 details a day in the life of your child that will attend Trillium Charter School and what they should expect to experience on a daily basis. Our Educational Philosophy Trillium Charter School’s Mission Statement reads: Our work at the Trillium Charter School is guided by three commitments: to each learner as an individual, as a member of families and communities, and to the Earth. Our mission and our educational approaches are deeply entwined. The educational program of Trillium Charter School is based upon constructivist, experiential, and authentic philosophies of learning. These educational philosophies in turn align with our mission statement and its commitments to learners as individuals, to families and communities, and to a sustainable relationship with the Earth. Constructivism as a theory of learning focuses on each learner as a unique individual and acknowledges that the personal experiences and situation of each learner will affect his or her learning. In constructivist learning, children are viewed as “builders” of their own learning experience. Instructors are seen as facilitators or guides in the learning process. Learning is active and social, and learning experiences are designed so that students can learn on their own, from their peers, and from other members of the community as well as their teachers. Experiential learning describes learning in which the learner is actively involved in a learning experience. The experience must require the learner to use decision-making, analytical, and other problem-solving skills to participate in the experience. Finally, the learner must reflect on their own processes and growth in the course of the learning experience. Experiential learning focuses on addressing the intellectual curiosities of a learner or group of learners. It also stresses the importance of a positive learning experience and includes project based learning, service learning, discovery learning, and outdoor education. Authentic educators embrace the idea that learners should become “cognitive apprentices” in the fields that they study rather then just “passengers in the car” so to speak. In order to learn to about the weather, students should learn to use meteorological tools. In learning math, they should learn to think like mathematicians by using and being exposed to ancient tools like the abacus and modern ones like the calculator. A music class should teach how to create music, and in reading students learn to think about texts the way that engaged readers will. Our educational program also acknowledges, encourages, and utilizes the families and communities to which we as individuals and a school belong. We invite family and community members to teach us and to learn beside us. We contextualize our learning in real life situations that exist in our families and communities, and hope to offer solutions to the challenges we face. We value our diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and experiences for the learning opportunities they provide. In doing this we place a focus on teaching students commitment to the Earth as well. Much of our project-based learning will focus on environmental issues in our school and in our communities. To shift the way we use natural resources is such an important task for this generation of learners, and we are happy to focus on this authentic challenge in the course of our studies. Structure for Daily Learning at Trillium Charter School Each day at Trillium Charter School begins with one or more meetings of the school community. Some are at the classroom level, and some are at the school level. Parents and community members are welcome to attend. These meetings, which last just 10 - 25 minutes, help to create the positive environments necessary for optimal learning. Things that may happen in this meeting are teaching the students to focus on themselves and their feelings, informing students of daily events that may be happening for that day, and having students lead the meeting to teach leadership skills. Following the meetings, students will go off to classroom study for a time. Each classroom consists of two multiage groups. Each group will contain two grade levels, and each level will have its own teacher. For example, one classroom will house two teachers, each assigned to a group of 16 first and second grade children. The purpose of multiage groupings and shared space is to facilitate flexible grouping of students using several factors if needed. It is advantageous because by using this method, children of different abilities and talents are allowed to share these with one another Classroom study time will always consist of a literacy block, a math block, and a world language block. The literacy block and math block will take place everyday. The literacy block will last approximately two hours, and will consist of approaches aligned with our educational philosophy, such as reading and writing workshops. In these, children work together to teach one another skills with the help of the teacher. The children’s math block will be 45-60 minutes long and be based on constructivist methods where students will use things like math manipulatives and active learning approaches to master skills. Additional classroom study time will be used as needed to ensure students master NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards (NJCCCS). Teachers will determine the needs of their students in terms of the NJCCCS based on their performance in classroom study time and in project-based learning. Teacher observation plays a large role in the daily learning of the children. Four afternoons each week, children will participate in project-based learning. This is detailed below. Project-based Learning Following the classroom activities, four days a week, the children’s afternoon activities will focus on projects designed to have them master the NJCCCS in a “real world” way. Learners will spend a large portion of their afternoons (approximately 90 minutes) in projects. These projects will integrate different academic subjects and concepts, and may involve family and community members, outdoor education, or environmental studies. Students will have a voice in shaping these projects and choosing which projects to participate in, although sometimes a student will need to participate in a certain project in order to show mastery in certain NJCCCS. The projects offered will be designed by the curriculum committee and teachers, with input from students, dean of instruction, family members, and community members. Projects may be designed for students of all ages or specifically for students in certain grades. Multiple projects will run simultaneously, allowing students choice in their studies. When project choices are offered, the NJCCCS addressed in each project will be clearly communicated by word, in written form, or however the students need this accomplished to ensure understanding. Students will be given an age-appropriate level of voice in their project choice, although these choices will be limited by the need for each student to master the NJCCCS. While multiple projects run simultaneously, all projects will begin and end together, so that new groups can form for each project. Projects will last approximately 4 weeks. While led by teachers, this project learning block of the children’s day will be enriched by the participation of project specialists in residence. These will be individuals from the community who work in areas such as visual art, performing art, environmental science, or other specialty being explored in the project. While not every project will employ a specialist in residence, all students will have opportunities to work with these community mentors. An essential part of every project is the creation of a portfolio which is used to document student learning. Students will often work with teachers other than their classroom teacher during projects, so it is essential that the portfolio entries truly document student learning. Daily Schedule* 8:30am – 3:30pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday 8:30am – 1:00pm on Wednesday In general, the morning hours (8:30 – 12:00) will be spent in studies that address the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards, including 120 minutes of Language Arts instruction and 45-60 minutes of math instruction. The afternoon session will be spent in activities that are project-based and experiential. These activities will often involve flexible groupings that span across grade levels. *Trillium Charter School supports local families in meeting child care needs by offering before and after school wrap around care. For more information please click here. School Calendar for 2010-2011 September 2010
October 2010
November 2010
December 2010
January 2011
February 2011
March 2011
April 2011
May 2011
June 2011
Totals: 180 days for students, 185 for teachers and staff. If school due to weather, additional days will be added in June. |
Educational Program
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Before-And-After School Care
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