized.  The seating in the classrooms at Crestwood Elementary captured my attention.  Instead of uncomfortable wooden chairs, there were comfortable desks along with a variety of seating options including squishy chairs, exercise balls, benches, and plush beanbags.

Lastly, I toured the vast school library where I found a bright airy space that felt cozy and warm despite its size.  I also was amazed at the technology present in the library including multiple computers, and a voice activated computer screen  (that measure volume level).  

Crestwood was an excellent school.  I appreciated the focus on outdoor learning and their technology program.