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14 | January 23, 2020 | 22nd century media private school guide 22ndCenturyMedia.com Baker Demonstration School: The value of progressive education Baker Demonstration School is a nationally recognized leader in exemplary progressive education. The School’s experiencebased curriculum responds to the unique needs and strengths of each child. Founded in 1918, Baker was established to provide an innovative education for children in preschool through 8th grade. Today, Baker attracts students from 25 different communities throughout Chicagoland. “We want for students who graduate from Baker to have the two most vital qualities for their future success intact: their love of learning and their self-confidence in being able to think in creative and critical ways,” said Head of School Carly Andrews. With an 8:1 student-to-faculty ratio, Baker’s teachers facilitate dynamic classroom environments that nurture the intellectual, social and emotional lives of young children and early adolescents. In addition to the core disciplines of math, science, language arts and social studies, Baker’s curriculum includes art, drama, music, library, technology, dance, physical education — including swimming in Baker’s pool — sports, outdoor education, identity exploration and service learning. Baker’s play-based preschool program offers a caring and stimulating environment that fosters curiosity and wonder. Self-initiated play allows children to learn about themselves and their world. It develops intellectual, social and emotional skills as well as lays the groundwork to promote leadership, collaboration and problem solving. Kindergarteners delve into numerous project- and inquirybased experiences. Literacy and math concepts are explored every day through meaningful and authentic activities. An exploration about the life cycle of a butterfly, for example, lends itself to learning about patterns, counting and symmetry. Weekly outdoor nature explorations provide context to build confidence and develop a sense of wonder about our world. For students in 1st-3rd grade, a thematic approach provides a range of contexts to introduce, explore and reinforce content goals. Children’s curricular experiences invite them to make connections within their learning and to apply acquired skills in real-life situations. Classroom activities like building a Rube Goldberg machine or studying the physics of light and sound through the “Baker School of Dragonology” are engaging, fun and collaborative ways to foster deeper and more expansive thinking. Fourth- and fifth-grade students are empowered to use their voices and ingenuity to become agents of change. Through their studies, they learn about diverse current and historical exemplars of community leadership. One curriculum highlight is the Baker Business School, entrepreneurial experience where students pitch ideas and work through a design-thinking process to ideate, prototype and manufacture products culminating in the BBS Community Market where students sell their products. Our middle school is an intellectually stimulating and supportive environment where students apply their critical thinking skills and take greater responsibility for their own intellectual growth. Rich, thematic study continue in the core disciplines of language arts, social studies, science, mathematics and world languages. One hallmark of our middle school program is the choicebased Arts Core program where students choose two electives per semester, allowing them to explore a broad array of arts-based classes. Outcomes Baker students thrive both academically and socially at competitive private and public high schools throughout the Chicagoland area and go on to attend highly-selective colleges and universities. And, they grow into the next generation of thinkers, inventors, and leaders. Underlying it all is their strength of character and their passion for lifelong learning, which all began at Baker. To learn more or to schedule a tour, please call (847) 425-5800 or visit bakerdemschool.org. Submitted by Baker Demonstration School, 201 Sheridan Road, Wilmette; (847) 425-5800; bakerdemschool.org.
22ndCenturyMedia.com private school guide 22nd century media | January 23, 2020 | 15 The Goddard School: best childhood preparation for success in North Shore For over 30 years, The Goddard School has been a trusted name among parents and families. Its classrooms are safe, nurturing environments for children six weeks to six years, offering age-appropriate opportunities to explore and discover. From infants to toddlers, preschoolers to pre-kindergarteners, highly trained teachers lead each child to reach developmental milestones, preparing the children for social and academic success. At The Goddard School located in Skokie, the on-site owners, Andrew and Mary Fratini, work to make sure every family enjoys a warm, positive experience. They strive to provide the best quality program for each child year-round, offering full-time and part-time schedules with open enrollment. The F.L.EX. Learning Program ensures that they meet high standards specific to early learning, development and care. The F.L.EX. Learning Program (Fun Learning Experience) is grounded in research on how children learn best: Children experience the deepest, most genuine learning when they are having fun. It’s designed to help build each child’s emotional, academic, social, creative and physical skills — including 21st-century skills such as communication, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking — to provide a well-rounded experience and help each one become school-ready, career-ready and life-ready. Twenty-first century skills also tie in directly with STEAM learning (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics). Introducing these subjects early on helps promote children’s natural curiosity in them, increasing the chance that children will pursue STEAM-related careers later on in life. “Supporting STEAM learning at the preschool level involves identifying activities children naturally do for opportunities to further guide them,” Andrew said. “When children solve puzzles or play with blocks, they create pathways in their brains that help with more advanced STEAM skills later on.” The preschool and prekindergarten classrooms integrate this play-based learning philosophy into their lesson plans. In the preschool classroom, children use a variety of interesting, handson learning and reading materials to make play more complex and challenging. Their play also becomes more social and cooperative as they build their social skills, make friends and learn to collaborate. Children continue their journey of exploration and discovery in the prekindergarten classroom. Teachers help them apply their developing literacy and math skills through fun, purposeful learning experiences. Play-based learning is so effective that the results of a recent review by the Children’s Progress Academic Assessment (CPAA) show that Goddard School students score 45 percent higher on mathematics and literacy assessments compared to non-Goddard peers. CPAA is an early childhood assessment system that assists teachers in making informed and individualized instructional decisions. Submitted by The Goddard School, 9651 Gross Point Road, Skokie; (847) 773- 0200; goddardschool.com. All ages, all abilities. www.studionorthacademy.com • 847-251-7627
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