Excerpts from the Charter Contract of the River Valley Charter School

• Abstract
  • Mission
  • Educational Philosophy
  • Key Goals and Expected Outcomes
• Education Program
  • Montessori Method
  • School Design
  • Assessment
  • Special Needs
• School Environment
• Enrollment
• Leadership and Governance

Mission
The mission of the River Valley Charter School is to provide a rigorous academic program based on the Montessori philosophy and rooted in the history, culture, and ecology of the Merrimack River Valley. Students will reach their full potential as scholars and become self-reliant, productive members of society. They will be adept at critical thinking and creative problem solving and will be fully prepared to succeed in future schools, careers, and civic life.

Educational Philosophy
The River Valley Charter School educational program will be based on the Montessori philosophy, a proven educational approach that is widely available in the private sector and increasingly present around the nation as a public alternative. It is based on the idea that each student is competent, unique, and has an innate desire to learn. To implement this philosophy, River Valley Charter School will do the following:

• Create a challenging interdisciplinary curriculum combining the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks with the Montessori Scope and Sequence;
• Provide an abundance of learning materials specifically developed for the Montessori classroom;
• Empower the student to direct her own learning within the structure of the curriculum and with close guidance of the teacher;
• Facilitate inquiry, exploration, critical thinking, and creative problem solving;
• Understand and capitalize on individual learning styles;
• Educate the whole child by integrating the development of self-reliance, independence, and respectfulness with academic work.

Consistent with the Montessori method, River Valley Charter School will provide integrated studies of the local region, capitalizing on its vast historical, cultural, and natural resources.

• High Academic Achievement. The River Valley Charter School curriculum will be unique to the school. It will merge the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks with the Montessori Scope and Sequence and then integrate studies of our region’s history, culture, and natural environment. The richness and depth of this curriculum, combined with the motivating factors of the Montessori method, will engage and challenge students so that they work at their full capacity. Students will advance at least one grade level per year and will be given standardized tests to demonstrate their progress.
• Strong Links with the Community. Local organizations and businesses will provide ongoing field study, workshops, and, for middle school students, internships integrated with the curriculum and pursued over the long term.
• Social Growth and Emotional Development. Students will realize the non-academic outcomes of the Montessori philosophy, such as respect, motivation, and self-reliance.
• Successful Montessori Program. Our program will satisfy the requirements of an accredited Montessori school by hiring Montessori certified teachers and implementing the Montessori curriculum. This will insure students’ academic, social, and emotional needs are met.
• Active Parent Participation. Parents will feel committed to the school and their children’s education and will contribute on a variety of levels.

EDUCATION PROGRAM

What educational theory will be the foundation of the program and how does it align with the school's mission?

Montessori Method
The River Valley Charter School educational program will be based on the philosophy and methods developed early in this century by Dr. Maria Montessori in her work with underprivileged children. Dr. Montessori found that by providing carefully designed materials and by following the child’s lead in pursuit of knowledge, she could in fact educate children thought to be uneducable. Her methods were based on a fundamental trust in each child’s instinctive desire to learn. They were also informed by theories of child development and learning that were rather new in her time. Most of these ideas are now generally accepted, but they are not successfully implemented in many of our public schools. The basic principles of these theories are as follows:

• Cognitive development follows a predictable progression from the concrete to the abstract. There are specific moments when children are most ready to develop and acquire certain skills. Educators must understand these levels and introduce material at appropriate times.
• Academic, social, and emotional development are interdependent; education must center on the development of the whole child.
• Every child has an inner drive to explore and discover the world around him. This innate curiosity will lead to productive learning if given the proper environment, resources, and guidance.
• Learning is most productive when self-directed and founded on individual interest.
• Learning is most effective when it takes place through direct sensory experiences and interaction with objects in their natural context.
• Information should be presented in a pattern of whole-to-part, and integrated through interdisciplinary study, so students can place it in context and understand how things are related.
• Learning must be enhanced and applied, especially in later years, by going out and doing relevant work in the community.

Implemented together as a comprehensive methodology, these principles form a foundation for motivated learning and high achievement, thus meeting our mission to produce graduates who reach their full academic potential and are self-reliant, productive citizens adept at critical thinking and creative problem solving.

