and the "FALCONS"
(Junior High School: ages 12 to 14)
The
challenges that face the Owls and Falcons
include the application of learned skills
to new situations, the study of subjects
in more depth and breadth, the requisites
of personal organization, accountability,
time and resource management.
Academic
work includes laboratory work and problem
solving skills in mathematics, English literature,
writing workshop, history from prehistoric man
to 20th-century America, biology, chemistry,
physics, geology, ecology, and Spanish.
Service work provides opportunities to explore
Identity and Values.
Each year there are six five week sessions of academic
work followed by an "Explore Week".
Students of this age seek knowledge in the
form of facts and the relation to the context
in which they function. Their insatiable quest
is given focus through student-directed research
projects and research-oriented field trips.
The learning environment is designed to provide
maximum opportunity for self-direction, skill
building, development of accuracy, diligence,
and judgement, ensuring each student succeeds
to his full potential.
Individual
research projects are carefully monitored,
evaluated and recorded to ensure progress.
The curriculum is designed to allow flexibility
and accommodate every student's own abilities
and interests
Guidelines
for Parents of Owls and Falcons
Homework: Parents
are asked to support their Owls and Falcons
by making time each evening to check to see
if they are meeting their course goals. Daily
assignments are recorded in their weekly work
plan and then filed in their "trapper
keeper" which is organized by subject.
Homework is the individual responsibility
of each student. Part of what the student
is learning to master is how to manage, self-pace,
and accomplish all his goals. If a student
is not able to stay on track during day, he
may chose to work on that subject as home
work.
Grade
Graphs: Each
year there are six session of academic work
followed by an Explore Week. Each academic
session is five weeks. The session format
is designed to help students learn organizational,
decision-making, and time-management skills.
Students keep a graph each week to report
their progress toward their goals for the
session.
This
weekly progress report is cumulative. At the
end of the first week 20% of the goals should
be accomplished, at the end of the second
week 40%, the third week 60%, the fourth week
80%, and the fifth week 100%. The students
will complete their weekly progress report
and ask their parents to review, sign, and
return them to class the following morning.
At the end of each session, students will
assemble their portfolios. All course work
will be ordered and attached to an appropriate
syllabus. The students will then create a
report card based on the percentage of goals
achieved during the session for each subject
area. The student, after reviewing all the
finished work, will choose one submission
for a final portfolio and submit an essay
reflecting on that choice.
Portfolios:
The session portfolio, student report card,
and student self-assessment form will go home
at the end of each session. Parents are asked
to review the portfolio with their child.
The report card, self-assessment form, and
final portfolio pieces with accompanying reflections
will then become part of the student's school
file.
