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I chose this as the name for my ideal school because the mission of my school is to teach and inspire young learners to be excited about learning by doing real-world, hands-on work.

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Our mission is to provide our students with lifelong learning skills, foster community development, and inspire children to engage in hands-on learning both inside and outside of the classroom.

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Our school incorporates hands-on learning experiences for each subject. In math, we learn about real-world scenarios in which math is relevant and used every day. We also use Number corner as 30 out of 90 minutes of math daily. In science, our students learn by going outside and exploring in a loosely structured academic setting where they are encouraged to investigate different domains with their peers. In ELA/social studies, our students are encouraged to engage with a wide variety of culturally respectful materials and are motivated to use their critical thinking skills to analyze and compare different pieces of work. Our students are encouraged to engage with technology daily, although this is not our primary focus. The students learn digital literacy and use this to engage with their community.

Gardoqui, K., & Haeger, J. (2021, May 3). Outdoor learning strategies and resources for schools and teachers. Great Schools Partnership. Retrieved April 28, 2022, from https://www.greatschoolspartnership.org/outdoor-learning-strategies-and-resources-for-schools-and-teachers/

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We utilize various mediums in which students can access knowledge both as a group and as individuals. Our school utilizes specific habits of work and learning in and out of the classroom which aligns with each student's developmental and academic progression. Our staff utilizes culturally responsive practices to ensure a safe and nurturing environment for all students regardless of their background. Here at the Inspire School, we believe in Universal Design for Learning which provides all students with the level of support necessary for them to access the curriculum. We believe in holding each and every student accountable for habits of work and learning and the school community's cultural expectations required of all students to be successful.

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Our school believes in engaging our students with the community in which they live. We allow our students to take their devices home for academic purposes such as extra credit work or finishing classwork. Our school utilizes Google Classroom so students can submit work to be graded. We strongly encourage family interaction with these assignments and often communicate via email with the families of students on their goals, progress, and any concerns they may be having. Our school hosts an open house each year, as well as two literacy nights. Students' families are encouraged to donate to and participate in these events.

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Our school utilizes the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for Digital Literacy and Computer Science and implements such frameworks into their daily learning. These frameworks include Computational Thinking which involves the students using problem-solving skills and allows them to develop new ways of creating solutions and solving problems effectively (DESE, 2016). This deepens students' knowledge and allows our staff to approach situations from a different perspective as well. Our school provides each student and staff member with their own device to use for academic and enrichment purposes. Teachers run Google Classroom pages for their classes; this is where students can find and submit their work. Each classroom has a ClearTouch smart board which acts as a PC for an easy, wireless tool for teachers to teach with.

DESE. (2016). Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for Digital Literacy and Computer Science. Retrieved April 27, 2022, from https://www.doe.mass.edu/frameworks/dlcs.docx

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We have a diverse school population and ensure the equal representation of each and every student in our school community. An example of one way we integrate our students with our community is that the fifth-grade class writes a newsletter every two weeks, which gets published online. Families and other members of the community who have subscribed get emails every time one is sent out. We have recieved feedback on how much they enjoy reading what the kids have to say. The pieces that students write vary in topics from their pets, to surveys, to summarizing what each class is working on for their service-learning projects.
Each of our classrooms works on several service-learning projects throughout the school year. These projects include activities such as creating a pollinator garden or providing each classroom with a new globe. One year, students took a field trip to a local landmark and learned all about its history. By educating our students on the history and events going on in our community, they can become more aware of what goes on around them and how they can help and interact with other members of the community outside of the school.

Maier, A., Daniel, J., Oakes, J., & Lam, L. (2020, September 10). Community schools. American Federation of Teachers. Retrieved April 28, 2022, from https://www.aft.org/ae/summer2018/maier

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Monday:
8:30 - Arrival- Students go to meet and greet outside
8:45 - Students go to classrooms
9:00 - Morning meeting
9:30 - Number corner/snack
10:00 - P.E.
11:00 - Math
12:00 - Recess
12:30 - Lunch
1:00 - Mindful moment
1:15 - Unit Studies
3:00 - Pack up
3:15 - Dismissal

Tuesday:
8:30 - Arrival- Students go to meet and greet outside
8:45 - Students go to classrooms
9:00 - Morning meeting
9:30 - Number corner/snack
10:00 - Math
11:00 - Music
12:00 - Recess
12:30 - Lunch
1:00 - Mindful moment
1:15 - Unit Studies
2:30 - Clubs
3:00 - Pack up
3:15 - Dismissal

Wednesday:
8:30 - Arrival- Students go to meet and greet outside
8:45 - Students go to classrooms
9:00 - Art
10:00 - Morning meeting/snack
10:30 - Number corner
11:00 - Math
12:00 - Recess
12:30 - Lunch
1:00 - Mindful moment
1:15 - Pack up
1:30 - Dismissal

Thursday:
8:30 - Arrival- Students go to meet and greet outside
8:45 - Students go to classrooms
9:00 - Morning meeting
9:30 - Outdoor Learning
10:30 - Number corner/snack
11:00 - Math
12:00 - Recess
12:30 - Lunch
1:00 - Mindful moment
1:15 - Unit Studies
2:30 - Clubs
3:00 - Pack up
3:15 - Dismissal

Friday:
8:30 - Arrival- Students go to meet and greet outside
8:45 - Students go to classrooms
9:00 - Morning meeting
9:30 - Outdoor Learning
10:30 - Number corner/snack
11:00 - Math
12:00 - Recess
12:30 - Lunch
1:00 - Mindful moment
1:15 - Unit Studies
3:00 - Pack up
3:15 - Dismissal

Unit studies consist of ELA, social studies, science, technology, or outdoor learning, which varies daily depending on the time of year.
Clubs consist of the extracurricular activities that our school offers, which vary depending on each individual student's needs and preferences.

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We have a low 12:1 ratio of adults to children so every adult knows their students well and can support them as needed. Our principal cares about what our students are learning, so she joins every classroom for 5-10 minutes daily to engage and inspire our students in their learning. Our secretary knows each and every student by name and keeps meticulous track of students throughout each day, so if a student needs to leave the school, she knows where they are. Each classroom has a teacher and one to two paraprofessionals, based on the needs of the students. These paraprofessionals accompany their classes throughout the day, whether they are in the classroom or outside. Students with IEPs and 504s who require extra supervision/support always have an adult available to them when needed. Students who have needs that cannot be met by the teacher and paraprofessional have either pull-out or push-in services from our speech-language pathologist, one of our two special education teachers, or pull-out services with our reading interventionist or math interventionist. Our staff is passionate about helping our students learn and grow and supporting our students in any way possible.

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Our school is passionate about hands-on learning, so we provide students with a wide range of interactive extracurricular activities. These activities (called clubs) include sports such as soccer, whiffle ball, skiing, and snowboarding, and activities such as baking, art, music, nature exploration, gardening, and hiking. There are also groups for students who need extra support with writing and math that take place during this time, twice a week. Teachers recommend which students participate in this program based on their progress.

Thalvayapati, S. (2018, September 16). Why extracurricular activities are important. Fastweb. Retrieved April 28, 2022, from https://www.fastweb.com/student-life/articles/why-extracurricular-activities-are-important

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I really enjoyed being able to create my own school and use my knowledge about schools, what I have learned in this course, and my own experience working in a school to design a school that I believe will lead to successful learners and leaders. I understand why following a curriculum is so important, but I also believe that a lot of the learning that occurs in children's' minds comes from them using their hands and bodies and engaging in the work as opposed to only listening to and writing about it. I think back on my experience in school and the work that I remember doing most vividly was always hands-on projects.