Mission Statement
The Hoboken Charter School is a K-12 community of
learners that seeks to develop the academic, artistic, personal, and
civic growth of all its members through its commitment to service
learning and learner-centered education.
The mission of the Hoboken Charter School reflects our belief that a
successful educational experience can only take place when attention is
given to the development of the whole child -- a break with the
traditional concept of schooling. We envision a community composed of
learners of all ages that fosters a spirit of supportive
interdependence, where individuals can grow in a nurturing,
compassionate environment that reflects the history and diversity of the
larger Hoboken community.
Students thrive when expectations are clear and consistent at all
levels, and when they are known personally, not only by their peers, but
by the entire school community. In our K-12 school, the values
underlying a student's education do not vary as the child progresses.
This makes the transition from elementary through high school more
fluid, allowing each step to build more solidly on the preceding one.
Our school brings together students of all ages and abilities in a
spirit of collaborative inquiry and understanding that is driven by the
unique talents and abilities of all of its members. The value to young
students of seeing older students achieve and enjoy learning cannot be
overstated. This relationship provides younger students with a concrete
lesson on the benefits of working hard and achieving goals. Older
students gain a sense of pride and accomplishment through their work as
role models.
This positive reinforcement is consistent with our theme of service
learning. Through community service experience, problem identification,
action, and evaluation, and through ongoing personal reflection,
students become contributing members of the school community, the
community of Hoboken, and beyond.
The Hoboken Charter School recognizes that teachers and students must
be given the appropriate time and space in which to work and learn.
Moreover, this work and learning must be focused on the continuing
development of the learners' minds. We insist that students clearly
exhibit mastery of their school work, that the teachers engage in
continual re-examination of their practice, and that parents and
community members use the school to further their own continuing
education and personal development. To achieve these ends, we will seek
to provide meaningful and appropriate incentives for students, teachers,
parents and community partners to succeed. Underlying these efforts is a
structure and system of governance that is simple and flexible, and so
able to meet the unique needs of a diverse population and community.
The four cornerstones of the Hoboken
Charter School -- academic, artistic, personal, and civic -- are unified
by two basic educational practices: learner-centered education and
service learning. A learner-centered school is a place where teachers
and students are committed to one another and share collectively in the
school vision. Service learning provides students with a way to apply
what they have learned in school in meaningful ways within their
community.
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