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Children find meaning and joy through play. Our commitment to this essential truth
is seen in our rich, developmentally appropriate play-based curriculum.
Inspired by the progressive education tradition, our classroom environments are
carefully designed to promote a sense of wonder, inquiry, and human connection.
We believe that the environment is a teacher; our bright spacious classrooms offer
quiet spaces for children to work in small groups, cozy corners for being comfortable
or alone, and engaging play structures at varying heights and angles for active
gross motor and dramatic play.
During the course of the day, children have the opportunity to use different learning
spaces for explorations involving nature, stories, engineering, mathematical reasoning,
and music. Each classroom features a writing center and an expressive arts studio
where children can develop their ideas in a variety of media. We also have a larger
studio, staffed by our all-school Studio teacher, where children find resources,
technical advice, and a place to create. At Newtowne, we believe that the expressive
arts represent the many 'languages of childhood.'
Newtowne teachers spend time each day reflecting on each child's development, as
well as documenting children's projects with the use of journals, cameras, and a
record of the child's own words. This documentation makes learning visible - for
children, parents, and teachers.
As teachers observe, respond, and reflect, they encourage children to take their
own learning seriously and become more deeply involved in it. This approach promotes
a level of cognitive and emotional engagement that prepares children for the critical
thinking they will need as they grow older.
Newtowne benefits from a richly talented and experienced faculty. Our EEC-licensed
teachers have extensive training in early childhood education, and many have graduate
degrees in the field. Our cooperative teaching model enables teachers to understand
and support children more fully than in a traditional school structure; we learn
from parents as they learn from us. The school's location within a thriving community
of educators also inspires innovative, dynamic teaching practices, self-reflection
and professional growth.
Newtowne is a cooperative venture of parents, teachers and children. At Newtowne,
parents contribute in the following ways:
- Parent jobs. Every parent has a job, ranging from roles in school
management and administration to fund raising, enrollment and classroom maintenance.
- Classroom help. Parents help out in the classroom approximately
one morning every three weeks, assisting teachers with curriculum and classroom
management, providing snack, and sharing their interests and family traditions with
the community. Parent helping allows parents to be actively involved in the classroom
and to gain insight into their child's world.
- Newtowne events. The school relies on help from families at school
fund raising events and at the annual Spring Fair.
- Work days.
Twice each year, parents come together at the school to help teachers clean and
prepare the classrooms for the children.
Newtowne takes advantage of Cambridge's rich educational and cultural opportunities.
Music, dance/movement and theater are just some of the enrichment programs offered
through the school. The older classes take field trips to places such as Drumlin
Farm, Harvard's Peabody Museum and the New England Aquarium. Newtowne parents are
a diverse group and are encouraged to share their own traditions and talents in
the classroom.
Newtowne children thrive in the environment fostered by the school's low child-to-teacher
ratio, along with the presence of parent helpers and occasional student teachers.
The 2 to 2.9 year old class has two teachers for up to nine children attending each
day. The 2.9 to 3.5 year old class has two teachers for up to twelve children attending
each day. The 3 to 4 year old and 4 to 5 year old classes each have two teachers
for up to sixteen children attending each day.
Newtowne is located in the historic First Church Congregational, on the corner of
Garden and Mason Streets, across from the Cambridge Common. Newtowne has four large,
bright, beautifully-equipped classrooms, a spacious indoor play space and an enclosed
outdoor playground. The older classes also use the playground at the Cambridge Common.
Newtowne opens in mid-September and closes in June. Vacations generally follow the
Cambridge Public School calendar. Camp is offered during the summer.
Newtowne can be a viable and rewarding choice for working parents when at least
one parent has a flexible schedule and can fulfill the responsibilities of belonging
to a cooper- ative. As a preschool, Newtowne is not designed to provide full-time
childcare, yet the school addresses the needs of working parents with its five day
week and the early drop off, extended day and summer camp programs. As a cooperative
school, Newtowne fosters a strong sense of community for families. This warm supportive
atmosphere helps parents at work feel more comfortable, assured that their children
are in good hands.
Newtowne is committed to providing a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic learning environment.
We do not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, or family structure.
Newtowne has a scholarship fund for qualified families and we strongly encourage
families seeking financial aid to apply.
Newtowne is a short walk from Harvard Square and is MBTA accessible.
For additional information or to request an application, please call 617.354.0919
and speak with our Director or Enrollment Manager. School tours may be scheduled
throughout the school year. Newtowne also holds an Open House event each spring
and fall. We begin accepting applications at our fall open house.
Newtowne School
11 Garden Street
Cambridge, MA02138
T: 617.354.0919
www.newtowneschool.org
Newtowne School is a parent cooperative preschool serving children ages two to five.
Newtowne faculty work closely with families to nurture and stimulate young children
as they make the transition from the world of home to the world of school. Parent
involvement, both inside and outside the classroom, creates a strong sense of community
that enriches the school. Our mission is to:
- provide a warm, caring environment that welcomes children and families of diverse
backgrounds.
- encourage young children to explore, experiment, create, and pursue challenging
projects.
- develop children's self-confidence, self-expression, independence, and love of learning
- guide children as they learn to play together and negotiate new relationships.
- foster an appreciation of differences in personality and culture.
- promote peace in our classrooms and in the world beyond.
- prepare children, in a gentle way, for a more formal education in the years to come.
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