Mission & Philosophy
Our Mission
The mission of Blue Rock School is to prepare our students to become responsible human beings through a balanced education of their minds, bodies and feelings. We foster children’s natural curiosity and provide opportunities for them to explore learning independently and in groups, through numerous modalities. This approach develops students’ self-awareness, their empathy towards others, and the ability to take on challenges with confidence. We wish to support each child’s ability to recognize and harness their strengths in order to meet life’s experiences as ongoing opportunities for growth. Blue Rock School is a vibrant learning community where children can discover for themselves the relationship between ideas, skills and expression.
Our Philosophy
The elementary years are the time when children establish the foundation upon which their future education, relationships, and well-being are built.
We all learn best when fully engaged in what we are doing. An essential ingredient in this engagement is an active attention: an enlivened state that combines an alert mind, deep interest, and a responsive body. Learning in this way affirms the whole child and brings a new quality to the student's work - a quality of being "one's own."
At Blue Rock School, teachers are involved in an ongoing exploration of ways to help the children learn in this manner. In order to call forth the children's full attention, the teachers also need to be fully attentive, to be available to the children, to listen to them, and to hear them. They need to share a vision of the whole child that includes precious intangibles that cannot be weighed, measured, tested, or graded. A kind of clear-sighted, flexible planning is required that allows room for education in the moment. Teachers and students engage in an emergent curriculum that, while based on developmental benchmarks, leaves room for individual and group explorations that vary from year to year.
The school's atmosphere provides both warmth and firm limits; the freedom to explore and the security of intentional direction. It is a place where thoughts, feelings, and aspirations are developed through relationships with teachers and peers. Classes are smaller at Blue Rock, and each staff member knows every child. Students sense that they are part of a community, and children of different ages often work and play together. The close communication and collaboration among staff members is a unique ingredient of the school.
At Blue Rock, the arts and sciences are woven into each school day. This approach provides opportunities for the students to learn through multi-disciplinary and hands-on activities that keep their learning experiential, meaningful, and alive.
