Our Philosophy
What is High Park Alternative? An accountable small school community that explores academics and citizenship adventurously together.
A summary of our core purpose, values and goals from our parent handbook can be found within our four A’s!
- Accountable small school community
- Academic Exploration
- Active Citizenship
- Adventure
Accountable small school community
We are a small school environment and accountable to one another by:
- Parent volunteer commitment is expected
- Multi-age learning and playing (Reading buddies)
- Peer Mentorship and responsibility (Buddy system)
- Nurturing a home/school partnership (detailed, regular communication of what is happening in the classroom so extended learning can happen in the home)
- Passionate, qualified teachers who are always learning using current research based best practices and integrating the most effective teaching methods (including professional learning communities) into daily teaching (HPAS teachers will meaningfully deliver a co-curricular program to our students)
- Regular teacher led family participation (Teachers will know parent skill sets and call upon them to assist in learning)
- Enrolling less than 200 students in the JK-8 school (Teachers, students, and families can continue to have personal relationships with all students, even if they are not in the same class or extended activities)
Academic Exploration
We strive to prepare students for situations they will encounter in future education, at work and in their communities by:
- Integrative, project based learning (Across all grades (JK-8) daily project based learning helps to integrate both the core and the non-core curriculum like Technology, Arts, and Athletics. Teachers will creatively integrate the theme for the school year in to larger projects that can be presented and shared with teachers, students and parents for example – full school involvement in town, tribe or hunger banquet)
- Experiential learning (Students are able to learn outside of the classroom on a regular basis. Teachers can draw on the knowledge in our local and parent communities)
- Teachers regularly deliver instruction using the best teaching methods (teachers are always learning and teaching the children using the most up to date and effective methods)
Active Citizenship
We expect students to show leadership and embrace the values of community participation by:
- Students having an active role in our local community (Community Service Week, Hunger banquet, Film Festival)
- Supporting and being involved in all school projects (Town and the Hanger project)
- HPAS will have a yearly initiative that connects with our theme and leaves our community better than we found it (A goal related to either the Environment, Arts, Social Justice Etc.)
Adventure
We instill a spirit of Adventure in our students by:
- Providing our students with the opportunity to learn and think in different environments
- Providing hands on exploration (mini field trips and tapping in to parents for real life learning to larger trips to tie in to the years theme)
- Learning outside of the classroom by having regular off site learning opportunities (from having a core class outside in High Park to exploring a museum, teachers will provide the opportunity for their lesson to be delivered in a variety of settings – this is in addition to field trips)
- HPAS being a place where every day is a new experience and students are excited to go to school. HPAS being a place where students love to learn.