Academics
At CCSG, scholars learn to ask questions, listen, and respond to all members of the community. Our scholars learn through experience. Our scholars are creative thinkers. They are open and honest. CCSG seeks to stimulate collaboration and promote mutual respect. We work to ensure that everyone at CCSG belongs. We solve problems and think as a group. We are life-long learners who challenge each other to explore hard questions. We are family.
A bit about Pedagogy
Our education model provides effective rigorous instruction while fostering a joy of learning. Our curriculum focuses upon hands-on, experiential, academically challenging interdisciplinary projects. Scholars are involved, working individually, in small groups, or in large groups where they can identify, explore, and solve problems. Education at CCSG is real.
- Scholars are expected to ask questions and seek answers
- Scholars are expected to engage, not just listen or observe.
- Scholars are encouraged to get dirty, to make mistakes, and, in the process make discoveries.
- We want scholars to do things that matter.
- We provide a safe environment where girls can openly share dreams or troubles.
- We believe in independence and responsiblity. Our scholars are given responsibility for giving tours of our school and for keeping their school clean. They play an important role in guiding what we study and how we study it.
- Everything we do is guided by the Sudbury-based belief that learning is a process people do, not a process that is done to people.
- We provide opportunities for scholars to learn in a variety of ways and in a variety of settings.
- Like the Paideia model, we use varied instruction methods within each lesson; our teachers are encouraged to employ didactic instruction, coaching and the Socratic method in every class session, whether in the classroom or outdoors building a windmill.
- We believe in the Well Trained Mind model of thinking through argument and expression and we employ instructional methods that allow children to use these skills.
- Attentive to the fact that education is informed by atmosphere, our building is Waldorf-inspired. We want our scholars to experience joy in our environment and pride in their work.
- We celebrate when our scholars think outside of the box.
- Agreeing with Maria Montessori, we believe in the importance of physical activity and provide opportunities for all scholars to be physically active.
As the old Chinese proverb says, "Tell me and I will forget. Show me and I may remember. Involve me and I will understand. "
Understanding the foundations of educational theory and taking inspiration from those mentioned above, we believe strongly in these words of John Holt:
" What makes people smart, curious, alert, observant, competent, confidenct, resourceful, persistent - in the broadest and best sense, intelligent - is not having access to more and more learning places, resources, and specialists, but begin able in their lives to do a wide variety of interesting things that matter, things that challenge their ingenuity, skill, and judgment and that make an obvious difference in their lives and the lives of the people around them."
Service Learning
All grades participate in citizenship/community/service learning classes on Fridays. Service projects are grade specific and correspond to the world topic foci of the first trimester.
Super Saturdays
Sometimes, we have school on Saturdays. We use these opportunities to take field trips and provide additional tutoring or leadership building. Classes run from 9:00 AM-2 :00 PM.
Scholars who receive more than one NS (not satisfactory) may not be promoted and may not be allowed to re-enroll the following fall.