Mission Statement
MISSION: Preparing future scholars, innovators, and world citizens.
- Scholars with the academic skills required for postsecondary and global workforce success
- Innovators who create solutions to local and global problems through empathy, creativity, and collaboration
- World Citizens who are respectful, responsible, ethical, and compassionate
CORE BELIEFS
Personalization
We believe learning is a social process and relationships are important. Scholars that are known as individuals, challenged intellectually, respected, supported, and connected to their learning will be successful.
We believe learning is a social process and relationships are important. Scholars that are known as individuals, challenged intellectually, respected, supported, and connected to their learning will be successful.
School Structures
- Small size of the school facilitates support individual and small group learning
- Scholars take 3 to 4 academic classes at any one time during the school year.
- Reduced teacher academic case load using alternative scheduling
- Advisory classes built into the weekly schedule. Advisory is held at least once a week. Scholars maintain the same advisory from year-to-year.
- Time is built into the weekly schedule for scholars to engage in high-interest and/or academic support seminars ( e.g., tutorial, dance, yearbook).
Building Meaningful and Sustained Relationships
- Teacher teams with common scholars discuss scholars' academic and social/emotional goals and needs.
- Staff advisors are the primary point of contact for the family, and monitor scholars personal and academic development
- Parents feel welcome on campus and know that they can advocate for their children.
- Diverse cultures and experiences of the school community members are respected and valued.
Learning Environment
- Emphasis is placed on integrated, problem-based learning that calls on scholars to reflect their personal interests and experiences in their work.
- Scholars maintain a portfolio of work that reflects their unique strengths and goals.
- Internships build relationships by connecting scholars with community members and industry professionals.
- School facilities are intentionally designed to foster meaningful collaboration.
- The content and delivery of instruction is culturally responsive.
- All scholars have equitable access to learning (heterogeneous classrooms).
Scholar Support System
- The primary academic and social-emotional student support occurs in the context of the core classrooms and is supported by the grade-level team, rather than additional support classes and programs.
- Counselors and outside service providers assist all scholars in being successful.
- Scholar-support teams identify and address scholars in need of additional academic, attendance, behavioral, or social-emotional interventions.
AUTHENTIC LEARNING EXPERIENCES
We believe scholars who are challenged Intellectually by actively exploring real-world problems value their learning and are motivated to succeed.
Core Academic Program
We believe scholars who are challenged Intellectually by actively exploring real-world problems value their learning and are motivated to succeed.
Core Academic Program
- Scholars read, write, think, and behave like scientists, mathematicians, historians, and artists. They experience and investigative open-ended, problem-based learning (Interdisciplinary).
- Scholars learn to synthesize concepts and ideas for greater understanding and application (Depth vs. Breadth).
- Scholars present their work to peers, staff, and community members.
- Scholar understanding is assessed through projects and presentations of learning.
SKILLED PROFESSIONAL TEACHERS
We believe skilled teachers understand that scholars learn in different ways. They know a great deal about the learning process, and they use this knowledge to make the content accessible for diverse learners and support the learning process.
We believe skilled teachers understand that scholars learn in different ways. They know a great deal about the learning process, and they use this knowledge to make the content accessible for diverse learners and support the learning process.
Making Content Accessible
- Teachers must be experts in their subject matter, the needs of diverse learners, and the learning process.
- Teachers use multiple modalities of instruction to make content accessible to scholars of varying levels.
- Teachers know how to access curriculum resources and use them effectively with scholars.
- Teachers know how to represent the ideas in their content area so they are accessible to scholars with varying levels of prior knowledge.
- Teachers collaborate with colleagues in other subject matters to design lessons that connect scholars' learning across disciplines.
Understanding the Needs of Diverse Learners
- Teachers are committed to meeting the learning and adolescent development needs of a diverse group of scholars.
- Teachers deliver content in a culturally responsive manner.
- Teachers are skilled at determining what scholars already know and how to shape lessons so they learn well.
Supporting the Learning Process
- Teachers understand language learning and literacy development to support all scholars well, especially English-learner scholars and scholars with learning differences.
- Teachers establish a "student-as-worker; teacher-as-coach" learning environment. Teachers are designers of project-based learning using essential standards and questions to help scholars make meaning of their learning and cross curricular connections. (Using MindWell, Linked Learning).
- Teachers understand how to enable scholars to critique their own (and others') learning and set/monitor meaningful learning goals for themselves.
- Teachers use assessment and data effectively to identify scholars' strengths and needs and to help them learn better.
- Teachers are continual learners about their content, the learning process, and how to teach their subject matter.