Please visit our brand new Bridge School website for all the information about our school including philosophy, teaching practices, frequently asked questions, and registration and tuition information.A bridge between preschool years and moving on…
Of all the school years, Kindergarten is truly the bridge into a new era for children and parents. It’s the beginning of “formal” schooling and a new world of other kids, teachers and expectations. We believe in listening to each child and then moving on at a pace that fits. Older students have opportunities to welcome and mentor younger students, so that kindergarteners feel at home and have older friends to help them adjust.
A bridge between family and school…
As a cooperative school, we form a strong community of parents who care deeply about their children’s education. We require more of parents and caregivers because we know that family involvement strengthens the whole school. The School Board consists of parents and is the governing body of the school. This empowers families and gives them a real voice in shaping the direction of the school and forging a connection between school and home.
A bridge between school and community…
The founders of The Bridge School believe in creating a strong school community that connects with the greater community as well. Opportunities for strong relationships among children and families occur through learning, working and playing together. This school community provides the foundation for partnering with and serving others in our neighborhoods, cities and the larger world.
What is a Cooperative Elementary School:
In a cooperative school, responsibilities are shared among families and teachers and parents/caregivers participate directly in their child’s education by working regularly in the classroom and running the business of the school by holding class jobs or board positions. The volunteer School Board meets monthly to discuss school business and regular all-school parent meetings ensure that all voices are heard and everyone is kept informed.
In our research, we’ve been fortunate to have been able to observe at University Cooperative School and Kapka Cooperative School in Seattle and a number of others. We found the common theme that high parental involvement creates a sense of community, allows teachers more flexibility and results in confident, self-motivated students.
“Cooperative learning environments create students that are more intrinsically motivated, intellectually curious and caring of others.” - University Cooperative School website
Our Philosophy:
At the Bridge School we teach to the child, not a test and we prefer to focus on the “how” rather than the “how much.” Children are learning all the time, whether we intend them to or not. This is why we spend lots of time outside, have unstructured recess, incorporate many field trips, model appropriate behavior, and support a home-to-school connection. It's up to us to create positive and effective learning environments that go beyond the front door of the classroom.
Our approach includes both foundational academic subjects and the incorporation of class interests into themes that encourage deep exploration. Lessons and projects allow for a variety of learning levels and styles and include large group, small group and individual learning experiences. The teacher to student ratio will never exceed 1:18 and with parent workers, the adult to child ratio is never greater than 1:6.
Community and Nature at the Bridge School:
The founding parents of the Bridge School felt strongly that the values of Community and Connecting to Nature be brought into the fabric of The Bridge School.
Community – Community-building and conflict-resolution are vital to the success of a cooperative school. Adults model pro-social behavior and empower students to communicate, find common ground and develop empathy. Working, playing and learning together offer many opportunities to practice negotiation, respect and explore interpersonal relationships. Older students have the opportunity to mentor younger students with guidance and thus practice in leadership and responsibility. We also believe in working with and serving the community around us.
Connecting to Nature – The trend toward children staying indoors at school and home is worrisome – especially when terms such as “Nature Deficit Disorder” start appearing in research studies. We believe that human beings have a natural desire to connect with nature and so we build in regular outdoor experiences, bringing nature inside and scheduling weekly Environmental Workshops. Connecting children to nature makes learning concrete, recognizable and normalizes being outside.
