In the spring of 2025, we invited all of our students and parents to tell us what interests and engages them through a survey. Based on student and parent feedback asking for more play, more fine arts, more opportunities, Engage Opportunities were created with the following benefits in mind.

• Students will participate in their Engage Opportunity every day during the school day. 
• More experiences
• More engagement
• More library time
• More physical activity
• More fine arts opportunities
• More recess
• More fun
• More play
• Exposure to careers
• Less screen time
• Team of specialist teachers, maximizing teacher’s strengths and passions

The goal is simple: to provide something for every student over the next few years. These opportunities aim to build a hopeful and exciting future for every child, regardless of whether their passion lies in the classroom, on the field, or on the stage. It represents a massive expansion of student opportunities across every elementary campus in the district in the next few years.

Learn more about Engage Opportunities here.

All 12 of our elementary campuses have rebranded Meet the Teacher Night to Meet the Team with a daytime and evening option. We invite families to meet all of their teachers on campus August 6 from either 9-11 a.m. or 5-7 p.m.

Yes. As in previous years, teachers have academic and flex teachers (P.E., fine arts, etc.) Students will experience educators who specialize in a subject area and are passionate about their subject matter.

Please join us at Meet the Team on August 6, where you’ll receive contact information listing your child’s team of specialist educators.  You are welcome to reach out to any educator on the team at any time about your student, but your student will also be assigned a Student Success Specialist.

Students will have a consistent classroom, similar to previous years, and rotate for Engage Opportunities and flex time (PE, fine arts, recess, etc.).

Yes. Students not only receive science and social studies during Flex Time, but as in previous years, they also received additional instruction through cross-curricular academics in their other courses. For example, a student in math is using skills to solve a science problem or a student in reading will have a history reading passage. 

Now, they will also receive cross-curricular instruction through their Engage Opportunity. For example, in football they will also learn science through health and nutrition, and in farm-to-table through biology and earth science.

Flex Time is scheduled based on the individual student’s needs. For example a student in the soccer Engage Opportunity may need less time in P.E., but a student in health science biomedical who is also receiving cross-curricular science may need more P.E. time.

Yes.  We are actually increasing access to libraries. In previous years, students rotated to the library every 6-7 school days during specials, and now they will be going weekly to their elementary library, or “Hub.”

The school day was structured based on parent and community feedback last year asking for more opportunities and play time for students. Students will participate in their Engage Opportunity for 60 minutes every day. The campus will have a team of educators that specialize in a subject area and are passionate about their subject matter. Students will also receive more library time, more physical activity, more fine arts opportunities, more recess, and more exposure to careers.

 Every kindergarten through 4th grade student zoned and attending a campus offering Engage Opportunities will be required to request their preferred opportunity available at that campus.

The first phase of Engage Opportunities will begin in Fall 2026 with additional opportunities rolling out to all campuses in the future.

The first phase will launch at five campuses, integrating diverse opportunities directly into the school day. Students will participate in one of the opportunities listed below. 

• Dewberry & Henderson: 
  • Football
  • Farm to Table
  • Cheer & Dance
• Claybon & Lewis: 
  • Soccer
  • Health Science & Biomedical
  • Music Production
• Jacobs: 
  • Tennis & Pickleball
  • Gaming & Engineering

Click here to learn more about Academies.  

• Wilson Elementary:
  • Dual Language
  • Academies at the OC (K-4):
    • Swim
    • Golf
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Coding & Robotics
• Jacobs Elementary:
  • Dual Language
• Blackburn Elementary:
  • Advanced Academics and Fine Arts Academy
• Opportunity Central
  • Academies at the OC (5-8):
    • Swim
    • Golf
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Coding & Robotics
    • Theater (Grades 5 & 6)
• Jones Intermediate:
  • Dual Language
• Rhea Intermediate:
  • Fine Arts Academy
• Smith Intermediate:
  • Fine Arts Academy

Yes. Following the Fall 2026 launch, additional phases of Engage Opportunities are planned. More opportunities coming soon…

 Academies at the OC, the Dual Language Academy, and the Advanced Academics and Fine Arts Academy (AAFAA) will continue with an application process and program specific requirements. Click here to learn more about Academies. The Dual Language Academy will remain at Wilson and expand to Jacobs.

In year one, kindergarten through 4th grade students zoned to 1 of the 5 campuses offering Engage Opportunities will be required to request their preferred opportunity available at that campus.  If your family lives outside the zone of a campus or is interested in an opportunity at another campus, transfers within their secondary feeder pattern will be based on availability.

Yes.  Parent information sessions are hosted each spring, and Meet the Team for each campus at the beginning of each school year. For 2026, families can Meet the Team on Tuesday, Aug. 6 from 9-11 a.m. or 5-7 p.m.

The campus school supply lists for Engage Opportunity campuses will remain the same.  Any specialized items needed will be provided by the campus