The Family and School Partnership

 

…What we expect of families...

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. 

 

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.

 

The cornerstones of core values are shared by Village School staff as they strive to provide the best possible educational environment for your children:

 

1.      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.  All of the children then join together in a verse, song, or other opening activity.  This opening aids the transition between home and school and has embedded within it the theme or topic for the main lesson.  The school day also ends with a verse or song signaling 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.

 

Why is rhythm so important and why especially in the lives of children? Why is rhythm emphasized so strongly in the School’s educational model? Rhythm quite literally is life, within us and all around us. Think of the beating of our hearts, the breathing in and out of our lungs, think of the daily rhythm of day and night, waking and sleeping. There are lesser known physiological rhythms of specific organs within us, the liver, and the spleen. Then, of course, the rhythm of the week, of the weekend, monthly rhythms, and the phases of the moon reflected in the cyclical tides of the oceans for instance. Let us not forget the yearly rhythm, the solstices, equinoxes, reflected in the seasonal changes each year. By doing the same thing at the same time each day the child develops both a security and understanding of what is to come next as well as a competence in it. More importantly, we as teachers are actually helping to develop the will forces and strong habits in our students. In the same way that brushing teeth has become a habit for most of us, even when we don’t feel like doing it, doing the same verse, movement, handshake, etc. each day strengthens the child’s will to do their work. Through establishing strong, positive habits, we help the children in all aspects of their lives, especially for those later years when, “I don’t feel like it,” becomes a common response.                                                                                                                                                                  From an article by Matthew Bigongiari, 5^th/6^th grade Village School teacher

2.      Media Exposure

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

3.      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 is inspired by Waldorf Education and the work of Rudolf Steiner.  With this as our foundation we have added instruction based on more recent research in the areas of reading, writing, 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.  Village School teachers create their lessons drawing from many sources thereby enlivening the lessons for themselves and their students.  Teachers make the decisions about what is taught with the intention of engaging the child’s immediate interest.  Additionally, for grades one through eight, in late morning and afternoon, specialty teachers add depth to the students’ skills by leading them in handwork, Spanish, movement (P.E.), and music. 

 

4.      Developing Capable Behavior

A fourth link, implicit in the school’s name and 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, interact, 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 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.

 

Explaining the Boundaries

Even before the first day of school families are asked to “sign on” to the 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.  You and your child should discuss why such an Agreement exists and why it is important to honor the school’s behavior expectations.  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 regularly 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. The School Rules and Behavior Expectation section outlines some of the School’s principles and procedures for addressing such circumstances.