Ø      Extended Class

Teachers as Student Advisors

During this 1 hour daily time period, students receive continuing academic advisement and social/emotional support in groups averaging 18 that are called Extended Classes.

The Extended Class is designed to:

- Help students move toward independence by providing them with an environment in which they can learn to develop responsibility for themselves and to the community.

-Assist with problem solving skills, and to

-Strengthen their ability to deal with inevitable frustrations, both academic and personal.

Extended Class begins each morning with a “Circle of Power and Respect” in which all students and teachers gather in a circle, listen to a short reading, greet each other, engage in a sharing session, and proceed to an activity.

There are three main components to this class:

A.  Journals, Conferences, Advisories

Core teachers also have the role of student Advisors. Students receive continuous assistance with making the transition into high school. All students keep daily journals that are submitted to Advisors for reading and comments, and have bi-weekly one on one conferences.

B.  The Goals of SWW, Community Building, Expeditionary Learning Design Principles

Monday – Thursday students focus on the “Theme of the Month” taken from an Expeditionary Learning Design Principal. The entire school reads an anchor text (usually a novel) that incorporates the Design Principle, and engages in activities devoted to exploring the many parts of the topic in a variety of ways, including but not limited to reading, writing, community building activities, self-discovery activities, discussions, speakers, lectures, media, research, and the arts, and gaining common understandings/expectations.

The 10 Design Principles are: Building Community Through Collaboration and Competition, Self-Discovery, The Having of Wonderful Ideas, The Responsibility for Learning, Empathy and Caring, Success and Failure, Diversity and Inclusion, The Natural World, Solitude and Reflection, and Service and Compassion.`

C.  Decision Making

Each Friday is devoted to school-wide Decision Making when the total school is involved in learning about governance. Students discuss issues, circulate proposals for school-wide activities, hold town meetings, and engage with activities with other classes.

Ø      Looping

Students remain with the same team of teachers from 7^th – 8^th grades.

Ø      Silent Reading/Reflection

Each day for ½ hour student engage in silent reading of a book of their choice.

Ø      Exhibitions of Student Work

Public celebrations of student work for parents, teachers and members of the community.

Ø      Community Service

An ongoing experience with Local organizations designed to help students develop community responsibility.