Academics

The elementary schools in the White Bear Lake Area School District serve students in kindergarten through 5th grades. Children are eligible to be enrolled in White Bear Lake Area Schools if their legal address is within the boundaries of the school district. To enroll a child in kindergarten, he/she must be five years of age on or before September 1.

For more information about elementary schools and their curricula, call the Office of Teaching and Learning at 651-407-7568.

2025-26 Elementary Guide

2026-27 Elementary Guide

Overview of Elementary Curriculum

Art

"Students build artistic literacy in an art form by applying foundational knowledge and skills while working in four processes fundamental to the arts: Creating, Responding, Performing/Presenting, and Connecting. The Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards in the Arts include five arts areas: dance, media arts, music, theater, and visual arts."

- Minnesota Department of Education

For more detail, view the Minnesota Department of Education K-12 Arts Standards curriculum page.

Health

"The purpose of health education is to positively influence the health behavior of individuals and communities as well as the living and working conditions that influence their health. Health education improves the health status of individuals, families, communities, states, and the nation."

"The Minnesota Department of Education recommends that districts utilize the National Health Education Standards (NHES). These standards establish, promote and support health-enhancing behaviors for students in all grade levels, K-12. The NHES are behavior based, with health education content integrated across each standard."

- Minnesota Department of Education

For more detail, view the Minnesota Department of Education K-12 Health and Physical Education curriculum page.

Math

"Mathematics is a discipline whose basic ingredients are numbers, shapes, and algebraic relationships. Logical reasoning is used to study the properties of these objects and develop connections between them. The results can be used to understand and analyze a vast array of phenomena arising in all of the sciences, engineering, and everyday life. For this reason, mathematics is often called the "language of science." We support mathematics achievement for all learners by providing guidance and technical assistance on implementation of academic standards, current best practices, and multi-tiered systems of intervention."

- Minnesota Department of Education

For more detail, view the Minnesota Department of Education K-12 Mathematics Standards curriculum page.

Music

Singing is the heart of the music curriculum and is a source of enjoyment for many students. Other areas of music instruction also include: the development of music literacy, exposure to a wide variety of music styles, music appreciation, playing instruments, movement and music, creative activities, field trip experiences, and concert preparation and performance. Music is an expressive subject area allowing students to tap their creative talents and explore skills not typically utilized.

The goals of music education are:

to teach about music as a subject
to develop a lifelong love of musical experiences

For more detail, view the Minnesota Department of Education K-12 Arts Standards curriculum page.

Literacy

The White Bear Lake Area Schools elementary English/Language Arts curriculum combines an explicit, multisensory approach to foundational reading skills with rich texts carefully sequenced to build content knowledge in history, science, literature, and the arts, so that learning to read and reading to learn develop together.

Students in grades K–2 engage in lessons that build foundational reading skills (phonemic awareness and phonics), as well as lessons that build background knowledge (content vocabulary and language comprehension).
Students in grades 3–5 continue to master the basic skills of reading (fluency, vocabulary, morphology, and comprehension), while also strengthening their ability to read and write in response to increasingly complex texts.
Students in grades K-5 are explicitly taught writing skills, including handwriting in grades K-2 and cursive in grades 3-4, and engage in daily opportunities to write both in response to reading and through the creation of writing pieces using the writing process.

Resources

For more details, view the Minnesota Department of Education K-12 English Language Arts (ELA) Standards curriculum page.

Science

The Vision for Elementary Science Education in WBLAS is that…

Each student is guaranteed engaging experiences to create explanations of phenomena in our ever-changing world.

In Elementary Science classrooms, we believe that…

Children are born investigators.
Science and Engineering require both knowledge and practice.
Connecting to students’ interests, experiences, and prior knowledge in Science is essential.
The understanding of Scientific core ideas builds over time.
Core ideas and practices must be the focus of Science education.
Students should have opportunities to explain and figure out phenomena.

In WBLAS, Amplify Science is used to support the teaching of the 2019 Minnesota State Science Standards in grades K-5.

