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Our Values
Excellence in the Subjects of Reading and Math
Parent and Community Involvement
Appreciation for the Arts & Humanities
Respect for Diversity
Good Citizenship
Our Mission
We are a community school that is focused on the academic achievement of a diverse student body. We surround ourselves in a safe, positive and nurturing environment. We value respect as a foundation for good citizenship. We look to the past for tradition, to the present for parent and community cooperation and to the future for a lasting legacy of excellence in education.
The Foundations of Scholarship
Without the foundational skills in education, students cannot fulfill their dreams as citizens. In order to ensure that all of our students have the maximum chance for success as adults, at Mount Washington Elementary School we work diligently to support our young scholars in mastering the foundational subjects of language arts and mathematics. We begin with the Maryland Voluntary State Curriculum (http://www.mdk12.org) as the source for our standards and objectives. In language arts, we use the Open Court reading series to ensure a solid understanding of the relationship between letters and sounds. As part of a balanced approach to literacy, our younger students also discuss literature through read aloud and small group instruction. In the higher grades, we use supplemental materials to give students a broad range of literary experience. For mathematics, we use the Scott Foresmann series with a wide variety of supplemental materials to encourage advanced learning and math communications. In support of all of these programs, we have created a schedule that allows for uninterrupted time during these subjects.
A Focus On Differentiation of Instruction
Classroom teachers work to make sure all students reach state standards by tailoring their instruction to student skill needs. This is called differentiation of instruction. In addition, we have intervention programs to assist students who are in need of an extra hand. In some cases, that means an extra teacher pushed into the classroom for a period of time to help students who are falling behind. In other cases, when students are ready to advance to more challenging work they may work in our Primary Advanced Academic program (for grades K-2) or our Intermediate Advanced Academic program(for grades 3-5). By laying a solid foundation in the core subjects, we open up a world of opportunity for our students here at our school and well as into the future.
Scholars for the 21st Century and Beyond
To help our children become more adept scholars, we have expanded our resources to include a full time librarian. This program helps students to explore knowledge through research and discovery. Our library allows our young scholars to gain knowledge through the written word contained in picture books, novels, expository texts and the internet With our new Computer Assisted Language Laboratory, (C.A.L.L.) students use technology to explore other cultures, to understand the importance of learning another language and to aquire basic Spanish vocabulary. In addition, technology is spread across the school, with computers in each classroom and a variety of advanced tools that allow teachers and students to make multi-media presentations.
Scholarship in the Arts, Sciences and Humanities
Here at Mount Washington, we value quality instruction in the arts, sciences and humanities because a true scholar is well rounded. In science we focus on exploring content knowledge as it is presented both in expository text as well as through experimentation and hands-on activities. Our social studies lessons explore the world around us, expanding from our neighborhood to our state and nation as the students advance in grade level. Our art classes work in multiple media to produce works that are not only exquisite, but show a broad understanding of artistic expression. All of our students participate in vocal music and are given the chance to learn string instruments. Our young scholars learn to be strong in body as well, when they attend our physical education classes and during daily play time. We also offer enrichment in the sciences, arts and humanities after school. Clubs, run by our staff members and parent volunteers, allow children to choose a topic for greater attention based on their interests. Club topics change each semester, but often cover foreign languages, instrumental music, arts and crafts, reading, math and sports. Taken together, these opportunities for our children to advance their scholarship show how much we value the arts, sciences and humanities here at the Mount Washington Elementary School.
Young Scholars as Young Citizens
We look to our young scholars to be the great citizens of the 21st Century. We highly value good citizen scholars in our school and we support good citizenship in a variety of ways. Our school begins with a calm learning environment, where the focus is on meeting students’ academic and emotional needs. Our diverse learning community reinforces the need to be sensitive to others as we are enriched by the various cultures that are represented here. Our students complete community support projects through Student Council and Student Safety programs. A corps of peer mediators is trained in conflict resolution to help teach others how to solve problems in a productive and non-violent manner. We reward appropriate behavior is a wide variety of ways that help students to understand the importance of good citizenship not only to their own future, but for the future of the entire community as well.
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