Core Values
Image of The Child
First and foremost, Mount Sutro School has immense respect for young children. It is a place where children’s time and pace is honored. Where they can express emotions, take risks, discover, and create. Where they are seen as strong, capable and trusted. Where discoveries are made by encountering the unexpected in a familiar and beautiful environment. Where they can play freely and uninhibited.
Relationship Based
Mindful Teaching
It is crucial for us, as educators, to look closely at our work with young children. Constantly asking questions, being intentional not only in our interactions but also in how we set up the environment, materials, and present investigations. Nothing is done without thought, without a discussion, without intent. Teachers are mindful in how they communicate with children and express themselves in a responsive and respectful manner. Our own learning grows with getting to know each child and family. Mount Sutro School places a strong emphasis on continuing education and a solid foundation in early childhood theory as well as emerging new research.
Documentation
Part of our job as educators is to make children’s learning visible. Photos, video, artistic representations, and recorded conversations are used to revisit and extend ideas and thoughts. We believe the more children see themselves doing, the more they can build and remember their theories about the world. Documentation is displayed both in the classroom and online in our weekly blog posts.
Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Justice
Reggio Emilia Inspired
Children’s investigations develop from careful observation of children’s interests by the teachers and build into projects from which children and teachers toss ideas back and forth through invitations to explore, provocations to inspire, and proposals to discuss. Teachers and children both play the role of protagonists, scaffolding learning to a new level. Children are given the highest-quality materials to explore, and art mediums are used as an extension to thought so children can represent ideas through various mediums and multiple intelligences.
Cultivating respect and empathy for differences in ideas and perspectives, as well as physical appearance and abilities are woven into our role as educators. The interconnectedness that binds us together as a classroom of learners also extends to the world around us. Our interactions and environment highlight our commitment to diversity, inclusion, social justice, and anti-bias education. We focus on creating a safe, supportive learning environment that nurtures children as they construct identities and attitudes about the world around them. We provide individualized support for each child, model peaceful problem solving and conflict resolution, and support family pride and positive social identities by selecting materials that reflect each child's family culture as well as the experiences of our greater community.
The social-constructivist view of learning and education places a strong emphasis on the co-construction of knowledge. Children do not learn in isolation but in relation to other adults and children that surround and support them. We paint a picture of the whole child through the context of their culture, family, and the school environment. Relationships are the foundation on which every idea, thought, and theory is based. We strive at Mount Sutro School to provide children and families with a stable and nurturing staff. We view our role as reciprocal and partner with children and families to build curriculum that is meaningful and relevant to the children’s interests. Parenting can also be isolating. Mount Sutro School seeks to create a village of learners where ideas, concerns, and strategies are shared among one another based on child development research and best practices.
Environment
In the schools in Reggio Emilia the environment is thought of as another teacher. The way in which it is set up can engage, inspire, and create wonder. Mount Sutro School’s intention is to provide an open, light- filled, beautiful, and aesthetically pleasing environment in which children and families will thrive during their time at the school. For young children, school is their life, not just a preparation for life, and should reflect all the warmth of a home and the excitement of a special place. Our connection to nature is equally important, and our outdoor space combines nature and intrigue, water and sand, the natural and man-made, while our indoor space was designed to reflect the school’s natural surroundings.
Eco-Conscious
With nature being a cornerstone to Mount Sutro School, we endeavor to not only have a beautiful school filled with natural and non-toxic materials. We also look to provide organic and healthy snacks and use environmentally friendly cleaners. Additionally, we support and encourage cloth or compostable diapering as well as early toilet learning.