Parent Participation
The Family - School Partnership
As Village School parents and teachers we are joining together in a special partnership for the academic and social growth of our children. In any partnership there must be mutual understanding and respect that begins with communication – communication of not only the School’s purposes and values, but also its services and systems. If, through mutual understanding, we can have shared values and practices in school and at home, our school becomes a true village. Most importantly, our work together will let the children experience a reliable, comforting continuity between your home and our school; we recognize that the individual home lives of our children are as essential to their growth as is the quality of education they receive at school.
Rhythm
One simple yet powerful way to link the school and home is through the establishment of a sense of order and rhythm. Our school day has a definite rhythm. Teachers begin each day with greeting each child at the door with a handshake. All of the children then join together in a verse or song accompanied by movement. This opening aids the transition between home and school and embeds within it the theme or topic for the main lesson. The school day ends with a verse or song to signal another important transition as the child returns to the family. You can reinforce this sense of continuity and rhythm in your home through a regular routine for meals, home study, and bedtime. For example, many parents find a nightly routine of reading a story or having a quiet conversation eases the child’s transition into sleep.
Media
A second powerful link between our school and home is through consideration of the judicious use of electronic media. In our school we make a conscious choice not to use mediated tools of instruction at the younger grades (overhead projectors, VCRs, computers). The word media itself supplies the rationale: we want to encourage direct experience with the world, not a world mediated by electronics. The entire purpose of the Steiner inspired curriculum is to engage the students’ will and imagination. We do this through our curriculum and through our teaching methods.
Current research increasingly points to a direct adverse effect on brain development from watching television. We are confronted by many forms of attention deficit disorders and other puzzling learning disabilities; we see a fading of the powers of imagination and wonder. The content of most television programs, video games, and movies also shows a glaring disregard for what childhood is meant to be.
For these reasons, we ask you to protect your child from exposure to electronic media. You can encourage active play and alternatives to watching television, playing video games, or working on the computer. Activities such as reading, playing board games, or participating in sports or drama help your child become more imaginative and self-reliant. We address these issues at regular class meetings and encourage you to have the conversations at home
Academic Support
A third powerful link between home and school grows from an understanding of the unique curriculum and instructional program here at The Village School. You chose to attend the school because it offered a program different from other public schools, one that has as its philosophical basis the curriculum and pedagogy of Rudolf Steiner. Onto that foundation we have added instruction based on more recent research in the areas of reading and mathematics and curriculum that is more culturally inclusive. In addition, as a public school, we must include different forms of testing and follow certain procedures based on state laws. On the whole, however, you will find a program that incorporates the strengths of the Steiner-inspired instruction: its belief that children need to feel, think about, and apply their learning through written, spoken, artistic, and kinesthetic means.
The classroom teacher directs the instruction of the students through carefully planned morning (“main”) lessons that focus on a single academic subject for three to five weeks. This teacher-led instruction allows for both teacher and child interest and expertise. Village School teachers create their lessons from many sources to make it come alive for themselves and their students. While teachers make the decision about what is taught, they can and do include methods that engage a child’s immediate interest. Additionally, for grades one through eight, in late morning and afternoon, specialty teachers add depth to the students’ skills by directing them in handwork, Spanish, movement (P.E.), and music.
Developing Capable Behavior
A fourth link, implicit in the school’s name and explicit in the school’s mission, is developing respect for self and others. Teachers lead the instruction in the classroom with students listening and responding through recitation, writing, movement, visual expression and discussion. Essential to the group learning process are the abilities to listen and work cooperatively. Since children at The Village School may enjoy long term relationships with their fellow classmates, it is vital that the children learn to live and work together respectfully and with reasonable sensitivity to others from the beginning. Protection of the dignity and self respect of parents, children, and teachers is one of the Core Values of The Village School.
Adults Set the Tone
Parents and teachers bring the children to personal and social harmony through means that are sensitive and effective. Adults, parents and teachers alike, must take great care to present disciplinary measures in a relaxed physical state, emphasizing a calm and kind yet firm demeanor. The Village School model also assumes a partnership between parent and teacher in this endeavor. Adults responsible for disciplinary methods will build on the child’s strengths and move quickly to address problem behaviors.
Explaining the Boundaries
Even before the first day of school families are asked to “sign on” to the basic premise that the school is a place in which respectful behavior from everyone in the school community is a basic expectation. The Village School Behavior Agreement puts into clear language what the expectation will be from parents and children. Before signing the Agreement, you and your child should discuss why such an Agreement exists and why it is important to honor The Village School behavior expectations. We ask that parents read the Agreement to their younger children and that older children read and sign their own Village School Behavior Agreements. Teachers will review the Agreement with the children on the first day of school in each class. This mutually understood Behavior Agreement is the first step toward establishing clear expectations for conduct within which the children can live amiably and happily at school.
Meeting the Boundaries
The next step in the School’s behavior management plan is for each class teacher to share the School’s Core Values (see the following pages) and to guide the children in creating their own classroom code of conduct. This opportunity for children to engage interactively with the Core Values affords everyone the opportunity to understand these guiding principles and how their behavioral choices impact the community of the classroom. In addition, the faculty and staff have clearly stated behavior expectations for how all children will conduct themselves in the commonly shared areas of the campus such as in the hallways, cafeteria, and playgrounds.
Testing the Boundaries
When a student challenges their classroom agreements or the School’s behavior expectations, teachers and staff will exercise authority in teaching appropriate behavior according to the Core Values. For example:
• Reminders – Young children may need a few reminders regarding how things work when beginning to acquire new skills. Learning new behavioral skills is not unlike learning academic skills. While a few reminders may be expected, constant reminders do not constitute an effective process.
• Choices – “You may clean up now or you may clean up during recess time.” Offering choices that fit within the boundaries of everyday classroom experience is often an effective way of enforcing classroom limitations. We believe that through practice, children can build their capacity to make good choices.
• Meetings –Teachers might meet with two children very briefly to discuss an interpersonal problem, or a teacher might call upon the entire class to help problem solve certain situations. It is our belief that group development and agreement to solutions is much more effective than edicts that are handed down from the teacher in many cases.
At The Village School, we seek health in the social realm as one important outcome of the educational process. To achieve this outcome, teachers may choose to use class time group discussions about social issues. These Class Meetings send an underlying message to children that our emotional well being is as important as our intellectual development. On occasion, behaviors arise that require further special action. For more information on the School’s principles and procedures for addressing such circumstances, please see the Behavior Policies page.