K-8 School
The Mystic Valley Regional Charter School offers a highly structured curriculum that sets high expectations and provides individualized monitoring to be certain that all students meet the ambitious goals that have been set for them. Mystic Valley provides a strong academic foundation for its students that will prepare them for the demands of the high school curriculum.
DIRECT INSTRUCTION
Direct Instruction (DI) is a curriculum and teaching methodology specifically designed to teach sophisticated strategies in reading, language and other basic skill areas such as spelling and cursive writing. DI is based on the theory that children can learn at an accelerated rate if educators deliver instructions that are clear and are able to predict likely misinterpretations and therefore reduce confusion and assist in forming generalizations. It is a highly structured intensive teaching program that aims to thoroughly prepare the educator in such a way that all children learn to 100% mastery of the subject. The lessons are presented in a structured sequence with each one building on concepts and skills developed previously in the series. Direct Instruction has been proven to yield strong results with all types of students, including academically advanced children, traditionally average performers and those with special needs.
SAXON MATH
Saxon Math is utilized in grades K-8 for the school's Math program. Saxon programs have two unique aspects: explicit instruction and a distributed approach to instruction, practice and assessment. Teachers and researchers alike recognize the correlation between the explicit instruction of concepts and the long term success of students. In Saxon Math each increment builds upon the foundation of earlier increments, leading students to a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts. The instruction of related increments is carefully distributed throughout the grade level, ensuring that students have the opportunity to master each increment before being introduced to the next related one.
CORE KNOWLEDGE
The "Core Knowledge" movement is an educational reform based on the premise that a grade-by-grade core of common learning is necessary to ensure a sound elementary education and that for the sake of academic excellence, greater fairness, and higher literacy, early schooling should provide a solid, specific, shared curriculum in order to help children establish strong foundations of knowledge. To provide students with a sturdy foundation on which to build future success, the school's curricula in grades K-8 for science, history, language arts, character education, music, art and math are based on coherent and ambitious standards for what students need to learn from the earliest grades. Mystic Valley has aligned the Massachusetts State Frameworks with its Core Knowledge Sequence and other curricula. For more information go to: www.coreknowledge.org
CODE OF VALUES, SCHOOL RULES & REGULATIONS
The faculty and staff at the Mystic Valley Regional Charter School are dedicated to providing our students with the skills necessary to reason, communicate, and live with dignity in a civil society. Central to this mission is the creation of a school community characterized by caring, discipline, order and respect.
The Code of Values has been designed to guide the efforts of teachers and staff in creating a safe, orderly environment and to reinforce the primary mission of the school, which is rigorous academic learning. The Code, which states clearly all school-wide rules governing student behavior, as well as, the consequences for breaking the rules, serves as a compact among parents, students and our staff.
The Code of Values identifies eleven character values that will be at the center of our school’s character education curriculum.
THE CHARACTER VALUES:
Responsibility and Respect:
Responsibility means you understand that you have agreed to do something even when it is not easy to
do. All members of the student body and staff are expected to be respectful to each other. Inappropriate language will not be tolerated. All members of our school community are encouraged to interact in a warm and friendly manner. Students are expected to demonstrate respect by walking quietly in the halls, without pushing, shoving, or hitting others. Respect for others begins with respect for one’s self. This is shown in how you dress and behave both at school and at home. Respect for one’s self and others is part of building strong personal character.
Honesty:
Telling the truth is essential. Cheating, stealing, lying or other forms of dishonesty will not be tolerated.
Students are expected to be honest and tell the truth.
Gratitude:
Thankfulness for the gifts in life and the gift of life.
Kindness/Compassion:
At the school, students will learn to care for one another: to be proud of what they and their fellow
students do in class and at school activities. Kindness for one’s classmates is a building block for school spirit.
Perseverance:
Perseverance means that you learn to stick to a task until you get it done. Pushing on despite difficulty
and hardship.
Courage:
Courage is the ability to know what the right thing to do is, and to be able to do this in the face of
adversity. You will learn how to tell right from wrong and what it means to have the conviction of your beliefs.
Self-discipline:
Self-discipline means controlling one’s wants and balancing what you want to do with what others may
want to do. Self-discipline leads to self-control, which is essential to building strong character.
Good Citizenship/Generosity:
Generosity at the school also helps to develop school spirit and promote responsibility to the
community. Citizenship also includes respect for your country and flag. Patriotism means loyalty to our country and its principles. Students are encouraged to demonstrate patriotism by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance each day, reading about our many national heroes and developing an understanding of our democratic form of government.
Forgiveness:
The ability to forget wrongs done to us. Finding it in your heart to pardon or excuse.
Wonder / Hope:
To delight in beauty and mystery. To find the light in the darkness.
