At TSH we focus on the through-line of all religious and spiritual practices: Kindness. More than just a word, Kindness is reflected first and foremost in how the Team interacts with one another. It is embedded in the curriculum each week. It is honed on the Play Yard, where Learners practice (and of course learn from their departures) how to be Kind in a civil society and how to uplift and encourage friends and classmates.

We have chickens! And a coop to tend. Our School Yard, nearby Fuches Pond and Crab Meadow offer us numerous opportunities each year to solidify a Learner’s understanding of the natural world. Nature skills, animal care and botany are key components of the AEC. Children master soil preparation, propagation, seasonal planting, pruning, fertilizing and harvesting through our Seed to Market and Food on Mars Programs.

Our goal is to have every child who starts with us in Primary speak Basic Conversational Spanish by the time they leave us in late Elementary. Stories in Spanish, practiced greetings on arrival each morning, personal Spanish dictionaries, letters written in Spanish and school-wide labeling in Spanish help us to achieve a bi-lingual student body.

The AEC is a dynamic curriculum because human beings - particularly from 0-12 - are themselves dynamic. Educators begin their school year two weeks early in preparation for the AEC and their environments (classrooms) with 80 hours of professional development specific to cycle one, two or three of the curriculum. We also add 20 hours of training and cooperative learning in early January. Most Educators hold a Master’s degree, have completed their AMI certification or are in process and have at minimum 5 years of teaching experience. Training, conferences and other opportunities are offered and paid for by the AEC.

Remember good ole fashioned play? The kind with sticks and trees, balls and bikes… that’s part of our mission at TSH. Children have access to swings in our garden, a life-sized chess board, tricycles for our littlest ones, a sand pit, jungle gym (originally invented by Dr. Montessori), slate water practice, a turf and natural field for soccer, football and of course freeze tag.

As a rule and because our children range in age from 18 months -12 years old, all of the technology at TSH is tactile. Put simply, this means that children must be able to touch, feel and manipulate the technology in our school. Examples of this are our Augmented Reality Sandbox used to teach topography and geography and our Vertical Grow Walls in our Food on Mars Program where lettuce and strawberries are maintained year-round by Learners who use only artificial light, minerals and water administered by coding to produce food. Mac computers are available in every room for copious on-demand research and PBL planning, but no child is given or encouraged to use an iPad or other device at this age.

The idea that a school can educate a child without the engagement of parents has long been disproven. Enrichment is intended to bridge the gap between what a child learns in school and their learning environment at home. Each month, The School House welcomes our parent community to workshops that integrate the AEC into everyday living. These workshops are hosted by our Team.

Going Out is a process where Elementary II call, plan, schedule and launch their own field trips from start to finish. From museums to the Vanderbilt to local town council meetings and businesses, our children visit, understand and engage in their community. Learners are fully responsible for the care of the animals with which they share environments. If an animal is sick, it is their responsibility to phone a veterinarian, get care, transportation and arrange payment.

TSH Learners participate in sporting events with our TSH Blue Jays Soccer Team, host Field Day and Spirit Weeks, compete in Spelling, Geography and Math Bees and joyfully participate in our service program with Helping Hands. Additionally, each morning 5 Learners participate in School Care on a rotating basis where they raise the flag, empty recycling bins, paint buildings, clean the coop, weed the garden, check levels in our Food on Mars room, deliver the in-school mail and clean and organize sections of TSH.