The trajectory of an Oak Meadow education

The trajectory of an Oak Meadow education

By Jay Scheurle |

Parents often ask me what the success of students looks like as they progress through each of the program levels in our school, from Beginners through Middle School. In fact, that question came up again this week when I attended a coffee for parents of students in Children’s House, hosted by the teachers of the Lower Elementary program.

The three LE teachers (Sarah Falcone, Suzanne Berrier, and Natalie Ferreira) did a superb job of responding to that question with an enormous amount of information about the curriculum and student outcomes. They laid out a clear and compelling trajectory of how the learning in Children’s House builds naturally and sequentially to learning in Lower Elementary–including math, reading, writing, history, geography, practical skills, social-emotional growth, and more. Our teachers really know your children. They work with your child to provide a carefully designed pathway for developing real competency and mastery in academic subjects and real-life skills. During your meetings with teachers twice a year, you have the opportunity to see all of those steps of growth and progress, learn more about your child’s strengths, and hear ideas to help your child grow in areas where they may not be as strong. These program-level events, hosted by the teachers in the next program level, are really important opportunities for you to get a clear idea of what success will look like for your child over the next several years. Here are the dates of the upcoming events, so you can make sure to put them on your calendar:

• Beginners event, hosted by Children’s House (February 6th, 3:00-4:15 p.m.)
• Children’s House 1st and 2nd Event, hosted by Children’s House (February 6th, 3:30-4:15 p.m.)
• Lower Elementary event, hosted by Upper Elementary (February 7th, 8:40-10:00 a.m.)

It is truly impressive to see the trajectory of learning and growth that occurs for each individual student in our school. I also have had the opportunity to more fully appreciate how the academic and skills programs at Oak Meadow prepare our graduates for high school. The solid trajectory of academic and skills-based competencies that occurs within our school, is well aligned with the finest high schools in the region, ensuring that our graduates are highly successful in their educational journey after Oak Meadow. Here are just a few of the comments I have heard from high school admissions directors at schools like Concord Academy, Lawrence Academy, Middlesex School, and Cambridge School of Weston:

• “Your students are hard-wired to flourish.”
• “More than graduates from other schools, Oak Meadow students grapple with big and complex issues. They are grounded, yet not too big for their britches. They are smart but unpretentious and give of themselves.”
• “Your students are not traditional in a good way: they are actively engaged as learners. They perform at high academic levels. In this era of innovation and entrepreneurship, your graduates arrive here well prepared.”