SAGE  A School template based on
the "New Learning Culture" Model.

Imagine a School Like This…

(Based on the book The New Learning Culture)

Picture a school nestled under shady trees in an inviting house that feels like a cozy home, complete with gardens and outdoor play and learning areas. As you enter the school grounds, you notice that this isn’t a usual family home. Instead, it has been transformed into a place for children: inspiration, beauty, play, movement, and learning opportunities are everywhere! You see an abundance of greenery, flowers, and fruit trees. Paths meander through them, leading to various learning areas: a playground, balancing, and movement area; a carpentry shed; shady tables and benches, hammocks, rocking chairs, a wood-burning pizza oven and fireplace; a vegetable garden; a pond. As you approach the building, you see a sign over the door: “Community Learning Center – Where We Grow and Learn Together.”

Indoors, you find that each room has been transformed into a self-directed learning environment with furniture of various sizes. A wardrobe offers boxes for the children’s personal things. Each room is dedicated to different subjects and purposes. The living room is prepared as a pretend play area. One of the bedrooms is a math room with Montessori materials and a great variety of other materials on accessible shelves; another bedroom is a writing and drawing room with many different writing tools, a printing press, and a mechanical typewriter. The bathroom is transformed into a science lab, and the kitchen is ready for cooking projects. Upstairs you come upon an elaborate arts and crafts studio with big tables and supplies available on shelves; next to it, an interactive library containing many things to touch and cozy couches to hang out, chat, and read on.

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A Day at SAGE includes:

• Gliding arrival time 7:30am to 9:30am to accommodate unique child/family needs
• A morning section devoted to self-directed learning where students follow interests and passions guided by a delineated sequence of skills, 1 to1 and small group lessons, and prepared learning environments.
• Lunch shared by community including healthy food from our own garden
• An afternoon section of either continued self-directed learning OR choice of course offerings for specific age groups, aligned with their expressed interests and conducted by peers, parents, and extended community who offer their passion and expertise. This can include service learning, cob house building, gardening, healing modalities, art, science, herbal medicine making, etc. The possibilities are endless.
• Courses for parents and mentors are also offered on a regular basis as well as presentations of interest offered to the entire learning community.
• Portions of the afternoon course offerings are also open to students who attend other schools. This enables children a wider range of social engagement as well as the possibility of offering their own learning segments at this time so they can develop their leadership skills and share the social-emotional tools they are learning with peers.