Middle School
The RVCS middle school will continue with the Montessori approach, but will focus on the specific issues of early adolescence. Students 12-14 years old undergo dramatic physical, cognitive, and emotional changes. They experience conflict between their individuality and societal expectations. They are highly preoccupied with their social lives. For these reasons, they require a stable environment, close adult relationships, opportunities to collaborate, and work that is challenging and relevant in the real world.

Educators working within the traditional middle-school model have acknowledged the necessity of many of the elements we intend to incorporate. The National Association of Secondary School Principals, in their 1985 report "Schools in the Middle," noted the benefits of applied learning; focus on total growth and development (not just intellectual); differentiated learning; correlated and integrated curriculum; exploration; individualized instruction; interdisciplinary programs and teaching teams; multi-age grouping; and peer teaching. These are all time-tested basics of the Montessori method and will naturally be included in middle-school education at River Valley Charter School.

Motivation
Experience has shown that the Montessori environment exerts a powerful positive influence on a student who is disruptive, unhappy, or unmotivated. Such a student will become productive in the RVCS program because he will be empowered to direct his own activity; peers and teachers will model appropriate behavior and respect; the curriculum and materials will address his particular learning style; and teachers will have the time to work with him individually.

Early adolescents are particularly vulnerable to motivation problems in school. The RVCS program will be uniquely qualified to address the following issues commonly found in middle schools, as follows:

• It will provide ample opportunities for success, so students who think they can’t do the work compete against themselves and learn from their mistakes.
• It will match academic study to students’ interests and their abilities. Students will have individual learning contracts (ILCs) structured to their developmental level. Students will have many opportunities to choose from teacher-designed options, to select special-interest topics for independent study, and to try a variety of presentation techniques.
• RVCS students will actively participate in setting their own goals through their ILCs, which motivates them to follow through even on their less favorite work. Time to complete tasks will be made available.
• RVCS will provide ample opportunity to do relevant work both in school and through the Curriculum Partners Program, which will connect their classroom learning to the real world.
• Our program will provide many venues for social interaction. Every school day will include time for study in small groups and collaboration on team projects, in addition to the informal socializing that occurs over lunch and during free time.

Because RVCS will acknowledge and deal with these issues, unmotivated students will have help to take risks with new work, to achieve success, and to build the confidence they need to be engaged in school. If a student does not respond in a reasonable time, the school will take steps within its discipline policy toward more active intervention (see the Discipline section below).

School Design
What will be the design of the school in terms of: (a) pedagogy and teaching materials;
(b) curriculum design and sources of the curriculum; (c) organization of students and faculty; (d) school schedule and calendar?

(a) Pedagogy and Teaching Materials

Pedagogy and teaching materials will be the most compelling difference between River Valley Charter School and traditional public schools. Although the basic content of the curriculum will be the same, with a strong emphasis on core subjects, the following elements will distinguish the RVCS classroom from traditional ones:

