In keeping with our Quaker belief of that of God in each person, we honor the unique gifts within each child. We focus on each child's growth academically, physically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually. By emphasizing the individual strengths of our students, we nurture their sense of self-worth to give them the confidence to take risks within a safe and supportive environment.

We view our students as active participants in their learning. We believe students learn best when they are allowed to experiment and when knowledge is discovered and applied through hands-on activities. We strive to stimulate their curiosity and encourage them to ask questions and seek answers. We are convinced that children are most receptive to learning when they have ownership of aspects of that learning. To that end, we are responsive to the interests of our students. We believe in the value of developing their foundation for interdependence by emphasizing cooperation, assertion, responsibility, empathy, and self-control.

We recognize that all children pass through cognitive stages of growth, yet differ in their rates and patterns of growth. We acknowledge that individual factors such as learning styles, interests, and cultural backgrounds contribute to these developmental differences. To accommodate the individual needs of our students, we strive to provide time, appropriate challenge, positive experiences, and acceptance. While we value the products of learning, we place even higher value on the ongoing process of learning and the development of thinking skills. Our hope for our students is that they discover, and continue to rediscover, the joy of learning throughout their lives.

We are dedicated to celebrating diversity, nurturing awareness, and inspiring compassion among our students. Through our emphasis on conflict resolution, community service learning, and environmental stewardship, our students become actively involved in making the world a better place.

Approved by the Lower School Faculty, 10/7/03.