Midtown West Social Studies Mission Statement
Midtown West seeks to engage a diverse group of students, families, and educators through a rigorous and hands-on social studies core curriculum, while fostering a community of unity, respect, and social justice.
Vision
Midtown West children, families and educators are committed to learning in diverse groupings through interdisciplinary and collaborative experiences. Students’ lives and experiences are the fabric of their educational development.
We strive for authentic growth that requires diverse and nurturing opportunities for ongoing social, emotional, and cognitive development. The arts are interwoven through a project-based social studies core curriculum.
Students are encouraged to explore their world by actively engaging with ideas, materials, and people embedded in meaningful real-world contexts and learning through play. They do this while building upon their unique strengths, interests, and learning styles. Our work is to teach students how to think rather than what to think.
It is our priority to nurture all children and all families so that they feel valued, welcomed, cared for, and supported. Midtown West students learn community building, social responsibility, and conflict resolution as it is a way of life at our school.
Our goal is for Midtown West graduates to be confident and kind, academically prepared, and ready to contribute towards positive social change in the community through activism, advocacy, volunteerism, and social justice causes as culturally responsive citizens transforming the world in small and large ways to lead lives of consequence.
In the words of Bank Street founder Lucy Sprague Mitchell, “we see in education the opportunity to build a better society.”
Our Mission / Vision in Practice
Methodology
At Midtown West, we seek to carry out this mission by taking individual and collective responsibility for developing and addressing the human potential of our children. Through a Social Studies lense students are encouraged to explore their world while building upon their unique strengths, interests and learning styles. Our students learn how to reason and how to discover solutions for themselves. Midtown West follows a looping structure which allows teachers to build a two year relationship with students. Over the course of this time teachers are able to see the academic and social/emotional growth of children to better plan and differentiate instruction. At Midtown West we use a first name basis because we believe that all members of our community are teachers and learners. Teachers collaborate across loops, specialties, and community partners to foster students' understanding of the world.
Content/Curriculum
Using Social Studies as the core, we recognize students as individuals, part of their community and part of the world at large. At Midtown West we seek to find a balance between both the social and academic curriculums. We encourage students to be advocates for change in the community through activism and volunteerism. By integrating literacy, field trips, and many in-class experiences, children take ownership of being responsible members of society. Children, families, and staff embrace and foster a strong connection through in-class visits, home visits, and community events.
In an effort to stay life long learners, our teachers collaborate with both Bank Street School of Education, and Teachers College staff developers in a continuous cycle. We value this work in order to better adapt the curriculum in support of our students. It is important that students are at the center of our rigorous curriculum and can actively see themselves represented within it. Students take charge of their academic experience through their goal setting and by doing so, teachers are able to differentiate and individualize instruction. They are encouraged and supported in becoming problem-solvers and critical thinkers.
Environment
Midtown West Staff pride themselves in building strong, lasting relationships with students and families. We are committed to creating an environment where children, parents and staff from different ethnic, cultural, linguistic and economic backgrounds work together to achieve an integrated, nurturing, academically rigorous community. Students learn the importance of community building, social responsibility, and conflict resolution.
Through our open door policy, families participate in conferences, “You Talk, I Listen” meetings, read-alouds, workshops, celebrations, and various collaborative committees. The Family Center was created to welcome families to attend workshops, host meetings, or simply grab a cup of coffee and catch up with a friend or staff member. Learning is not contained within the classroom walls, students are often found creating art, doing work choice, reading with book buddies, conducting movement breaks, and supporting peers throughout the building.
Midtown West seeks to engage a diverse group of students, families, and educators through a rigorous and hands-on social studies core curriculum, while fostering a community of unity, respect, and social justice.
Vision
Midtown West children, families and educators are committed to learning in diverse groupings through interdisciplinary and collaborative experiences. Students’ lives and experiences are the fabric of their educational development.
We strive for authentic growth that requires diverse and nurturing opportunities for ongoing social, emotional, and cognitive development. The arts are interwoven through a project-based social studies core curriculum.
Students are encouraged to explore their world by actively engaging with ideas, materials, and people embedded in meaningful real-world contexts and learning through play. They do this while building upon their unique strengths, interests, and learning styles. Our work is to teach students how to think rather than what to think.
It is our priority to nurture all children and all families so that they feel valued, welcomed, cared for, and supported. Midtown West students learn community building, social responsibility, and conflict resolution as it is a way of life at our school.
Our goal is for Midtown West graduates to be confident and kind, academically prepared, and ready to contribute towards positive social change in the community through activism, advocacy, volunteerism, and social justice causes as culturally responsive citizens transforming the world in small and large ways to lead lives of consequence.
In the words of Bank Street founder Lucy Sprague Mitchell, “we see in education the opportunity to build a better society.”
Our Mission / Vision in Practice
Methodology
At Midtown West, we seek to carry out this mission by taking individual and collective responsibility for developing and addressing the human potential of our children. Through a Social Studies lense students are encouraged to explore their world while building upon their unique strengths, interests and learning styles. Our students learn how to reason and how to discover solutions for themselves. Midtown West follows a looping structure which allows teachers to build a two year relationship with students. Over the course of this time teachers are able to see the academic and social/emotional growth of children to better plan and differentiate instruction. At Midtown West we use a first name basis because we believe that all members of our community are teachers and learners. Teachers collaborate across loops, specialties, and community partners to foster students' understanding of the world.
Content/Curriculum
Using Social Studies as the core, we recognize students as individuals, part of their community and part of the world at large. At Midtown West we seek to find a balance between both the social and academic curriculums. We encourage students to be advocates for change in the community through activism and volunteerism. By integrating literacy, field trips, and many in-class experiences, children take ownership of being responsible members of society. Children, families, and staff embrace and foster a strong connection through in-class visits, home visits, and community events.
In an effort to stay life long learners, our teachers collaborate with both Bank Street School of Education, and Teachers College staff developers in a continuous cycle. We value this work in order to better adapt the curriculum in support of our students. It is important that students are at the center of our rigorous curriculum and can actively see themselves represented within it. Students take charge of their academic experience through their goal setting and by doing so, teachers are able to differentiate and individualize instruction. They are encouraged and supported in becoming problem-solvers and critical thinkers.
Environment
Midtown West Staff pride themselves in building strong, lasting relationships with students and families. We are committed to creating an environment where children, parents and staff from different ethnic, cultural, linguistic and economic backgrounds work together to achieve an integrated, nurturing, academically rigorous community. Students learn the importance of community building, social responsibility, and conflict resolution.
Through our open door policy, families participate in conferences, “You Talk, I Listen” meetings, read-alouds, workshops, celebrations, and various collaborative committees. The Family Center was created to welcome families to attend workshops, host meetings, or simply grab a cup of coffee and catch up with a friend or staff member. Learning is not contained within the classroom walls, students are often found creating art, doing work choice, reading with book buddies, conducting movement breaks, and supporting peers throughout the building.
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