Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s),
Welcome to our Young School Community! We are truly interested in and excited about partnering with you in an effort to ensure that your child’s school experience leads to a better understanding of “self”, including their intellectual, social, emotional, and physical aspects. You will likely hear us use the term “whole child”, as we engage in communication with you. So let’s get started in helping to make this school year the greatest ever for your child!
A key area of focus over the course of the school year, with particularly strong emphasis within the first six weeks of school, is on community building. It is our intention, beginning on the initial day of school, to immerse students within a “responsive school” community. A visitor to our school will observe a community of adults who embrace and execute their responsibilities as they pertain to the implementation of an established set of “guiding principles”, as follows:
- Social curriculum is of equal importance as the academic curriculum
- How children learn is as important as what children learn
- Great cognitive growth occurs through social interaction
- School success requires specific social and emotional skills
- Knowing the children is as important as knowing the content
- Knowing families is essential to children’s education
- How adults work together is as important as individual competence
The success that your child experiences while a student at Young School is incredibly important. We are certain that the knowledge and skills developed and refined at this point in public education will serve as your child’s foundation as they advance through subsequent stages. Many educational researchers are in agreement that there are four critical areas that parents and teachers need to guide students in developing, including the following:
- Collaboration and teamwork
- Creativity and imagination
- Critical thinking
- Problem solving
You will notice a strong correlation exists between the “guiding principles” and the noted “critical areas”. This intentional design will ensure that the work of our team is cohesive in respect to the implementation of our school’s core curriculum. Simply, students will develop an understanding of the social and academic expectations that they will be responsible and accountable to by closely observing the modeling provided by the adults who work and volunteer within our educational community. They hear our “words” and see our responses to various challenges or common everyday occurrences, which serve to reinforce how they conduct themselves each day.
Thank you again for allowing us the privilege of serving your child. Please be sure to contact your child’s teacher, other service provider, or me, if you have any questions or information to share.
Respectfully,
Peter E. Harrison, Ed. D.
Principal
Young School