Extracurricular Activities

Chess Club
Our Chess Club has about 50% of our students participating. Our students play for fun and have won trophies at tournaments in the area.

Read-A-Thon
In a way to promote reading in our school, we have a Read-A-Thon and we have guest readers from the community during an entire month.

Music
We celebrate Music in our Schools by having guest artists perform for the students.

Piano Lessons
Researchers are now able to physically document the benefits of music education by doing brain studies. These benefits are something that most of us have known and experienced for many years. Our Music Specialist, Janis Nash, will be offering many in school and out of school opportunities to learn to play the piano. Piano lessons provide a springboard for other musical skills as well as provide mental & physical challenges that enhance lifelong learning. At Magnuson, Kindergarten students will be introduced to piano lessons and will receive a lesson every week as part of the school day. The lessons will be group lessons, with 2 to 3 students in a group, and will be 15 minutes long. They learn some songs by singing and playing by a rote learning approach, and then will continue by using a method book. First, Second, and Third grade students will then have an opportunity to continue piano lessons that will occur outside of school class time, either before school, after school, or during the lunch/recess hour, if they so choose. Lesson groups will contain 3-4 students and will last 30 minutes. Communication with parents about lessons will be via a notebook that is brought each lesson.

Medtronic TC Kids Marathon
In May of 2007, a majority of our students and families participated in the first Medtronic TC Kids Marathon. The Magnuson students trained for many weeks to build up for the final run. The students received pedometers at the beginning which was a great motivational tool. Students brought home a training schedule so parents could participate and/or support their child. Most students ran and walked the mile, but a couple were able to run the entire mile.