Description

MissionIn an atmosphere of mutual respect and responsibility, The Oaks School prepares students to meet the world with the combined wisdom of an intelligent mind, a skilled hand, and a compassionate heart.PhilosophyAt The Oaks School, education is a partnership of children, teachers, and parents. A strong commitment to inclusiveness and to collaborative decision-making is reflected in the classroom and throughout the school community. Active parent involvement provides a model for service and citizenship in the broader community.Our goal is to help construct a foundation in each child for lifelong learning. We believe that children acquire knowledge best by taking responsibility for their learning. We provide a safe, non-competitive educational environment where children are given the time to take risks, make mistakes, and master skills. Small class size and flexible teaching strategies enable us to address each child’s unique learning style and personal development. Our teachers offer a varied and invigorating program within a supportive structure to generate growth, enthusiasm, a love of learning, and the confidence born of accepting challenges and gaining proficiency.Our curriculum is designed to promote growth in all developmental areas—intellectual, art maker, social, emotional, and physical—and to foster a culture that sustains the human spirit. We emphasize mastery of essential academic skills of reading, writing, computing, creating, problem-solving, and critical thinking. Teachers facilitate the learning of these skills by designing integrated themes, projects, and activities and enrichment programs that are relevant and engaging to children. The cultivation of skills in identifying emotional anchors, expressing feelings, and resolving conflict is an important part of the curriculum.At The Oaks, our teaching embraces the diverse cultural, religious, political, socio-economic, and moral contexts in which we all live. Through shared experiences, we come to know that which is singular and unique, and that which we hold in common. It is within the life of this community that we gain fundamental respect for all humanity. Our classrooms and our school then become a means for understanding the world.