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 Welcome to The Mountain School at Winhall’s Information Page. The Mountain School at Winhall (MSW) is a progressive community Pre-K-8 independent dayschool and the only Town Academy in the United States serving elementary
students. MSW can be found on Vermont Route 30 in beautiful Bondville, Vermont, north of Brattleboro and south of Manchester, at the base of Stratton Mountain. We strive for excellence by maintaining a strong commitment to a program characterized by these key elements:
• Rigorous, creative curriculum with high student expectations;
• Differentiated, individualized and experiential instruction;
• Multidisciplinary, thematic learning;
• Small, caring classes that stress the importance of community; and
• Art, culture, and technology integration.
The Mountain School is proud of its diverse student population and encourages students of all backgrounds to apply. About 25% of MSW students are eligible for Title I/Medicaid services. Additionally, many students receive Special Education services from state-certified Special Education staff. MSW is also home to students from around the world, with students and families hailing from North and South America, Europe, and Asia.
The Mountain School is also proud of its academic tradition. Students learn through an integrated, multi-disciplinary, thematic unit approach. Students experience three overarching themes per grade level per year with a general focus from local to national to global.
As you continue to peruse this section, you will find out more about who we are, what we believe, and where we are going to educate our children.
Index to About Us:
Mission Statement
Members of the Board of Trustees, faculty, parents and community members all participated in creating MSW's mission, which states:
The mission of The Mountain School at Winhall is to provide an exceptional educational experience for students in grades Pre-K-8. We strive to offer a curriculum that integrates the core subjects with the arts, maintains high standards for student performance, and nurtures an enthusiasm for learning. We value and celebrate the uniqueness of each learner by allowing for individual learning styles and by employing multiple methods of assessment of student strengths.
This mission, along with the following principles, guides us daily as we serve our children.
Guiding Principles
To achieve this mission, we expect from our students:
• Individual achievement, creativity, and risk taking;
• Self-discipline, problem solving and decision-making skills;
• Social skills that include cooperation, respect, responsibility and empathy;
• A sense of civic responsibility as an individual, a member of the school and of the greater community.
To achieve this mission, we deliver in our program:
• Meaningful and rigorous learning experiences which challenge students to achieve high standards;
• Opportunities for students to pursue individual interests through experiences in the arts and sciences;
• Units of study that encourage students to develop global awareness, an understanding of our cultural heritage, a respect for the environment, and an appreciation for diversity;
• Differentiated instruction, varying content, process, and product based on a student's readiness, interest, and learning profile;
• Multiple methods of assessment;
• Small class sizes.
To achieve this mission, we provide for our learning community:
• Proficient teachers engaging in reflective practice and responding to students' achievements, needs, talents, personal goals, and characteristics;
• Staff development and professional growth experiences;
• Opportunities for parents to learn more about parenting skills;
• A continuing, open-ended, and honest dialogue with parents, teachers, students and community.
Our History
While The Mountain School at Winhall is only 10 years old, its tradition dates back almost to our nation's independence. In the late 1770’s, towns throughout New England were establishing schools and school systems to prepare the nation’s future leaders. While a mix of both public and private schools were established, a unique schooling model in New England was created, dubbed “Town Academy.” This model tried to perfect a model of free and appropriate education for all—the public system—with the renowned academic and artistic freedom and excellence, coupled with the fiscal responsibility, of the private system. Hundreds of independent schools were established throughout the young country that agreed to service surrounding towns as their “local” school, using public monies to do so. In short, a
private school with a public mission. Two of the first established Town Academies in the U.S.—Maine’s Fryeburg Academy in 1791 and Washington Academy in 1792—are still in existence.
In the spring of 1998, the citizens of Winhall voted to close their existing public school and open an independent community day school, following the Town Academy model, in its stead. For the 1997-1998 school year, Winhall had the highest per-pupil spending in the state, along with one of the lowest performing schools. The community was dissatisfied with both the quality of instruction and the cost of education. The Mountain School at Winhall (MSW) was created on Town Meeting Day on March 3, 1998 and opened its doors to approximately 40 students that fall. The citizens also voted to close Winhall Elementary, the town’s public school, that same day. The newly formed Mountain School agreed to service all students in the towns of Stratton and Winhall, making it the 20th “Town Academy” in the United
States—all of which are in New England—and the only town academy servicing elementary students in the United States. The establishment of an independent school presented an opportunity to provide a high level of academic excellence for all students in the town at a cost that was significantly lower per pupil, more manageable to taxpayers (per-student costs dropped by several thousand dollars that very next year), and held accountable by an independent board of governors.
