Why K-8? Why Green Hedges?
Benefits of a Preschool-Grade 8 Education
We know there are many independent schools offering a wide range of grade levels, from 1-2 year programs to those providing the maximum 15 years of education. At Green Hedges, we believe our 11 year journey, which starts in our Montessori preschool and continues in our traditional Grade 1 – Grade 8 is the most effective way to prepare students to meet the challenges of the future by building confidence, encouraging risk taking, developing independence and fostering leadership.
Green Hedges knows that in a Preschool – Grade 8 model…
- A small community allows every student to be well known as an individual by their teachers and peers.
- Teachers focus their energy on the goals and challenges of a particular developmental level in an intimate intellectual environment.
- Our cross grade level programs – which pairs older students with younger students – gives the Middle School students a sense of responsibility and maturity they would not find at a high school full of older students and provides our younger students with role models.
- Since each grade level follows an integrated progression from our Montessori preschool and traditional elementary years through grade eight, our students are given a sense of continuity in the curriculum and a foundation of knowledge on which to build each year.
- Older students serve as positive role models for younger students in meaningful contexts.
- Early adolescent students rise to the challenge of genuine leadership opportunities. Middle Schoolers run all school assemblies, lead character development initiatives, act as leads in plays and in our award winning concert and jazz band, and participate in a variety of sports, providing them with much-needed confidence and leadership opportunities at a time when they are going through physical and emotional changes.
- Middle School students need to have high academic expectations and opportunities, which allow their unique voices to be heard, rather than being caught in between an elementary school and a high school.
- The positive achievements of early adolescents are recognized in culminating events and traditions, earning participating students the admiration of the whole community, especially the younger students who anticipate their future opportunities.
- While Middle School programs in high schools are often given fewer resources and less attention, Green Hedges showcases our Middle School as the culmination of 11 years. With faculty who are truly dedicated to grades 6-8, the program is geared toward the unique needs of adolescent students and gives them the opportunity to explore a variety of subjects in a familiar and comfortable environment.
- The presence of younger students on campus keeps our Middle Schoolers from growing up too quickly as they often do in a high school setting.
- The high school placement process serves as an opportunity for early adolescent scholars to consider the best next educational setting for them as individuals.
- Students who graduate from Green Hedges are independent, critical thinkers who are poised and knowledgeable about themselves and possess a strong sense of responsibility to the larger community. They enter high school as self-assured, confident freshmen who are ready to face the academic and social challenges ahead.
