Building Community
Developing a child’s self-esteem and confidence is as important as developing his or her academic skills. At The Willow School, we encourage this by creating a safe community for all children to succeed academically, a place where they can explore intellectually, socially and emotionally, building self-esteem and confidence. We are a small school and we embrace being a small school wholeheartedly. A small school encourages friendships across grade levels; it fosters community by enabling everyone to get to know each other in multiple ways. We consider ourselves a large family and are committed to creating a culture of kindness and respect for everyone at our school. To this end, we spend time as an entire school two to three times a week doing various activities, games, projects and community service.
Morning Meeting - Two mornings per week The Willow School gathers as a whole community to share personal stories, make announcements and engage in team building activities. We put this time aside knowing the importance of getting to know each other outside of the classroom and providing opportunities for all our students to positively engage with one another.
Common Time - Twice per month all students gather together in the afternoon for our “Common Time” activities. These activities consist of interactive games, activities and service projects that can be engaged in by all grade levels. They are primarily organized and directed by our 7 – 8 grade group.
Reading Buddies - Once a week the 4 – 8 grade students will spend an afternoon with one of the K – 3 group during reading time. These “reading buddies” will listen to and assist the younger children as they strive to become as proficient as their older friends.
Conflict Resolution - In the classroom and out on the playground, conflict resolution techniques are taught. With the guidance of one of our trained staff members children are encouraged to express themselves openly and honestly when a disagreement arises. Students are taught and encouraged to settle their disputes peacefully using appropriate techniques which we model throughout the year.