Elementary & Middle School

Homework should be purposeful and intentional

We believe that all homework should be limited in use and serve a purpose. As such children rarely if ever are assigned homework to take home. Instead, we prioritize family relationships outside of school and the time children spend engaged in activities that interest them outside the classroom. When homework is assigned, it will take no longer than 10 minutes to complete for our youngest students and up to but not longer than 60 minutes for our older students.

Grades are an ineffective method of evaluating growth

We believe that grades do not provide an accurate or informative assessment of student progress. As such, students do not receive letter grades for their work. Rather we use a system of authentic assessment to evaluate student progress and learning. Authentic assessment includes extensive written narrative progress reports by teachers, student selected portfolios of work presented at student-led conferences, student self-reflection check-ins focused on learning goals specific to each child, peer assessment through collaborative evaluation, and standardized tests to measure student growth and proficiency. Our system of authentic assessment uses a variety of tools aimed to encourage students to take risks, embrace mistakes and failures as opportunities for growth and learning, to continue striving to put forth their best work, and to constantly work to improve. In a system without grades, students aren’t inhibited by the fear of getting the answer wrong and are willing to try and approach problems from different perspectives and angles. This frees them from the pressure to perform for the sole purpose of getting a good grade, thereby developing intrinsically instead of extrinsically motivated students.

Starting formal academics earlier is not always better

We believe that play based learning is an essential part of development in early childhood. As such, our kindergarteners learn in a rich and warm environment through free and guided play. Research shows that focusing on formal academics in kindergarten or earlier provides no demonstrable advantage and can be detrimental to childhood development and other important skills that serve as the foundation for learning. It undermines children’s natural desires to learn through investigation and play, which are skills that provide the foundation for children to successfully begin formal academics in literacy and mathematics. Explicit teaching and reading instruction are delayed until first grade to allow children the space and time to develop all the necessary pre-literacy skills, numeracy, and soft skills for social, emotional, and motor development. We follow the Finnish model by waiting to introduce formal reading instruction and any explicit focus on core subjects until first grade. Instead, our Research has shown that the development of these skills in early childhood are vital and important in supporting learning in later years.

Students benefit from mixed age classrooms

We believe that mixed aged classrooms are a valuable tool for educating children. In a mixed age classroom, students learn at their own pace and develop social bonds and community. The classroom setup provides the perfect environment to encourage critical thinking, cooperation, and collaborative learning. Mentor-teachers are able to differentiate instruction because in a mixed age classroom, mentor-teachers can naturally attend to each child’s developmental reality. Because we no longer subscribe to the grade level expectations but see and receive children on the spectrum on which they arrive. It also gives every student the opportunity to experience being both the knower and learner, where sometimes a student is an expert and can help guide fellow classmates and other times, they are the novice looking to peers for support in learning. You can read more about the benefits of mixed age classrooms here.

Student learning is influenced by environment

We believe that a student’s learning environment directly influences their capacity to learn. As such, the learning environment at our school is intentionally and methodically designed. Studies have shown that students who spend time in classrooms full of busy décor spend more time off-task than children who learn in a plain classroom. Rather than using the walls to display banners with slogans and charts, they are instead reserved for displaying student work or otherwise remain mostly bare, with intentionally curated pieces of art.

Rhythm is important for student development

The school year is organized around the rhythm of the seasons through the practice of honoring and celebrating transitions in nature and in life. This practice is an important part of Waldorf pedagogy and will be a central and important component of our school culture. Festivals and milestones create space to honor the passage of time and our connection to the earth and each other. The changing of the seasons come to represent the passage of time for students as they grow and change over the course of each year. This is grounding for children as it creates a reliable sense of stability and flow to each day.

Learning is not a race

We believe that all children learn at different rates. Children develop on a continuum and gain skills and knowledge within a general time frame that is not dictated by age but by experience and growth. We meet children right where they are and focus on growth based on where each child is developmentally. We do not compare students to what traditional national standards say the average 6- or 8-year-old should know. Instead, we focus on each student’s needs and provide developmentally appropriate support for each individual student. This ensures that every student is seen as an individual and their specific academic needs are supported. Growth is at the center of our approach, where students are challenged but not overwhelmed and introduced to learning in a way that is relevant to their lives.