For more details, view the Minnesota Department of Education K-12 Science Standards curriculum page.

Social Studies

"Social Studies is the interdisciplinary study of citizenship and government, economics, geography, history and other disciplines in the social sciences and humanities. Social Studies empowers learners to become inquisitive, informed, and engaged members of society who use critical thinking, inquiry, and literacy to prepare for college, careers and civic life."

- Minnesota Department of Education

For more detail, view the Minnesota Department of Education K-12 Social Studies Standards curriculum page.

Physical Education

"The goal of physical education is to develop physically literate individuals who have the knowledge, skills and confidence to enjoy a lifetime of physical activity. To fulfill a lifetime of physical activity, a physically literate individual:

Has learned the skills necessary to participate in a variety of physical activities.
Knows the implications and the benefits of involvement in various types of activities.
Participates in regular physical activity.
Is physically fit.
Values physical activity and its contribution to a healthful lifestyle."

- Minnesota Department of Education

For more detail, view the Minnesota Department of Education K-12 Health and Physical Education curriculum page.

World Languages

"The goal of world languages education is to develop multilingual leaders who are linguistically and culturally competent to communicate, work and collaborate effectively with people of diverse backgrounds in the global community. Communicating in the language of others and learning about cultures that are different from your own are essential to gain deeper understanding of new perspectives, develop intercultural competencies, increase awareness of self, engage in self-reflection, and cultivate curiosity and empathy that lead to increased capacity to live and work with people who are different from your own.

These characteristics help sustain a mindset of a life-long learner and will help one lead a meaningful life as a member of the global community in the 21^st century. The Minnesota Department of Education supports world language learning for all learners by providing guidance and technical assistance on implementation of academic standards, current best practices, program design, and policy administration related to world languages education."

- Minnesota Department of Education

Minnesota world language standards are locally developed but must align to the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Standards.

For more detail, view the Minnesota Department of Education World Languages curriculum page.

Special Programs

Computers/Technology

English Learner

Gifted Services

IB Primary Years Programme

Matoska International is a K-5 public school option available to families within the White Bear Lake Area School District. The school is a globally minded school providing its students with both a worldwide perspective and a strong connection to the local communities in which we live. The site has been an International Baccalaureate World School since the 2011-12 academic year.

As an IB World School, Matoska International:

is part of a network of 3,000 schools in 140 different countries with a similar vision and emphasis on best practices
has demonstrated a commitment to focus on the development of the whole child as an inquirer, both in the classroom and in the world outside
has curriculum recognized as substantial, in-depth and having global significance

In addition, Matoska International students are provided the same district services that are available to students at our other elementary schools. These include access to special education, speech, media, music, basic skills and physical education specialists. The district provides transportation to Matoska International for students from throughout the White Bear Lake Area School District.

Find additional information about International Baccalaureate on the International Baccalaureate Organization website. For more information about Matoska International, please visit the Matoska International website or call 651-653-2852.

Spanish Dual Immersion Program

A new Elementary Spanish Dual Immersion program launched in the fall of 2025, located at Matoska International and Otter Lake Elementary, is designed to serve both Spanish-speaking and non-Spanish-speaking students together in a bilingual environment that values the contributions of every student and family.

Participants learn in a mix of English and Spanish, experiencing unique benefits such as:

academic growth,
enhanced language and cultural understanding,
social and emotional development, and
expanded future opportunities.

Find additional information on the Spanish Dual Immersion program page.

Special Education

Special Offerings at Lakeaires

Elementary AVID

Elementary AVID

AVID Elementary helps all students develop the academic behaviors and critical-thinking skills that will benefit them as they continue their educational pathway. AVID strategies help students develop organization, study skills, communication, and self-advocacy, as well as reading and writing skills. In addition, AVID Elementary students are taught to take structured notes and answer and ask high-level questions. Teachers provide the academic foundation students need to be on a path for college and career success.

Find more information on the AVID program here.