Our Whole School

SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

At all levels, Eye-to-Eyes and “I statements” help:

  • Build self-esteem and help kids develop confidence

  • Identify their feelings

  • Take responsibility for their own actions

  • Recognizing feelings of others

  • Understand there are consequences for their actions

  • Helps them to become comfortable with their feelings

  • Fosters healthy communication skills in relationships

As a Whole School Community

All-School Meetings– Every Friday from 8:50-9:30, teachers and students from Groups 1-4 meet in the gym for a weekly All-School Meeting followed by an all-school sing-along.

Buddies– All students in our school have one or two buddies from another group. Students from Group 1 are paired up with Group 3 students, and students from Group 2 are paired up with Group 4. In addition to being partners in field day groups, buddies interact during structured activities as well as informal times like recess and All-School Meeting.

Museums– All groups share their knowledge and projects with the entire school.

Snack and Lunch Breaks– Because we have a meaningful amount of time set aside during the day for a snack, break and outside time, students have opportunities to interact with friends across all age groups. During recess, there are often games which incorporate students from Groups 1–4. The kids have to figure out how to make games fair and fun for a variety of ages and skill levels.

Multi-Age Drama Productions– Twice a year, The Drama Club puts on productions. Students from Groups 2–4 work together for months to prepare for these impressive productions.

Cooperative Field Day– Rather than compete against each other individually, to see who is the best, our students work together in teams comprised of students from each group to achieve goals and participate in activities.

Workshop Weeks – Three times a year, for a week, Groups 3 and 4 take a break from regular academic classes and mix together for 3 specialty 1½ hour classes offered each day by a variety of teachers. The kids brainstorm classes they would like to have offered (cooking, science challenge, geocaching, painting on canvas, box forts, computer programming…) Groups 1 and 2 have several days of craft workshops in December where they mix together.

Greenfest– The entire school community works together to help prepare the school for the event. They also help to organize activities and demonstrations during the day of the event.