OUR BELIEFS

We believe . . .

  • that learning should be the focus of all school activity

  • that parents have a major influence on their child’s learning

  • that all students can learn, have the right to learn, and should have equal access to the curriculum

  • the school curriculum must reflect the highest standards and expectations for our students

  • that every effort should be made to reflect the diversity of the city within our school population

  • that a curriculum that reflects historical and contemporary issues and events will stimulate a child’s natural curiosity while developing the life skills necessary to succeed in our global community

  • each student is unique and can be a responsible, self-motivated individual who respects him/herself, others, and the environment

  • students learn best in small groups with attention to varied learning styles and individual needs

  • that in order to enrich our educational environment our school must utilize diverse resources from parents, community and business partners

  • that successful cooperation among all stakeholders with open communication and respect for each other’s diversity will result in improved student achievement

  • that an optimal learning environment is clean, safe, and aesthetically pleasing. This provides students with a feeling of ownership and pride.

  • that in order to ensure a quality program staff must be provided time for professional dialogue, training and collaboration

  • learning should be fun!

ACADEMIC STUDENT OUTCOMES

Problem Solvers

Students will know the skills and strategies to be effective and creative problem solvers.

Communication

Students will master the skills and strategies of reading, writing, listening, speaking and technology to enable them to communicate clearly, creatively and effectively.

Global Awareness/Historical Perspective

Students will know the historical and current contributions of diverse cultural groups in their community and world and demonstrate their understanding and involvement.

Essential Learnings

A World-Class Problem Solver can:

  • identify the problem to be solved and articulated it to others

  • break the problem down into component parts

  • identify multiple approaches to solve the problem

  • identify information and resources needed to solve the problem

  • utilize information individually or collaboratively to formulate a plan of action

  • defend a rationale for plan chosen

  • execute approach

  • present process and results to audiences

  • self-evaluate

A World-Class Communicator can:

  • access information from a variety of sources

  • give clear, confident and concise oral and written presentation

  • formulate and ask questions to deepen understanding

  • draw conclusions, summarize and generalize based on data

  • analyze and interpret information

  • read with comprehension

  • express and receive ideas through participation and attentive listening

  • tailor content and style to audience

  • express and interpret ideas and feelings with visual, aural and kinesthetic forms

A World-Class Citizen can:

  • know, appreciate and respect own and other’s culture

  • appreciate and participate in diverse cultural expressions in various forms (e.g. literature, visual and performing arts.)

  • identify ways in which to contribute and participate in the community

  • understand historical backgrounds and how they affect a current situation

  • write and speak from various cultural/historical points of view

  • debate both sides of a current issue

  • identify cultural similarities and differences in oral, literary and artistic traditions around the world