Star Early Literacy: is a computer program that gives the classroom teacher vital reading readiness information. It is used in Kindergarten and First Grade classes.The children play several leveled games that touch on general reading readiness, graphonemic knowledge, phonemic awareness, phonics, comprehension, structural analysis, and vocabulary. The teacher is then given immediate feedback as to any areas a student might have strengths and weaknesses. The scores are graphed and the students progress is monitored throughout the year. The student's think they are just playing computer games, while the teacher is getting useful information.

Character Counts: Students and staff members at Sandia are actively involved in the Character Counts! activities. Each class in grades 4-6 selects one student to serve on the Character Council. Each student on the Council is responsible for sharing Character Counts! implementation ideas with his/her class. The Council is also involved in promoting school spirit activities.

Reading Buddies: Many lower and upper grade classes have teamed up to become Reading Buddies. During this time, students take turns reading to each other. This allows younger students to have additional one-on-one reading time; it also helps build other students' self-esteem. The Buddies have also expanding into Science experimenting together.

Number Literacy: "What's My Place, What's My Value": Is a working classroom display that uses visual models and numbers to help develop concepts related to place value. This program reinforces the concepts of writing numbers in expanded and standard forms, trading collections, rounding, rearranging digits to form less or greater values, odd & even numbers, counting backwards & forwards by ones, tens, twos, and fives, also adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing and much more.

Creating Writers: is a teaching tool being used district-wide to teach students writing skills. It consists of 6 traits: Ideas, Organization, Voice, Word Choice, Sentence Fluency, and Conventions. Each of these traits is taught individually and the students practice writing to each of them. They are then all combined and the students write with all of them in mind. The students are provided with scoring guides, which help them self-grade and show where they can improve. Each year we are seeing better and better writers at Sandia. Creating Writers is proving to be a useful tool, well worth the time and effort the students and faculty have devoted to it.

Elementary Arts Education Grant: Is a district-wide Art grant that will span over three years. It consists of four main components; Missoula Children's Theatre(is a weeklong residency during which a team of two staff actors/directors develop and produce a full-scale musical), AIS (Arts in the Schools: designed to engage children in learning through visual arts, and offers professional development and curriculum for teachers), Marsville (teaches students in grades 5 about the planet Mars, space, technology, science, mathematics, and art, through a series of individual and group activities)., and a Brick Road of Perfect Cultural Friendship.(Music and PE teachers will be provided with professional development in the art of dance. The will then return to the school and teach all K-6 students various dance types. Teachers will collaborate together to integrate social studies with the study of multi-cultural dance.)

Brain-Based Learning: We will investigate current brain research and implement effective strategies to improve student achievement. These are the four areas; Environment: (rich & stimulating, safe & secure. The brain craves novelty and can perform many tasks at once. Emotions are critical to learning and memory. Music & Movement: Learning engages the whole body. Movement carries oxygen to the brain and helps it to organize and focus. Music is an incredible tool that involves the whole person. It can set the mood for learning, energize, improve attention, relax and calm, and can improve spatial reasoning for subjects such as math. Effective Directions: the brain prioritizes and prefers to learn in small chucks and organize patterns. Getting student's complete attention and giving short, clear directions can avoid much confusion in the classroom. Giving effective directions can help learners give sense and meaning to and feel positive about new learning experiences. Brain-Compatible Software: New computer programs are being developed that address the new findings from brain research. Here at Sandia, we are currently evaluating the effectiveness of the "Fast ForWord" Computer Program to improve listening and language acquisition. Upon visiting our school, you can expect to see creative desk arrangements and varied learning areas. Lamps, rugs, and other accessories make a classroom more inviting. You will hear more music being played in the halls, classrooms, and cafeteria. Students will be moving, clapping, chanting, and singing during transitions and practice times. You will notice teachers throughout the school using the "give me five" signal to get students attention. Our hope is to learn more about the newest brain research in order to design more effective learning environments for your children. For more information on brain-based learning, you may want to visit these Websites www.funderstanding.com/brain_based_learning.cfm, or www.beginwiththebrain.com, and www.brainconnection.com.

Computer Lab: The SME lab serves as a collaborative with classroom instruction by the student's teacher. Lab lessons enforce learning in Reading and Mathematics. This cooperative learning enables students to achieve learning standards set for their particular grade level. It is one of the core educational tools helping your child to achieve excellence in learning.