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Coquille Valley Elementary spotlights new 5th‑grade science class and growing music program
Summary
Teachers told the Coquille School District 8 board that 5th‑grade students are now in a dedicated NGSS‑aligned science course and that band and choir participation has nearly doubled, with student demonstrations and a short performance at the meeting.
Coquille Valley Elementary teachers presented to the Coquille SD 8 board on new hands‑on science and expanding music programs.
Casey Peterson, the school’s science teacher, described this year’s introduction of a dedicated 5th‑grade science class aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards. "This is instead a very exploratory way to do science where, the students pose the questions," Peterson said, explaining that students design, run and revise experiments rather than memorizing facts. He told the board that the curriculum emphasizes broad units — engineering, matter and energy, earth systems and space — with deeper study to come in later grades.
Peterson brought three 5th‑grade students forward to describe class activities. Abigail Westgard said her favorite part was experiments, such as balloon‑powered cars, and said she learned "it takes multiple tries to make something work." Another student described building food‑chain projects, and a third explained how heating and cooling affects particle motion in matter.
Peterson outlined his grading approach, saying classwork, projects and participation are the main categories and that failure in experiments is treated as a learning opportunity. "If they fail an experiment, then what we do is we say, okay. Well, what do we think went wrong?" he said.
Emma Rostegas, the school’s music teacher, reported rapid growth in band and choir enrollment — she said band numbers have almost doubled — and noted the return of a winter concert this year after none the previous year. Rostegas introduced several 5th‑ and 6th‑grade students who performed a short piece for the board.
Why it matters: The board heard both classroom‑level detail on instructional shifts in science and practical results from investments in music, with students visibly demonstrating learning and participation gains. The presentations illustrated district efforts to broaden course options and provide early exposure to college and career pathways for Coquille students.
The board moved on to other agenda items after the performance; there were no formal decisions required on the spotlight presentation.
