EVERGREEN CAMPUS

Actively involving your child in the learning process.

We celebrate the fact that God created all children with curiosity, wonder and the desire to learn. We believe that children come to school with a vast array of previous experiences and knowledge. With the appropriate guidance and direction from their teacher, they can apply what they know to different situations and conditions, making discoveries and connections that make learning meaningful.

Students collaborate with peers to create projects and presentations. They observe, research, question, and interpret information. Evergreen encourages students to develop a questioning attitude about the world around them. Active involvement increases the motivation to learn. Students learn through exploration and critical thinking. They understand more fully the process of gaining knowledge. This is a valuable awareness that will serve them well throughout their entire lives.

Learning in Community.

Each student learns and develops at his or her own individual rate. Children learn best when they can learn at their own speed. Education experts tell us that age is a poor predictor of a child’s developmental stage. Some students are already reading at age 4 or 5 while others take much longer to distinguish letters and words. Yet those same “slow readers” may be able to master mathematical equations much quicker than their peers. Multi-age classrooms, paired with Evergreen’s educational concepts, allow for flexibility. Multi-age classrooms accommodate the developmental continuum of all students—from remedial to advanced.

In a multi-age classroom, age distinctions are greatly reduced. At Evergreen, students are grouped into four levels, which generally correspond to developmental stages: Multi-age pre-school consists of 3, 4 and young 5 year olds; Team 1 comprises students traditionally in kindergarten and grade 1; Team 2 includes students in grades 2 and 3; and Team 3 is made up of students in grades 4 and 5.

In a multi-age classroom the “older” students model learning, appropriate behavior and can explain how their team works to younger or new classmates. The “olders” are not the only ones leading. Younger students’ learning can be challenged or enhanced by learning with older students. All students are able to learn from each other--building a sense of community and teamwork. The skills children develop when they learn how to work together stay with them for a lifetime.

Learning with Less Interruption.

The balanced calendar at Evergreen adds days to the beginning and end of the traditional school year. Those days are then spread throughout the year as “enrichment weeks,” during which families can enroll their children in unique enrichment sessions offered by Evergreen or just take a break with family.

Although students at Evergreen start earlier and end later than students at other schools, they have the same number of school days. They simply have more breaks throughout the year.

Education experts believe that a more continuous school schedule fosters learning and keeps students engaged. Shortening the long summer break helps students retain more information, and the added enrichment weeks throughout the school year give students an opportunity to experience and learn for a whole week outside the classroom.