What is AUBURN DAY SCHOOL’s Educational Philosophy? THE AUBURN DAY SCHOOL TEACHING TEAM BELIEVES THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE EXCEPTIONAL AND THAT THERE IS NO LIMIT TO WHAT THEY CAN LEARN. WE PROVIDE A CONCEPT-BASED CURRICULUM THAT CAPITALIZES ON CHILDREN'S NATURAL CURIOSITY AND FOCUSES ON SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATH. CHILDREN PARTICIPATE IN HANDS- ON ACTIVITIES THROUGHOUT THE DAY THAT ARE AGE-APPROPRIATE, SCAFFOLDED AND Engaging. TEACHERS ARE FACILITATORS WHO INTENTIONALLY GUIDE INSTRUCTION SO CHILDREN CAN BUILD INDEPENDENCE AND PRACTICE EXECUTIVE FUNCTION SKILLS AS THEY LEARN. WE FOCUS ON UNCONSTRAINED SKILLS (CRITICAL THINKING, PROBLEM SOLVING, BUILDING Advanced VOCABULARY, ETC.) TO PROMOTE A LIFETIME OF ACADEMIC SUCCESS. WHAT ARE THE QUALIFICATIONS OF THE ADS FACULTY? ALL ADS STEM MORNING Lead TEACHERS HAVE DEGREES. SCHOOLWIDE, WE HAVE THREE TEAM MEMBERS WITH MASTERS DEGREES AND THREE TEACHERS IN (OR ENTERING) A MASTERS DEGREE PROGRAM. ALL OTHER TEACHERS HAVE A BACHELOR'S DEGREE OR ARE PURSUING A BACHELOR'S DEGREE FROM AUBURN UNIVERSITY. MEMBERS OF OUR TEAM HAVE BACKGROUNDS IN VARIOUS FIELDS INCLUDING: EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION, SPEECH PATHOLOGY, EXERCISE SCIENCE, MUSIC EDUCATION, GIFTED EDUCATION, SOCIAL WORK, READING, TECHNICAL EDUCATION, OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY, HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND FAMILY STUDIES, ELEMENTARY EDUCATION AND ENGLISH. HOW DOES ADS ADDRESS SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT? SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT IS PARAMOUNT IN EARLY CHILDHOOD. We support students as they build relationships and work to navigate the world together. We use shared social emotional vocabulary throughout the school to help students communicate their needs, express their wants and handle their frustrations. We help students learn the skills to solve problems independently. WHAT IS THE DAILY SCHEDULE AND ROUTINE?
A TYPICAL DAY IN THE STEM MORNING PROGRAM (8:00-11:30 a.m.) Optional Early Drop-off (7:30-8:00 a.m.) Optional Lunch Bunch (11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.):
8:00 ARRIVAL Independent Exploration Time (ACTIVITIES CHANGE BASED ON CONCEPT AND STUDENT INTEREST AND ALLOW STUDENTS TO build executive function skills as they participate in the STEM, LANGUAGE, AND ART ACTIVITIES of their choice.) WHOLE GROUP (STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN A HANDS-ON WHOLE GROUP LESSON WITH THE LEAD TEACHERS BASED ON THE CONCEPT.) STEM (THE TEACHERs GUIDE ACTIVE HANDS-ON, AGE-APPROPRIATE ROTATING CENTERS OF EXPERIENCES IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, MATH, LANGUAGE and/or ART.) Outdoor CLASSROOM or Nature Trail (GROSS MOTOR SKILLS PLAY/ OUTDOOR EXPLORATIONS/FREE PLAY/ GROUP STORIES AND SONGS (ACTIVITIES WILL DIFFER FROM DAY TO DAY) SNACK (STUDENTS EAT A HEALTHY SNACK WITH A WHOLE GRAIN, LOW SUGAR DAIRY, AND FRUIT.) LANGUAGE (STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN AN ACTIVE LANGUAGE LESSON.) ART (STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN AN ACTIVE LESSON LED BY THE CLASSROOM TEACHERS IN MUSIC, DANCE, OR FINE ARTS.)All classes have a specifically designed, content-driven music lesson from Ms. Heather McDonough once per week. 11:30- DISMISSAL
A TYPICAL DAY IN STEM PLAY (11:30 A.M.- 3:00 P.M.):
11:30-12:30 LUNCH (HOME LUNCH OR GREENS AND BEANS HOT LUNCH) AND OUTDOOR EXPLORATION IN THE OUTDOOR CLASSROOM (BALANCE BIKES, MUSICAL WALL, SANDBOX, PLAYHOUSE, ETC.) OR NATURE TRAIL (OBSTACLE COURSE, MUD KITCHEN, MERRY-GO-CYCLE, BOUNCY BUS, PLAYHOUSE, ETC.) 12:30-1:30 REST TIME (times vary depending on age of students) 1:30-1:45 p.m. Afternoon Snack 1:45-2:00 GROUP TIME (INTRODUCE CONCEPT THROUGH BOOKS, MODELING, AND ACTIVITIES) 2:00-2:50 CONCEPT-BASED CENTERS (STEM/ART/LANGUAGE) OR OUTDOOR PLAY (VARIOUS ACTIVITIES TO PROMOTE GROSS AND FINE MOTOR DEVELOPMENT, ARTS EXPLORATION, STEM SKILL PRACTICE AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT) 3:00- DISMISSAL HOW DOES Auburn Day School HANDLE DISCIPLINE AND BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT? Auburn Day School has very few discipline problems thanks to our 5:1 ratios and expert teachers.. Our teachers are accomplished educators who create thoughtful curriculum and age-appropriate instruction and ensure that every activity is planned and well-executed so no instructional time is wasted.
