Albedo Elementary School Mission Statement Analysis

Mission Statement:

The mission of Albedo Elementary School is to effectively prepare students for the ever-changing world. We provide a safe and supportive learning environment, where motivation and engagement are at their peak, teamwork and expression is encouraged, and confidence is cultivated. The school will educate the students holistically, to equip them with the necessary social, emotional, and academic skills required to become smart, successful, compassionate, and most importantly, happy individuals.

Vision:

• • Educate the Whole Child

• Foster emotional wellbeing

• Encourage active and healthy lifestyles

• Differentiated instruction and assessment

• Self-paced learning

• Nurture intrinsic motivation due to the pursuit of personal

128) This is different than schooling that just uses play in the beginning years. We believe that “play is uplifting activity. It is valuable in itself, and adds value to persons.” (McDonough, Friedrich Frobel Lesson Class Notes, 2017) We encourage play in all our classrooms, as we believe it enables our students to explore, be creative, and take risks. These are all necessary skills to have in an education system, and should be built throughout the entire school career, not just the younger years. We also have a focus on hands on learning. Pestalozzi “emphasized sensory learning based on object lessons,” (Gutek, 2001, p. 67) which fits well with our beliefs that the best way for students to learn, is by doing it themselves. In relation to this, we believe it is important to offer “life skills” courses at Albedo. Hence, we have students take classes in things like family and consumer science and woodworking. We draw from Pestalozzi, who “organized nature study field trips,” (Gutek, 2001, p. 70) that learning from the environment is extremely beneficial. Hence why we also try to ensure we offer the most practical experiences to our students. We go on ample field trips, and visit many experts in their field. This provides a more concrete knowledge source to our students, who understand the experiences more fully when they are

69) which is crucial to us. Hence, why our teachers foster supportive classroom environments, where students feel safe to ask questions and take risks. We focus on building healthy, caring relationships with our students, which in turn, fosters a school of mutual respect and learning. This philosophy extends to creating a caring and supportive school dynamic as well. It is important to note that the school atmosphere is relaxed and comfortable, which we think is the best way for students to learn. Albedo also keeps homework to a minimum, because we believe students should have time outside of school to explore their own interests. Of course, we believe in providing a wide variety of extra-curricular activities for students to take part