• Multi-age Classrooms. Students will be grouped in multi-age clusters spanning three years in the elementary program and two in the middle school. Multi-age classrooms maximize the curriculum options available to students, minimize competition, encourage cooperation, and foster self-confidence in students who serve as role models. They also provide for long-term teacher/student relationships.
• Interdisciplinary Approach. Subjects are taught thematically in order to strengthen their relationship to all disciplines. Students are taught to use reading, writing, and math as tools for the pursuit of knowledge and skills. This approach will motivate students to master the basic skills and use them in understanding the region’s unrivaled historic, natural, and cultural resources.
• Montessori Materials. Scientifically designed manipulative materials are at the heart of a Montessori classroom. Each one focuses on a particular concept or skill but addresses many levels of understanding, beginning with the concrete and moving to the abstract. The materials are self-correcting and provide the student with feedback, thus reinforcing autonomy, confidence, and self-motivation. (See Appendix C for examples.) Extensive written materials in each area of the classroom support the Montessori emphasis on research from reference books and primary and secondary sources (including the Internet) rather than compilations and textbooks.
• Teacher’s Role. RVCS teachers will rarely be the center of attention in the classroom. Instead, the teacher is one source of information among many. This departure from the traditional format, combined with low teacher/student ratio, frees the teacher to spend time observing, guiding students, and making notes on progress. In addition, RVCS teachers will actively model appropriate, respectful behavior and positive conflict resolution.
• Individual Learning Contracts. Students will work according to individual learning contracts (ILCs) that they develop with their teachers and update three times a year to reflect progress and standardized test results. These contracts set forth how the student will complete the curriculum requirements. Students will track weekly work to ensure they are fulfilling their ILC.
• Long Work Periods. Whole-class instruction time will be minimal, usually limited to the beginning and end of the day. The school day will be structured to allow students to spend long blocks of time on work that they choose within the framework of their ILC. This enables students to explore a topic or material thoroughly and to carry it through to completion.
• Mastery Learning. Students will go beyond memorization and repetition to true understanding and application of knowledge, skills, and concepts. The individual student will progress at her own rate, either moving ahead without having to wait for the rest of the group, or taking the time she needs to internalize the material.
• Classroom Design. RVCS classrooms will be designed to encourage exploration. Classrooms will be arranged in study centers, with clusters of student-sized tables and open areas for floor work instead of individual desks. Each study center will be surrounded by shelves of books and materials pertaining to a particular area of study: language arts, math, history, and so on. Students will be allowed to move about the classroom and choose resources as they pursue their work plan. They will have the option to work individually or in small groups.
• Curriculum Partners Program. River Valley Charter School will take advantage of the vast resources available in the Merrimack River Valley. Students will use the community as both a source of knowledge and as a means of applying what they learn. Partnerships will directly connect to and enrich the curriculum. This commitment to our community is a logical extension of the Montessori philosophy.

As the child advances through the last years of Elementary II and into Middle School, the pedagogic emphasis reflects his changing needs. The projects become longer term and more collaborative, with less reliance on the Montessori materials and more use of reference books, textbooks, computers, experiments, model building, mapping, drawing, music, and drama. There is more direct instruction from the teacher and the day is more tightly structured. Learning outside the school expands into internships and community service.

(b) Curriculum Design and Sources

The River Valley Charter School curriculum will be unique to the school. Using the services of a qualified education consultant, we will correlate the Montessori Scope and Sequence with the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. (See Appendix F for a sample correlation from Montessori Made Manageable, Inc.) This comprehensive correlation will ensure full coverage of all the material in both curricula. The school will update and re-evaluate its curriculum yearly based on input from test results and school audits.

The RVCS curriculum will be overlaid to relate and apply the history, ecology, and culture of the Merrimack River Valley through our Curriculum Partners Program. This program will serve as the medium for connecting subjects among each other and to the larger community. It will also be a vehicle for older students’ internships and community service. Partnering organizations will participate in developing this aspect of the RVCS curriculum.

Elementary Curriculum
While the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks are organized into learning standards within content strands, the Montessori Scope and Sequence is based on the Five Great Lessons, which present the emergence of the universe and the progression of human civilization. The RVCS curriculum will fully cover all the Frameworks content strands, while adhering to the Montessori principle of presenting information in a whole-to-part progression. For example, the first Great Lesson introduces the beginning of the universe, the emergence of matter, and the formation of the earth. Students take in this lesson and explore details according to their individual learning contract. Within this structure, the physical, earth, and space sciences sections of the Massachusetts Science and Technology curriculum are covered but students also comprehend the information within the larger context. See Appendix E for a complete description of the Five Great Lessons.

The elementary curriculum strongly emphasizes math and language, then uses them thematically to study other subjects. Literature is an integrating link for all academic disciplines. Emphasis is on open-ended research and in-depth study using primary and secondary sources, as opposed to textbooks and other summaries.

Mathematics will initially be taught with manipulative materials that demonstrate the interrelatedness of geometry, arithmetic, and algebra. Students must understand how to work with the manipulatives as well as how their findings translate into accurate conventional math computations. Students identify relationships, theorems, and formulae themselves. In addition, they learn about the people who first made these discoveries.