However, children are still learning and undesirable behaviors do still occur from time to time. We handle these issues by giving the children words to help them navigate the situation, redirecting the students, and giving natural consequences. (i.e. “If you continue to throw the blocks, you won’t be able to continue at this station.”)
We don’t use “time out” but every classroom has a calming space that children may choose to use if they need a minute in a quieter environment. We recognize that all students can be successful and we work hard to give them the tools they need to navigate the world.
If an undesirable behavior occurs (pushing, throwing, knocking down someone’s work, etc.) we implement classroom strategies and help children solve the issue in the classroom without contacting parents.
We get parents involved only after we see a pattern of behavior for which strategies are unsuccessful. We rely on parents to share what works at home and join with us to support their child as they build these social emotional skills.
WHAT IS THE LEVEL OF PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT AND COMMUNICATION at ADS? We send photo and video updates throughout the day, every day. We want to ensure that parents not only know WHAT their child is doing but WHY s/he is doing it. This helps support student content knowledge and understanding as well as skill development. We have a messaging feature and parents and teachers communicate frequently. Additionally, parents are invited to our three performances/year and special ADS events throughout the year. Parents also offer the gift of their time and talents as special guests to support and extend children’s conceptual understanding and bring the learning to life. WHAT SAFETY MEASURES AND HEALTH POLICIES ARE IN PLACE at ADS? We take safety and health very seriously. Regarding safety, we have an electronic signature check-in/check-out, 5:1 student: teacher ratio schoolwide, and radio communication between all teachers throughout the day. If our procedures change due to weather or other safety concerns, we have the ability to message parents as well as send alerts to their personal cell phones.
Regarding health, our cleaning procedures are thorough and consistent and our policies for hand washing, monitoring for illness and returning after any sickness are conservative and universal. Due to our diligence, we have never had to close the school a single day. HOW DOES Auburn Day School PREPARE CHILDREN FOR KINDERGARTEN? The ADS program prepares children for far more than kindergarten readiness. We build the unconstrained skills, general knowledge, social emotional awareness, and confidence to prepare children for a lifetime of academic success.
There are no boundaries on what children are able to learn at ADS. Our program allows children to dig deeply into concepts, learning not only the basic skills needed for Kindergarten (Letter recognition, phonemic awareness, pre-writing skills, foundational math knowledge, participating in a group, etc.) but the competence to face challenges, solve problems independently, make decisions in their learning, and practice the authentic skills of scientists, engineers and mathematicians.
The children at ADS explore big ideas by actually DOING the work and learning to use proper vocabulary to express ideas and make content connections. The more shallow skills are woven through the curriculum while the focus is placed where it belongs- not on worksheets but on authentic knowledge, skills and understandings learned through immersive experiences and guided by expert educators. WHAT ARE THE CLASS SIZES AND TEACHER-TO-CHILD RATIOS? ADS boasts a 5:1 STUDENT: TEACHER RATIO SCHOOLWIDE and our classes range from an 8:2 Ratio for our youngest students to a 13:2 Ratio for our oldest. HOW DOES Auburn Day SCHOOL ACCOMMODATE CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS OR ALLERGIES? Auburn Day School serves a diverse student population with a variety of needs and special gifts. Although Auburn Day School is not a fit for every student, we can easily accommodate all dietary needs and we can accommodate a wide-range of students with special needs. Each child is a unique individual and we’d be happy to share more about our program with you and learn more about your child to determine if ADS might be the best fit for your family.
WHAT WILL MY CHILD EAT FOR SNACK? WE PROVIDE EACH CHILD A DELICIOUS AND NUTRITIOUS SNACK EACH MORNING AND EACH AFTERNOON CONSISTING OF WHOLE GRAINS, FRESH FRUIT, AND PROTEIN. PLEASE SEND A FULL WATER BOTTLE FOR YOUR CHILD. We don’t offer any candy, junk food or sugar drinks to students. If we have a special project that includes a sweet treat, we will ask for parent permission before serving it to your child.
MAY I TOUR AUBURN DAY SCHOOL? ABSOLUTELY! PLEASE EMAIL OFFICE MANAGER, LINDA ROACH OR CALL (334) 209-0460 TO ARRANGE A TOUR. TOURS ARE TYPICALLY SCHEDULED IN THE MORNINGS AND LAST 30-40 MINUTES.
If you are an educator interested in visiting our lab school or participating in professional development with auburn day school, please Email Director, Katie Murrah.