Our Mission and Philosophy
Our Mission
The mission of City Neighbors Hamilton is to provide an extraordinary public school education with high academic achievement for all students. Our ultimate goal for our school is that through Project Based Learning, arts integration, parental involvement and community outreach, the students leave enlivened, with deep awareness of themselves, their families and the outside community, and with the capacity to be good citizens.
Our Vision
At CNH our classrooms serve as individual model communities where issues are discussed, differences in perspectives are welcomed and children work cooperatively, rather than competitively. The CNH governance model - including parents, business and community leaders, teachers, students and the principal - reflect our commitment to cooperative governance, based on the principles of human dignity, consensus, and freedom. Our belief and experience is that when given a strong structure to support generative thinking as well as meaningful activities to perform, all children and adults strive for excellence. Because of this focus, CNH' impact on the lives of students and families and the community will be powerful, positive and long lasting.
Our Statement on diversity
Diversity is essential to who we are!
In this spirit, City Neighbors Hamilton embraces the diversity within our school, community and world. We endeavor to create an environment that values all people of any ability, age, family structure, gender, gender identity, race, religion, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status.
We strive to create this environment through our curriculum, interactions, staffing, policies and procedures.
As the families, staff, and students of City Neighbors Hamilton, we accept the responsibility to help every member of our school feel safe, respected and valued.
Our Philosophy:
Our unique model combines a progressive education with a powerful governance model that relies on meaningful parent involvement, community outreach, and the inspiration of the schools of Reggio Emilia.
Educational Approach:
We share the goal that every parent has for their child: to learn and be successful in school and in life. The educational approach at City Neighbors Hamilton focuses on teaching for thinking and understanding. Using the State Content Standards as an academic framework, we set high expectations for every child. We believe in a project based learning environment where children can learn more in the process of exploring ideas, making predictions, building models of their ideas, and testing outcomes as they apply their knowledge. In this process we encourage children to be empowered by knowledge and thinking for their own lives and for the good of the community. They also become passionate learners as we engage them in work that makes sense to them.
What is Reggio Emilia:
Reggio Emilia is the name given to a teaching style that has evolved in
the Northern Italian municipality of Reggio Emilia. Fundamental to this
educational philosophy is the perception of children as being strong,
intellectually rich and possessing great potential. In this educational
model, the teacher works with children to stimulate and deepen critical
thought in a research partnership. In Reggio Emilia, knowledge is seen
as something that is socially constructed and should be based on ideas
and experiences that are real and meaningful to the child.Curriculum Overview:
Reading:
Teachers design the reading instruction at CNH to offer multiple opportunities every day for students to read and discuss their reading. Generous amounts of time are dedicated to helping children grow in their abilities as readers, writers, spellers and communicators through a variety of interesting activities relevant to the children, their projects and studies, and their developmental stages. The goals for language and literacy instruction at CNH are for children to become independent and productive readers who enjoy reading and who recognize its relevance in their lives.
Mathematics:
Everyday Mathematics, a Pre K-6 mathematics program from Wright Group/McGraw-Hill, helps students measure up to the demand for greater mathematical competence and problem-solving agility. It is one of two elementary math programs highly recommended by the U.S. Department of Education. The program begins with the premise that young children can, and must, learn more mathematics than has been expected from them in the past. The instructional design is carefully crafted to capitalize on student interest and maximize student learning.
Science:
Full Option Science System: FOSS modules begin with hands-on investigations, then move students toward abstract ideas related to those investigations using simulations, models and readings. FOSS provides long-term inquiries for each grade level, and the modules build upon each other toward the grand ideas of science.
Art:
Inspired by the schools of Reggio Emilia, the arts are an essential component of our educational approach – not an add-on, but a connecting point to involve and challenge students in their entire academic and creative evolution. The arts permeate the CNH community, where the halls are designed to showcase drawings, paintings, poems and constructions by students. Artistic achievement is admired, respected and honored.
Social Studies:
Each year, students at CNH will explore three overarching themes. These themes will serve as the primary focus in social studies, but will be integrated when possible into other areas of the CNH curriculum. Each theme lasts approximately thirteen weeks (the length of one trimester) and culminates in a school wide celebration of learning.