Language Arts will emphasize basic reading skills, using a combination of whole language and phonetics. Early in the elementary program, students will be introduced to the mechanics of the English language, the etymology of words, syntax, and parts of speech with the aid of the Montessori materials (see Appendix C). In addition to the written word, the language arts curriculum emphasizes other forms of communication, including debate, oral delivery, and group discussion.

Social Studies and Sciences integrate anthropology, astronomy, biology, chemistry, economics, geography, geology, government, history, philosophy, physics, political science, and sociology rather than teaching them as separate subject matters. The Five Great Lessons set the stage so the child can see and understand the extent of human labor necessary to accomplish all that is here in the present. For example, biology instruction provides the nomenclature needed to structure and relate facts and processes in order to develop an ecological view of life and a feeling of responsibility for the environment. Geography is presented to illustrate the ways in which topography and land forms have affected the histories of peoples and their civilizations. The study of human civilizations focuses on the material and spiritual "fundamental needs:" food, shelter, transportation, defense, clothing, art, religion, friendship, and character. The use of timelines, pictures, charts, and other visual aids supports the temporal sequences and the interrelationships of these disciplines.

Music, Art, Drama, Movement, Physical Education, and Foreign Language will be integral to the curriculum, with specialty classes for each. These subjects will correlate with and enhance themes currently under study. For example, while studying ancient civilizations, children research the development of music in a timeline; relating instruments, composers, musical forms, and literature to the country of origin, art, architecture, and politics of the times.

Curriculum Partners Program Example
The "Local Children from Years Past" Project. One year in Newburyport’s past will be chosen by the students to become a multidisciplinary theme spanning a semester. The starting point of immersion into the past will be a photograph of a class from the nation’s first Free School in Essex, Massachusetts, founded in 1725, or the Kelley School, a local elementary school founded in 1873. Each student will be given the name of one child in the picture to research.

Each student will be expected to extrapolate details from the past to prepare an historical fiction about an actual child. The report will include the following topics: make-up and genealogy of family; family’s livelihood stance on current political and social issues; location, style, and size of house; activities, interests, and responsibilities of child. Students will also create something from the period in a manner typical of the period. This could include whittling a musical instrument, needlepointing a sampler, weaving a scarf, singing a song, creating and/or playing a child’s game (and comparing and contrasting it to a modern game), making a doll, planting a period garden, or preparing a period meal. Students will wear customary dress for an oral presentation of their findings, including the topics covered in the written report and a description and demonstration of their creations.

Primary sources for research will include historical fiction and biographies of children from our country’s past, diaries, newspapers, and other records found in the history archives in the Hamilton Room at the Newburyport Library. Secondary sources will include: tours of homes of the chosen period, such as the Coffin House; the Cushing House Museum (which contains a beautifully preserved child’s bedroom and playroom, including period toys); local cemeteries; items unearthed in a dig at Spencer Pierce Little Farm; and historians as guest speakers.

Lessons to be further developed with the aid of the teacher include geography, architecture, math (timelines, population, geographic distribution, commerce and trade) and literature of the chosen period.

Middle School Curriculum
The RVCS Middle School curriculum will build upon the elementary curriculum, covering all Massachusetts Frameworks learning standards for 7^th and 8^th grades. The process and presentation will be geared toward the specific demands of this age group, bringing together the benefits of the Montessori method and community partnerships that provide relevant work in which students can apply their learning.

The middle school will operate on a ten-week cycle, of which there will be eight over the two-year span. Each cycle will explore a broad theme within which the curriculum requirements will be fulfilled. The work will consist of a balance among classroom study, field work, research, internships, and projects. Final presentations will be made in week ten.

Teachers will provide students with a cycle plan that clearly defines the components of the cycle. Plans will be structured as follows:

• The Overview introduces the theme and creates motivation by relating it to the life of the adolescent.
• Guiding Questions, recurring throughout, help students think about what they are learning and can be used in journal writing, reading response journals, and class discussions.
• What You Will Learn lists what students will be accountable for at the end of the project. This information will be covered with more teacher direction, such as class lectures with note-taking.
• What You Will Do outlines projects and research related to the theme. Resources include a wide variety of instructional media, research materials including textbooks, field research, and the Curriculum Partners Program.
• Presentation of Work defines options for how the work is to be presented.
• Rubric for Assessment defines how students’ work will be assessed.

