​Philosophy

• Basic School
• Meaningful Homework
• Director's Message

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​Director's Message

At Our Core​

• We believe in educating the whole child, academically, physically, socially and emotionally.
• We believe in modeling positive behaviors by being authentic people, valuing ourselves and others.
• We believe fostering each child by bringing forth what is intrinsic; the desire to both learn (curiosity) and to teach (share what they are learning with others).
• We believe that every child (and person) wants to be heard, acknowledged and valued; therefore, we create environments and relationships with that intention.
• We believe the emotional connection between the child and teacher is key for each child to learn. Once a child feels valued and loved for exactly who they are, the academic piece will flourish!
• We believe every child develops and grows differently and we honor this by individualizing their education.
• We believe our role as educators is to help children remain excited about learning; learning about themselves, each other, language, writing, reading, science, math, history, music, art, healthy living, the environment, how they can serve and care for the world around them.

How do we do this?
We follow the Basic School Model, follow the North Carolina standard course of study and have integrated themes that we add to the required standards. Within this structure we leave room for spontaneous learning. Due to the emotional connection with children, our teachers are more present in the moment and therefore, have the ability to know when a lesson should be extended beyond their original plans. Many times, a lesson can take a turn due to high interest in something equally as valuable, but unexpected. Teachers are empowered with the gift of authentic teaching in the moment. Some of the most influential and powerful lessons can be those not planned, but guided by student interests.

We value the sciences, the arts, foreign languages, history, genres of writing and reading, handwriting and mathematics. We value our community and service that goes back to our Basic School Philosophy roots!
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Our staff is philosophically aligned and we work together as a team. Because we believe in balance for ourselves as well as our children, it is important to remain positive and responsible for the energy we bring into the classroom. Everyone is important and has a voice. Children model after what they see and feel more than they model after what we do; therefore the unspoken words and informal relationships are just as important as the academic subjects being taught!

Teachers incorporate a variety of teaching styles and make it a priority to discover how each child best learns; hands on activities, manipulatives, movement, and music are just a few of those avenues. We are guided by assessments and not all are formal. Our goal is for each child to grow; not to pressure each child to reach a certain standard by a certain date. Growth is key. If growth stalls, it is our job to figure out why and then continue to give that child the tools he or she needs for success.
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We incorporate nature in formal and informal ways. Through our connect classes, nature is a weekly class where students learn about their surroundings, learn how to care and appreciate the smallest of creatures or plants. We also encourage our students to connect with nature as a strategy to become more present in the moment and more centered.