Our Core Values
At Elm, we are committed to cultivating the following values in our students…
Identity
- Knowing myself well gives me the power to help others
- I can think about my reactions to help me understand myself better and build others up
- I can use my strengths to improve my weaknesses and achieve my goals
Creativity
- I believe I am my best self when I challenge myself to learn in different ways
- I can ask questions, explore, and create many answers
- I can solve problems by testing my ideas to make a new or better solution
Our Approach
At Elm, we believe good learning happens through authentic inquiry, which involves…
Discovering
We believe students learn when presented with real-world problems, relevant questions, and practical research skills.
Integrating
We believe children learn in the context of culture, current issues, and their community.
Creating
We believe children own their learning when given the opportunity to create something new or better.
Advocating
We believe children become leaders when they use their knowledge and skills to advocate for themselves and others.
What makes us unique?
Social Emotional
We believe that good learning happens when children feel confident and are aware of their interests, strengths, and weaknesses. Our robust social emotional curriculum will empower our students to advocate for themselves and others, especially during their group projects and experiments.
Inquiry-Based Learning
We believe students learn best when they are focused on solving a problem or exploring a wonder. Our academic program is designed to equip students with the fundamental reading, writing, math, science, and humanities skills they need to engage with relevant everyday problems and questions.
Small Group Learning
We believe students learn best when they receive instruction tailored to their specific needs and learning style. At Elm, our schedule allows for 2-3 hours of small group learning. Students will receive daily instruction in small groups of 6-8 students based on their specific needs.
Creative Courses
We believe good learning happens when children can explore a topic in multiple ways. Starting in Kindergarten we offer Fine Arts and Vocal Music. As we grow, we plan to add Spanish, Media Lab, and a Shop class!
Commitment to Community & Equity
We believe all children deserve access to opportunities and resources to ultimately have equal voice and space in this world. At Elm, this requires us as a school community to work together in cultivating student leaders with leadership skills, capacity to grow and learn in different ways, and pathways to resources and new opportunities.
This starts with Elm’s community, where all members have input and opportunity. With any significant change, we know it will not be easy. It will require steadfast commitment, trial and error, innovative thinking, and the diversity of all our community voices. Here are some ways we are actualizing our commitment to community and equity:
Personalized Instruction: At Elm, an equitable education requires that all learners receive instructions tailored to their needs, learning style, and their growth areas. Learners receive small group instruction 2-3 hours a day, co-teaching with two teachers is practiced daily, and a special education and emergent bilingual teacher is present on every grade team.
Developing the Whole Child: At Elm, we believe that building an equitable community means we think of each person’s social emotional development and understanding of race and equity in America. From the founding year, Elm’s team included an in-house Counselor, who leads in the social emotional learning (SEL) curriculum, provides counseling services to learners, and facilitates workshops for parents. Since the founding year, the School has also consistently held Race & Equity workshops with staff and families.
Civic Education + Engagement: At Elm, an equitable and community-based education requires that meaningful portions of the day are dedicated to civic education: the study of our history, government, and movements to better engage civically in meaningful ways. Through our humanities units, learners study current events and history in order to contribute to a more equitable local and global community.
Representation & Diverse Perspectives: At Elm, to truly create a community-based equitable school community, we believe that representation matters. All teams: leadership, operations, teachers, and counselors, will represent the Elmhurst and Corona communities. This ensures that the community’s perspectives are integrated into decisions and the direction of the School. Elm is proud that the majority of our staff is from the local community and strives to ensure family and community voice is factored into every school decision.