Students living in the towns of Stratton and Winhall are guaranteed admission to The Mountain School and tuition for students is paid to The Mountain School by the respective towns. Students living outside of Stratton and Winhall have the opportunity to attend The Mountain School as private-pay tuition students (which currently constitutes over 20% of the population), sometimes assisted through financial aid, scholarships, and/or Service-in-Kind. This partnership allows MSW to enroll more students to help reduce overall tuition costs. Today around 70 students, including some from Arlington, Dover, Jamaica, and Londonderry, as well as Stratton and Winhall, call The Mountain School home.
Memberships
The Mountain School at Winhall is an approved independent K-8 day school by the Vermont Department of Education. The Pre-K program is approved by the Vermont Department of Children and Families. Additionally, MSW is a member of the Independent Schools Association of Northen New England (ISANNE, www.isanne.org), the Vermont Independent Schools Association (VISA), the Vermont Principal's Association (VPA), and the Coalition of Essential Schools (CES, http://www.essentialschools.org). MSW has been approved for candidacy by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC, www.neasc.org) and is also applying for membership to the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS, www.nais.org).
Programs
Each independent school has a specialty that attracts families to its program. MSW is known for its creative Integrated Learning Model. The Mountain School calendar is divided into three trimesters per year: fall, winter, and spring. Our staff works collaboratively to develop over-arching multi-disciplinary themes to guide student learning for each trimester. This program has been entitled The OPUS Project for the Latin word meaning "creative" or "artistic work." The arts, foreign language, physical education and technology are integrated throughout the curriculum along with the classic disciplines, and student work is done experientially (hands-on) daily. Themes typically follow a local/national/global theme throughout the year and are scoped and sequenced curricularly to ensure that students cover key
units, topics, and themes during their 10 years at MSW.
Other Special Programs at The Mountain School at Winhall include: The Garden Project; The Holocaust Memorial Education Program; TEAM-Work; The WIN for Others Program; and more. Please visit the "Programs" link on our website for more information about our quality programs.
Funding The Mountain School
The bulk of monies to operate the school comes from tuition dollars collected each year. In addition to tuition monies, The Mountain School and its partners work diligently to raise funds through grants and donations. The Parent Advisory Board and Annual Giving Campaign have organized a variety of community-wide fundraising activities, some of which include the Stratton Golf Tournament, Christmas in the Country, and more. These monies, exceeding $40,000 a year, have enabled The Mountain School to provide an outstanding educational program to its students. Through these efforts, The Mountain School has been able to offer families a quality private education at an affordable costs, lower than many local publics schools.
However, the continued rising costs of health benefits, materials, supplies, fuel, technology, services and more make it difficult for a small school to offer such a variety of quality programs and keep it both small and personable. Additionally, The Mountain School is not accessible to all families from other towns seeking a better education. Our goal is to provide all children—regardless of family income or town residence—the opportunity to attend a school that can provide an excellent education that is integrated, challenging, and student-centered. To continue to do this, we need your help. You can help change our future by investing into the lives of our very reason for existence: our children. By supporting The Mountain School, you touch the lives of our learners, which ultimately changes our future. Your tax-deductible
gift will make a difference that all of us can feel good about.
Giving to The Mountain School
You can give in a variety of ways. Volunteers may give hours of assistance to any of our academic or special programs by being a teacher’s assistant, mentor, art integration teacher, after school teacher, Library assistant and more. New or quality used items can also be given to support any of our school programs. Supporting our fundraising by participating in one or more of our events also helps exponentially. And finally, any amount of money can be given to the general fund, Student Scholarship Fund, or any of the aforementioned special programs at any time. Your tax-deductible donations assist the school’s operating costs and helps lower student tuition costs.
This year the Annual Giving Campaign will kick-off "The Headmaster's Challenge: For the Next Generation." On September 2, 2008, the Headmaster announced plans to create MSW's first endowment to ensure sustainability and competitiveness for years to come. This challenge--to raise $1 million by June 30, 2014--was kicked off by the Headmaster and his wife donating $10,000 to the school. With this example of giving, the Headmaster hopes that supporters of our "Next Generation" give generously to the Endowment Fund. In addition to The Headmaster's Challenge, one hundred percent of our parents, staff, and Board of Trustees members are asked to give generously to the Annual Giving Campaign. Our annual goal is $20,000. Your support, added to this school family commitment, will continue to help us meet our mission and change our
future. Be sure to check the Challenge letter under the "News & Announcements" link on the homepage and see how you can support the "Next Generation." Any gift--big or small--makes a difference in the life of a child!
Thank You
We thank you for giving your valuable time to review this website. A monetary, material, volunteer donation—or even a kind word and referral—are greatly appreciated. We have the opportunity to change tomorrow by investing in our children today. I hope that you choose to do that through The Mountain School. Remember, a greater Mountain School builds a greater mountain community!
Should you have need of further information, please contact the school at info@themountainschool.org. The Mountain School at Winhall...Beyond the Ordinary.
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