Our program

THE MONARCH WAY:

Students at Monarch are grouped according to their academic, social and developmental needs. There are five classrooms at Monarch Community School distinguished by group name rather than by grade: Earth (youngest students in K) Tierra and Sea (students in the middle grades 1–3), and Ocean and Sky (oldest students 3–5).

Our math, reading and writing workshops offer differentiated instruction, which is designed to take advantage of small, ability-based, multi-age, group instruction.

We offer elective courses that are self-selected and led by students, teachers, parents and other community volunteers and reflect the instructor’s interests. We offer choice time, play, projects and learning centers. Our curriculum is inquiry-based, thematic, and integrated school wide. Thematic centers and activities offer student opportunities for student- or teacher-selected, adultor self-directed activities.

Active, Hands on Learning

Diversity & Social Justice

Parent Participation

Monarch Bill of RightS

All scholars have a right:

to a peaceful learning place
to feel safe & secure
to be heard & respected
to be included
to learn at their own pace

Declaracíon de Derechos de Monarch

Todos los académicos tienen derecho:

un lugar de aprendizaje pacífico
para sentirse seguros
para ser escuchados 7 respetados
para ser incluidos
para aprender a su propio ritmo

Questions to ask

Evidence—how do we know what we know? What’s the evidence? Is it credible?

Viewpoint—who is talking? Where is he/she standing? What are his/her intentions?

Connection—How does it fit in? Where have we heard or seen this before? How are things connected to each other?

Supposition—What it? Supposing that? Can we imagine an alternative?

Relevance—Who cares? What difference does it make? Why does it matter?

Habits of Mind

Hábitos de la Mente

Preguntas para hacer

Evidence—how do we know what we know? What’s the evidence? Is it credible?

Viewpoint—who is talking? Where is he/she standing? What are his/her intentions?

Connection—How does it fit in? Where have we heard or seen this before? How are things connected to each other?

Supposition—What it? Supposing that? Can we imagine an alternative?

Relevance—Who cares? What difference does it make? Why does it matter?

Habits of Mind:

Monarch Community School is blessed with diversity including race and ethnicity, gender identification, family structure, cultural background, linguistic range, neuro-diversity, economic status, religious affiliation, resilience, learning modality, etc. With such diversity comes a responsibility and willingness to learn about the experiences of the people and groups of people with whom we learn and work.

Using the Habit of Mind of Viewpoint to ask ourselves these questions that can lead to reflection and wondering:

*What does a situation look or feel like from someone else’s perspective?

*What are factors that influence their perspective? How is their perspective similar or different from mine?

*How might I try to understand the bigger picture in order to create and maintain a community where people of diverse experiences feel included, a sense of belonging and significance, to the community we share? A community where we feel safe enough to take risks, to push ourselves in our learning, to learn from our mistakes?

Students and educators at Monarch strive to apply the five Habits of Mind in all aspects of our learning:

Implicit bias exists in all of us.

Systems and practices with both implicit and explicit bias are present and practiced through institutions including schools, governments, the financial industry, etc. Willingness to ask difficult questions, being open to differing points of view, and checking the many kinds of privilege that each of us benefit from are some ways that we can work towards a more just and equitable culture. Thank you for bringing all that you have to Monarch Community School.