Swan School's Mission: Swan School builds strong learners in an environment of academic excellence aligned with creativity and personal expression. We develop wise and compassionate leaders as an investment in everyone's future. Why Choose Swan School? There are many reasons that Swan School could be the right fit for your child. * Experienced Teachers: innovative, experienced, enthusiastic, accessible, and creative. * Daily Classes in the Fine Arts: choir, piano, violin, art, and frequent presentation of creative expression. * Child-Centered Technology: technology as a creative learning tool that supports written and graphic presentations as well as research for defined projects. * Project-Based Curriculum: integrated thematic studies encompassing science, social studies, math, reading, writing, and drama. * Frequent Field Experiences: integral to the curriculum as both valued and effective. * Language: Spanish instruction from ages 3 through 12, twice weekly in focused sessions as well as daily in classrooms. * Community Involvement: annual participation with the Northwest Watershed Institute’s salmon habitat restoration efforts, UGN’s Day of Caring, and support of senior citizens’ quality of life at Victoria House. * Physical Education and Exercise: numerous daily opportunities for active movement as well as focused PE classes to strengthen children’s motor skills and support healthy lifestyle habits.

1. Swan School
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2. Swan School
Swan School is named after James
Swan (1818-1900), an important
chronicler of northwest native
cultures and early pioneer society in
Washington Territory.
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3. Independent
Education
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4. Charting Our
Own Course
Swan School has been providing an independent
educational option to residents of east Jefferson County
since 1983.
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5. Our Mission
Swan School builds strong learners in an environment of
academic excellence aligned with creativity and personal
expression. We develop wise and compassionate leaders as
an investment in everyone’s future.
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6. Our Guiding
Principles
Children are forefront at our school and prior to every
decision we ask ourselves, “What is best for children?”
This question guides us and, along with our Core Values,
defines our school.
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7. Core Value
Community
Children and adults work and play together in a safe and
supportive community.
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8. Core Value
Academic Challenge
We create a learning environment that inspires reaching
excellence in academics and in life.
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9. Core Value
Creativity
We foster curiosity about the world through a rich
environment that encourages innovative thought and
personal expression.
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10. Core Value
Compassion
We cultivate empathy for ourselves, empathy for our fellow
beings and the environment, and respect our
interconnectedness.
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11. Core Value
Leadership
Our educational framework and daily practices are
structured to develop leadership skills.
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12. Core Value
Enjoyment
Our learning is dynamic and infused with laughter, joy, and
playfulness.
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13. Balanced
Calendar
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14. Balancing the
School Year
In 2012 Swan School adjusted its calendar to best meet the
educational needs of children.
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15. A Traditional
School Year
A traditional school calendar was created to best meet the
family needs in an agrarian society. It consisted of a few
terms of irregular length separated by a long summer break.
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16. Is the Traditional
School Calendar
Best for Children
Today?
Research shows, and educators
agree, that a traditional school
calendar isn’t the best model
for meeting children’s needs.
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17. A Balanced
School Year
A balanced calendar facilitates continuous learning, helping
students retain more as they experience periods of learning
and breaks more evenly distributed throughout the year.
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18. Learning in
All Seasons
A balanced school calendar also allows learning to take place
during all seasons of the year. Swan School sees this as a
natural fit with its emphasis on experiential learning and field
trips integral to every part of the educational program.
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19. Multiage
Structure
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20. Multiage: Best
for Children
At Swan School we embrace a multiage classroom structure
throughout our school. We do this because we know it is best
for children and because it best supports our mission and core
values.
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21. Multiage:
Embracing
Diversity
A student in a multiage classroom comes to understand that
diversity is not only a reality but it is something to be
embraced, and that classrooms are simply families of learners.
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22. Multiage:
Nurturing
Atmosphere
Purposefully structuring a class that includes a span of ages and
takes advantage of the resulting diversity, allows students to
naturally become more accepting of one another’s differences.
There is an atmosphere of nurturing rather than one of
competition.
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23. Multiage:
Individual
Support
In a multiage classroom the teacher finds himself or herself
supporting each individual child as to their own complex set of
needs rather than trying to lead a group of students to all
complete an age-based step at the same time.
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24. Small School
Small Classes
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25. Small School
Common Sense
Common sense tells us that smaller is better in the case of
schools and education. With fewer students per teacher every
child can receive the attention they deserve.
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26. Small School
Research
Research backs this up. Studies such as Small Schools: Great
Strides by Wasley, Fine, Gladden, Holland, King, Mosak, & Powell (Bank
Street College of Ed., 2000), have found that “... student's attachment,
persistence, and performance are all stronger in small schools.”
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27. Small School
Research
Additionally it has been found that small schools experience
better attendance, lower dropout rates, higher grade point
averages, stronger test scores, fewer class failures, and a lesser
likelihood of repeating a grade.
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28. Small School
Student Perspective
“The classes are really small so the teacher can work with you
and you don’t have to wait a long time for help. This works
really well in math so we can do more individualized work.”
Rowan, age 9
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29. Small School
Student Perspective
“We have smaller classes that are not as crazy so you can
focus.”
Trillium, age 10
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30. Balanced
Academics
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31. Finding Balance:
Exploration
The elementary years of childhood are full of exploration
and wonder. The world is new and fascinating. Children
learn about self and how they can relate socially to one
another.
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32. Finding Balance:
Foundation &
Variety
Swan School recognizes both the need for children to gain
foundational knowledge and skills, and to explore a variety
of avenues of learning.
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33. Finding Balance:
Traditional Subjects
Finding academic balance doesn’t mean that traditional
core subjects are ignored or short changed. Math,
reading, writing, science, history, geography, economics,
are all included in a Swan School education.
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34. Finding Balance
Can Mean More
However, an education overly focused on the “three R’s”
or on “STEM” (science, technology, engineering, and
math) is not enough. Children need to explore more than
what is covered on standardized tests.
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35. Finding Balance:
Fine Arts
The fine arts, including both vocal and instrumental
music, allow students to connect with the world
through their hearts. At Swan School children follow
these creative pursuits each day of the week.
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36. Finding Balance:
Spanish
During the elementary years language acquisition comes
naturally to children. At Swan School students learn and
use Spanish at every grade level throughout the day and
in focused sessions twice each week.
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37. Finding Balance:
Social Emotional
Learning
Social and emotional learning is an important part of
growing up. We support this both through age
appropriate instruction and by giving children the
chance to practice their developing skills in a variety of
settings.
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38. Finding Balance
As John Keating (characterized by Robin Williams) exclaimed
in the movie Dead Poets Society, “...medicine, law,
business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and
necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love,
these are what we stay alive for.”
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39. Adam’s Graduation Speech
“When I first came to Swan School I felt pretty beaten down. It seemed as though
there was no hope for me to learn and succeed in life, let alone in the classroom.
Swan School teachers changed all that. Swan School showed me that I wasn’t
stupid and that I could learn and succeed.
I think back to the people and times that have shaped me in the last 2 years. Every
teacher deserves a thank you for helping me reach my goals. The love and support
of my family has been greatly appreciated. But truly, the main ingredient of my
Swan School experience has been my peers. We all faced hardships, but we were
able to overcome them together.
To me the end of my time at Swan School is just the beginning of the next step.
Today is just the first of many great accomplishments I hope to achieve in my life. I
will succeed along with the support my teachers have given me to keep my
motivations in sight. Today I will set out and find new grounds, but I will always
remember my time at Swan School.”
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40. Swan School
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