For example, RVCS might include a cycle whose theme is "Independence and Interdependence." Two projects could be developed within the theme: one at the region’s town halls to compare the mayoral and town meeting forms of local government, and one through the Curriculum Partners Program to examine the interdependent, microscopic life of a tidal river with its alternating fresh and salt water environments. The town hall project would cover the language arts, history, and geography curricula, while the river project would cover the physical science, life science, and math curricula. See Appendix H for a sample plan for this cycle.

Skills and knowledge that are not covered by themes or projects will be addressed in each student’s individual learning contract. Whether within themes and projects or during classroom study, the following subjects will be covered by the RVCS Middle School Curriculum:

Mathematics will continue to address the individual’s developmental needs by moving systematically from concrete introduction to abstract understanding. Middle school will focus on pre-algebra and algebra by using commercial textbook programs as a primary resource. Geometry will be viewed as the tool that reveals and clarifies the relationships and processes in mathematics and algebra. A daily block of time will be devoted to mathematics and include regular cycles of tests and evaluations to insure mastery.

Language Arts will continue as a unifying thread through the other disciplines. It will include the study of vocabulary, literature, grammar and mechanics, and writing. In response to the early adolescent’s need to develop appropriate relationships with others, the program will focus on four communication strategies: acknowledging others, "I" messages, problem solving (goal setting, decision making, win/win solutions), and active listening. In addition, this daily communications lab will stress manners, listening skills, note-taking, active participation in group discussions, articulating ideas, and making formal presentations.

History, Geography, Physical Science, and Life Science will be presented across two-year cycles. All Massachusetts Frameworks content areas will be covered but they will be organized thematically to emphasize their relevance to students’ lives. The year-one focus on humanities will include themes of exploration and new beginnings, identity, independence/interdependence, and the circle of life. The year-two focus on physical science themes will include balance, change, force, and movement. Students will ask large questions, look for patterns, and place information into the larger context.

World Languages One or more foreign languages will be offered.

Computer Literacy will focus on the impact of computer technology on human society, and will emphasize the use of computers and the Internet as tools for tasks that cannot be performed as effectively by other means. Students will learn to use the Internet and email for research and communication; database software for organization and retrieval of data and research results; spreadsheets and graphing tools for the evaluation of these results; and word processing, Web page design, and presentation software for communication of ideas and research results. In addition, well designed simulation software will be used to enhance students’ abilities to explore, discover, and develop problem solving strategies.

Physical Education and Health Physical education will focus on cooperative games, team sports, individual sports, aerobic activities, and fitness. Health will be devoted to issues pertinent to the needs of early adolescence. Topics will include belonging, friendship, adolescent development, stress management, self-esteem, peer pressure, drug education, sexuality, nutrition, and balanced living.

Fine Arts will be integrated throughout the curriculum as well as part of a weekly elective period during which students select an area of exploration. Projects will vary depending on student interest.

Character Development will be a regular and explicit theme of class discussions. It will be continually reinforced through situational problem-solving, role-playing, the learning contracts, collaborative work, mentoring, and the multi-year relationships with teachers. RVCS teachers will have the Montessori training to be alert for "teachable moments," the circumstantial or developmental moments in which a student is especially open to a particular lesson. Character development will be woven through every other curriculum area. Literature, for example, can be used to observe and discuss protagonists’ characters in relation to personal choices and environmental influences. History and current events illustrate the impact of personal character traits on society and posterity, for example those of Clinton, Hitler, or Ghandi.

Internships will provide experiences that build confidence and help our early adolescent students develop a broader view of their place in society. Our ongoing partnerships with a variety of local organizations will immerse students in the resources of the community, as well as draw the community into the education of its future citizens.

Each student will participate in an internship program. Seventh graders will rotate through assignments as classroom assistants in the Elementary I and II programs. Eighth graders will work with local partnerships or businesses completing mutually agreed-upon projects.

