Westerly School

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Description

A Foundation of Academic Excellence Westerly School is built on a foundation of academic excellence and of meeting the needs of the “whole child.” The Westerly program is carefully designed to develop each student’s potential in an environment where cooperation, hard work and respect for individual differences are valued. Students thrive in small classes taught by an experienced, passionate and caring faculty. The course of study joins a deep, sequential course of study in math, language arts, history and science with expert instruction in art, vocal and instrumental music, Spanish, physical education and outdoor education. State of the art technology supports the academic program at every grade level. The Westerly curriculum is rigorous, but small class size permits an experienced faculty to know students very well. In this safe learning community, teachers constantly refine their lesson plans to meet specific learning needs. Language arts, social studies, mathematics, and the sciences are complemented by integrated courses in the arts, music, foreign language and physical education. The total program yields a coherent school experience and advances the school’s mission “to develop each child's intellectual, emotional, and physical potential”. Westerly teaches to a diversity of interests and learning styles and encourages the development of study and planning skills along with mastery of content. From Kindergarten through eighth grade, Westerly students follow a carefully constructed and sequential “academic roadmap” which describes the content to be studied and the skills to be mastered at every grade. The school’s highly collegial faculty constantly examines new research and pedagogy and imports that which they deem most appropriate into the school’s evolving program. Assessment is important at Westerly. Teachers write expansive narrative comments and award grades three times per year. Twice-yearly parent conferences supplement frequent incidental contact between school and home. The school also administers the Educational Records Bureau testing series beginning in second grade. These tests resemble and serve as practice for the SAT and ACT tests that graduates will encounter in secondary school. A typical strong performance on these tests qualifies many students for the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth and the Junior National Honor Society. Kindergarten through Second Grade Program Westerly’s Kindergarten through grade two program encourages children to develop the academic and social skills to become independent learners and responsible school citizens. The low teacher/student ratio permits the faculty to incorporate hands-on activities, time with individual students, interactive lessons, and cooperative learning opportunities in stimulating classrooms whose activities are often organized around a central theme. Language arts, reading and the acquisition of basic mathematical skills and concepts are especially prominent activities in these early elementary grades. Curricula in the arts, music, physical education and Spanish are carefully integrated into classroom activities.

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