What makes Mead distinct?
We believe that prioritizing immersive learning and deeper mastery means leaning into structures and programs that support these goals, so here are some things that are uniquely Mead.
Small classes that enable big learning
With classes capped at 12 students, and learning groups averaging 7 students…
- Each child is deeply known and understood
- There is ample opportunity to differentiate and enrich for individual learners
- Multiple approaches and creative solutions to problems can be fully explored, fueling nimble thinking
- Projects across disciplines are easily engaged
- Deep relationships with faculty and peers blossom
Your own social-emotional coach
Transcending the traditional homeroom, the Mead Home Center…
- Fosters mixed-age friendships and learning in groupings of two or three grades who share daily meetings, recess, snack, and lunch
- Provides a social-emotional advocate in the Home Center Director - an experienced faculty member whose singular, full-time role is to focus on the social-emotional well-being and development of their center students
- Allows for holistic approach as the Home Center Director partners with parents and teachers to ensure every child is maximally striving and thriving.
Curriculum to challenge and engage
Mead curricula are developed by our Curriculum Directors, and are deliberately structured to be…
- Active and project-based because deeper learning comes from doing
- Inter-disciplinary because connections spark creativity
- Challenging because confronting a new level of difficulty helps us understand where we are, and where we are going
- Imbued with opportunities for personal choice to nurture agency
- Crafted to challenge thinking skills, not hurrying skills
Schedules truly built for students
At Mead, schedules are deliberately structured to be…
- Informed by research on how, when, and for how long children learn best
- Infused with brain breaks and outdoor time, which has been proven in multiple studies to aid in student well-being and positive self-image
- Paced to ensure mastery and preparation for next level of depth
- Innovative in their incorporation of academic clubs, labs, and student independent project blocks
- Unfrenzied, with group reflection times built into every week
Subject-matter experts sooner
Thanks to our small classes and comprehensive support provided by the Home Center Directors, Mead students are able to begin learning with Curriculum Directors (subject-matter-specialist teachers) in Kindergarten…
- Providing students the opportunity to learn from subject expert master teachers from a young age
- Facilitating enrichment and differentiation because the subject-matter expert has tools beyond the generalist
- Allowing for a continuity with each subject teacher, as they develop and teach the curriculum for several grades in succession
Arts, reflection, and the great outdoors
Mead students have a uniquely expansive opportunity to engage in creative arts, reflection, and outdoor time - all of which are research-proven to help with both brain and social-emotional development…
- Every day has at least one creative arts block, and students are given regular opportunities to perform
- Teachers often incorporate a couple of minutes of mindfulness at the start of classes to help students center and engage
- Students are encouraged to spend time outside, and much of the Mead experience and curriculum are outdoor-focused
