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| A
Creative Path to Academic Achievement |
| History
and Background |
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In the fall of 1982, Constance Michnay and three young children
came together each school day in donated basement space to
discover the joy of learning. Ms. Michnay's educational philosophy
was that children learn best when they are treated with love
and respect and when academic content is presented in a variety
of ways including artistic expression. Also Ms. Michnay taught
children to
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respect themselves, each other, and our fragile Cape Cod
environment and her vision continues to serve as the core
of The Laurel School's academic program.
In 1994, the William Dobson family generously donated the
land and the current building. In a beautiful rural setting,
the school is located on a two-and-a-half acre campus, with
four playgrounds, a Japanese Meditation Garden, two greenhouses,
a friendship garden, peaceful paths in a wooden setting, an
open field space and a swimming pool area with changing and
shower rooms.
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| Population
and Geographic Areas Served |
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The school is a non-profit and non-sectarian institution
offering educational programs for boys and girls from preschool
to grade five and our families come from Bourne to Provincetown.
For 12 weeks during the summer, we offer a dynamic day camp
serving families from the cape, all over the U.S., and many
foreign countries. From toddlers to age eleven, our campers
return
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| year after year to enjoy a wonderful
Cape Cod family summer experience in a nurturing atmosphere
full of play and discovery that embraces the nature and culture
of Cape Cod. |
| Our
Mission and Vision |
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For our students and school community,
we: Foster self-esteem and confidence and promote a sense
of community; Inspire a lifelong love of learning, a cultural
appreciation, and environmental sensitivity and awareness;
Provide a strong academic base, enhanced by the inseparable
integration of the arts; Provide a loving and respectful environment
in which each child develops into a self-starter,
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| an original
thinker, and a perpetual learner; Emphasize honesty, respect,
kindness, cooperation, laughter, thoughtful resolution, positive
reinforcement, tolerance, and an acceptance of difference. |
| Our
Philosophy and Programs |
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The Laurel School provides a loving, supportive environment
promoting children with the opportunity, freedom, and trust
to explore and learn. With consistent guidelines, structure
and positive reinforcement children learn in an atmosphere
of mutual respect. In this atmosphere, children develop confidence
and a strong self-esteem and adults nurture and encourage
children to become independent thinkers.
Faculty members have high expectations for each individual
child and design a program using a well-rounded curriculum
to meet each child's needs. The Laurel School curriculum follows
the Massachusetts Frameworks as a foundation but integrates
fine arts, music, dance, environmental studies, physical education
and Spanish with the basics. By utilizing an eclectic approach,
our faculty members are able to teach to the many different
learning styles and to enable the children to move at their
individual pace. With confidence, children enjoy successes,
take risks, and love to learn.
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