Children, Curriculum, Culture & the Community

The Child
We believe . . .
Children are unique, have a natural desire to learn, and learn through interacting with their environment. Children are resourceful and creative thinkers who, given opportunities to use their minds well, will seek to live in a productive, socially useful and personally satisfying manner. Central to the school's mission is the idea that children must also come to view themselves as caring young people who are part of a larger community.

The Curriculum
We believe . . .
A rigorous, world-class education is required to prepare all students to meet the challenges of a democratic civil society and the rapidly changing workplace. A curriculum based on experience, with active participation in academics, arts, service, and personal growth, instills in students a sense of involvement and obligation to themselves, one another, and the community. Learning should be supported by state-of-the-art technology so that all students are skilled in the use of the tools of the 21st Century.

True education is not a product; it is a process made continuous by a love of learning. To nurture that love, instruction is integrated, flexible and individualized. This approach enables students, in their own ways and in their own time, to exceed New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards while gaining the skills needed to become a responsible citizen and a self-directed, lifelong learner.

The School Culture
We believe . . .
The school community should be distinctive and intimate where its members share a common vision. It is governed democratically and inclusively, with important issues resolved at the school level.

The school provides a warm, supportive environment in which children feel welcome and accepted. It recognizes the importance of individual differences and reflects the social, cultural and ethnic diversity of Hoboken.

By teaching and celebrating personal and civic virtues, as well as academic excellence, the school fosters in its students integrity, responsibility, diligence, honesty, kindness, and respect for all.

Teachers, Parents and the Community
We believe . . .
The characteristics the school seeks to cultivate in children are identical to those essential to teachers and parents in their quest to become lifelong learners alongside their children. There should be a commitment by teachers to develop and express their talents to the fullest. The support, trust and active participation of the student's family, as well as the school's public and private partners is necessary to create a relationship that nurtures both the school and the community.

The school should be accountable to its own immediate community, parents, students and staff, as well as to the larger public community. It should serve as a laboratory where new ideas and innovations are explored, developed and shared.