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SHUTESBURY SCHOOL COMMITTEE EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY

Shutesbury Elementary School is a dynamic learning community. Its mission is to lay foundations in the many critical areas of our children's education. We strive to nurture each child's curiosity, growth, and development, and to foster a lifelong love of learning. In order to do this well, the Shutesbury School community adheres to the following guiding values as the foundation for its educational philosophy:

Guiding Values

  • We value the development of thinking skills, because we want our children to be wise decision-makers and capable problem-solvers.
  • We value quality work and achievement, because we want our children to experience the powerful sense of accomplishment that comes when they care deeply and work hard.
  •  We value a sense of community, because we want our children to develop into caring, respectful, and ethical citizens.
  • We value a safe environment, physically and emotionally, because we want our children to gain confidence as they take on new challenges and responsibilities.
  • We value respectful dialogue that acknowledges difference and tension, because we want our children to appreciate multiple perspectives and mediate conflict.
  • We value child-centered teaching practices, because we want our children engaged in work that is significant to them and at which they can succeed.
  • We value meaningful and varied assessments, because when our children demonstrate an understanding of their work and reflect on their progress, they become more effective learners.
  • We value communication between home and school, because we want our children to know that their teachers and parents are working together to help them grow.
  • We value curricula that connect our children to the broader community and the natural environment, because we want our children to be grounded in the place they live and to practice stewardship.
  • We value the integration of the arts with our core curricula, because we want our children to use their imaginations actively in aesthetic exploration to understand their place in the world around them.
  • We value the integration of technology with our core curricula, because we want our children to use the technical tools our society has created for organization, exploration, and communication effectively.
  • We value physical play and expression, because we want our children to feel confident and connected to their bodies.
  • We value an educational community that respects and celebrates diversity, because we want our children to treat each other with acceptance, understanding, and compassion.

The Shutesbury Elementary School works to do the best job possible to prepare all our children for future schooling and to lead successful lives of personal and social meaning. It represents our commitment to our children and through them to the future of our community, nation, and world.

Second reading, first vote: 12-20-06
Final vote: 01-17-07