Each student will make two major presentations or exhibits each year about their internship. These will be based two different site categories (environmental, cultural, governmental, or architectural) and use two different presentation techniques (narrated tours at a facility, role-playing presentations, video productions, or interactive computer productions). The content of the presentation will involve a cross-curriculum approach to include: the presentation, a written information packet for the audience, calculation and a report of production costs, and the development of an evaluation tool to be completed by the audience after the presentation.

(c) Organization of Students and Faculty

River Valley Charter School will consist of Elementary I for ages 6-9, Elementary II for ages 9-12, and Middle School for ages 12-14. Our goal is an even distribution of ages within each group.

The elementary faculty will consist of one lead teacher and one assistant teacher in each classroom of about 23 children. In the middle school, there will be two teachers (one with a humanities background and one with a math/science background) and one assistant per 32 students.

(d) School Schedule and Calendar

The River Valley Charter School day will be six and one-half hours, from 8:30 to 3:00, with fee-based day care provided before and after school hours. The school calendar will follow the existing public school calendar--180 school days with observance of federal, state, and principal religious holidays. Vacation schedules may vary somewhat from the public schools, but the school year will contain at least the state minimum hours of instruction. Some vacation day care will be provided.

Assessment
How will student progress be assessed?

Student performance will be assessed with the following tools, all designed to determine and report individual progress toward specific benchmarks defined in the RVCS curriculum.

Standardized tests

• Terra Nova tests will be given at admission to establish baseline performance, then yearly to measure progress.
• The IOWA reading test will be given to students in grade 3.
• The MCAS test will be given to students in grades 4 and 8.

Test-taking skills will be incorporated into the curriculum to be sure students are prepared for these tests. Test results will be used to periodically update students’ individual learning contracts and the school curriculum.

Individual Assessment Tools

• Individual learning contracts, as the basis for meeting curriculum objectives
• Weekly work contracts, which outline specific tasks for meeting the ILC
• Quizzes, tests, and exams
• Reports and essays
• Oral presentations and portfolios, to meet benchmarks defined in the curriculum.
• Daily observations and recording by teacher
• Progress reports, prepared in detail by the teacher twice yearly.

The Middle School will use the following additional assessment tools:

• Bi-weekly progress reports
• Student-led conferences held twice a year with teachers and parents, with the student responsible for the following:
• Develop a work portfolio
• Self-evaluate work and work habits
• Communicate strengths and weaknesses
• Invite questions regarding progress
• Clarify and engage in goal setting

Annual Outside Audits

• An impartial educational consultant will assess students’ academic performance in the context of the nation’s public schools.
• A representative from a recognized Montessori training institute will assess academic performance in the context of the American Montessori Society.

Special Needs
How will students with special needs and those who cannot speak English proficiently be served in accordance with state and federal law?

RVCS will fully comply with state and federal regulations governing special education. The school budget will include funds to cover the services of a qualified special needs coordinator/instructor and a contract psychologist. There will also be contracted services by occupational therapists, physical therapists, and speech and language therapists as needed.

If a new special needs student comes into the RVCS with an IEP, a team meeting will be held immediately with SPED staff and parents to determine how best to meet the child’s needs in the new school setting. With the parents’ consent, certain goals and objectives may be modified to fit the RVCS curriculum and inclusion model. The special education team will reconvene as often as necessary to monitor the student’s progress.

The special needs coordinator/instructor will function according to an inclusion model, providing extra assistance in the classroom to children on Individual Educational Plans (IEPs). There will be ongoing consultation between teachers and SPED staff. When necessary, direct services in the form of a "pull-out" from class will occur. Generally, students will be able to participate in the classroom activities because the Montessori educational model is well suited to children with different needs and learning styles. There is an emphasis for all children to work at their own pace, using an individualized program, and multi-sensory materials. Every child who attends RVCS will have an individual learning contract, as noted above. The ILC is quite similar to the IEP.

The school psychologist will evaluate children to determine special needs. If a student presents with a learning or behavioral problem in school, the pre-referral process will be initiated. A short-term intervention will be developed and used by the teacher, parents, and psychologist for a specific period of time to remedy the problem. If this process is unsuccessful, there will be a formal evaluation and team meeting in order to determine if the student will qualify for special needs services. If a disability is determined, but the student is making sufficient academic progress, a 504 plan will be developed to create specific modifications to assist the student in the classroom. This will be used in conjunction with the child’s ILC. If the child qualifies for Special Education Services, an IEP will be created that will be used in conjunction with the ILC.

Students entering River Valley Charter School who are not proficient in English will be provided with an English as a Second Language tutor. A portion of the day will be devoted to intensive, small-group or one-on-one English instruction. Initially, the tutor will shadow the child in the classroom to provide language assistance as the child pursues learning (and nonacademic) activities with other students and the head teacher. As the child’s language ability improves, the tutor will phase out of the classroom, but will continue to provide assistance with reading and writing. This will be especially important in the middle school, where there will be a greater emphasis on reading comprehension and written language.

SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT

Culture
Please describe the culture or ethos you expect to create in your school.

The Montessori environment is a balance of two interdependent elements: students’ freedom to explore and think for themselves and their responsibility to work and learn within the community. With the autonomy to manage time and make choices, students acquire a sense of ownership for their own growth and development. They accept responsibility for setting goals and completing assignments, as well as for being contributing members of the group.

There will be three overriding expectations for students’ behavior while at school:

• Purposeful activity. Students will be engaged in their studies. Positive attitudes toward work develop as part of the classroom culture and are inculcated from the first day.
• Responsibility. Students will take an active role in their own education. They will help create their individual learning contracts and weekly work plans. They will learn to contribute to the maintenance and management of their own communities. They will be expected to contribute to the larger community through service and, in the later years, internships.
• Respect. Students will be respectful of themselves, others, each other’s work, their classrooms and materials, and the environment.

The classroom culture promotes an atmosphere of order, calm, and civility that is quite remarkable to an onlooker used to traditional public schools. It helps free the teachers from constant disciplining and it allows the students to concentrate on their work.

Discipline and Conduct
Please summarize the school's discipline policy or code of conduct.

Discipline
The structure of the Montessori classroom eliminates many of the discipline issues found in other classroom environments. In the first days of every school year, the students and teacher together develop basic class rules. If additional issues arise, the class as a community establishes ground rules so that they will be able to learn from the situation. The consequences for not following the ground rules and not accepting responsibility will depend upon the severity of the issue and will follow a hierarchy of consequences laid out in the code of conduct, including parent intervention and removal from the classroom or the school.

In the Middle School, integrity and responsibility will be heavily emphasized. Students will be expected to keep their word and to pull their weight in collaborative projects. In cases where they step out of bounds through physical or verbal abuse, cooperative discipline results. Students take an active role in analyzing their own behavior and are encouraged to learn from their mistakes. See the Cooperative Discipline Student Action Plan in Appendix I.

Code of Conduct
A series of workshops involving students, their families, school volunteers, trustees, and staff will be held following completion of the admissions process. The focus of the workshops will be to create three separate handbooks outlining rules, policies, and procedures governing behavior: 1) the Student Handbook, which will cover the behavior of the students and logical consequences for stepping out of bounds; 2) the Staff Handbook, which will cover the behavior of all staff; and 3) the Volunteer Handbook, which will cover the behavior of all volunteers.

ENROLLMENT

Number of Students
How many students will be enrolled each year over the five years of the charter?

In its first year of operation, the River Valley Charter School will enroll approximately 160 students from the five regional communities: Amesbury, Newbury, Newburyport, Salisbury, and West Newbury. In each of the following three years, student population will increase by approximately 32. The expected maximum enrollment in year five will be 256 students.

In the first year, there will be four Elementary I classes (each with 24 students aged 6-9) and three Elementary II classes (each with 22 students aged 9-11). In year two, with new and continuing students, there will be four Elementary II classes (each with 24 students aged 9-12). In year three, there will be two Middle School classes (each with 16 students aged 13). In year four, there will be three Middle School classes (each with 22 students aged 13-14). Our school will then have a total of eleven classes consisting of four Elementary I classes, four Elementary II classes, and three Middle School classes.

Leadership and Governance

How will this school be governed?

The River Valley Charter School will be governed by a board of trustees and a director of the school with structured input from three constituency groups: the school's staff, board of advisors, and the parent’s alliance.

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