MOUNTAIN PHOENIX COMMUNITY SCHOOL (Waldorf 3rd Placement)
SETTING AND CONTEXT
Demographic Details
Mountain Phoenix Community School (Wheat Ridge, CO) is a K-8 public Waldorf charter school in the Jefferson County School District. Through a dynamic curriculum based on the core principles of Public Waldorf Education, the mission of MPCS is to cultivate each student's capacity for creative thinking, effective communication, and interest in others that inspire thoughtful, responsible action in the 21st century world. It's vision is to prepare students to lead in the world as resourceful, courageous, and compassionate global citizens who will take initiative to bring healthy change to their communities through conscious, informed, and independent thinking while empowering others to do the same. There are currently 616 students and 22 teachers. 81% of the students are Caucasian, 13% are Hispanic, and 3% are two or more mixed races. 4% of the students are on free and reduced lunch.
Mountain Phoenix Community School (Wheat Ridge, CO) is a K-8 public Waldorf charter school in the Jefferson County School District. Through a dynamic curriculum based on the core principles of Public Waldorf Education, the mission of MPCS is to cultivate each student's capacity for creative thinking, effective communication, and interest in others that inspire thoughtful, responsible action in the 21st century world. It's vision is to prepare students to lead in the world as resourceful, courageous, and compassionate global citizens who will take initiative to bring healthy change to their communities through conscious, informed, and independent thinking while empowering others to do the same. There are currently 616 students and 22 teachers. 81% of the students are Caucasian, 13% are Hispanic, and 3% are two or more mixed races. 4% of the students are on free and reduced lunch.
Culture and Community Context
MPCS is a choice school for students that have unique academic and behavioral needs. If students had a desire to focus on more creative freedom in their work or have more freedom of expression in terms of guiding the lesson based on their interests, they would attend the school for academic needs. Teachers were encouraged to have a basic lesson plan structure but have a flexible attitude if the students wanted to take the lesson in a unique creative direction. Lessons were structured based on cultivating the holistic growth of the child (mind, body, and spirit) rather than becoming fixated on the product of the students' work. If the student had a specific behavioral challenge or an emotional need that did not mesh well with a traditional public school culture, then students were admitted based on behavioral needs. For students that had high anxiety and emotional needs, teachers were encouraged to have a sensitive, calm, and encouraging voice tone with instruction. They were also asked to offer headphones, fidgets, or alternative working locations to alleviate sensory overwhelm. For students that had intense amounts of hyperactivity (which were a majority of the students), the teacher was encouraged to be firm with structure and hold students accountable for appropriate behavior. While MPCS was welcoming and accommodating to students with a large variety of temperaments, faculty worked hard to make sure students could effectively transition into a public middle school or high school based on academic rigor and appropriate behavior. A classroom teacher progresses with the same group of students as they get older. In other words, the third grade classroom teacher would become the students' fourth grade teacher when they aged. Students will switch classroom teachers when they transition between elementary and middle school.
MPCS tends to attract families that adopt alternative, holistic, or spiritual lifestyles. There are many families that commute from Boulder, Fort Collins, Littleton, and Nederland to come to MPCS. Because of the current social and political climate, parents are very protective of what students are exposed to in their lessons and in their general social lives. The school and the parent community all adopt the media mindfulness philosophy, which means that technology use is very limited in and out of the school (which includes using it to complete homework). Parents are also required to do forty hours (per household) of volunteer work within the school. They could do this by helping out in the classrooms, participating on school committees, or chaperoning major school events.
Because MPCS is a Waldorf public school, they still have to meet state mandates for test scores in reading, writing, and math. Students can also attend the school without paying tuition, though there's a wait list to get into the elementary school. Not all of the teachers at MPCS have a Waldorf teaching license. Because of this, there's a mix of teachers that have extensive experience at private Waldorf schools and traditional public schools. However, this creates some cultural tension between the teachers based on how authentically they follow the Waldorf philosophy. This is a challenge that the current educational director is trying to resolve. The overall MPCS community (faculty and parent included) values community, creativity, health, reverence, integrity, and stewardship.
MPCS is a choice school for students that have unique academic and behavioral needs. If students had a desire to focus on more creative freedom in their work or have more freedom of expression in terms of guiding the lesson based on their interests, they would attend the school for academic needs. Teachers were encouraged to have a basic lesson plan structure but have a flexible attitude if the students wanted to take the lesson in a unique creative direction. Lessons were structured based on cultivating the holistic growth of the child (mind, body, and spirit) rather than becoming fixated on the product of the students' work. If the student had a specific behavioral challenge or an emotional need that did not mesh well with a traditional public school culture, then students were admitted based on behavioral needs. For students that had high anxiety and emotional needs, teachers were encouraged to have a sensitive, calm, and encouraging voice tone with instruction. They were also asked to offer headphones, fidgets, or alternative working locations to alleviate sensory overwhelm. For students that had intense amounts of hyperactivity (which were a majority of the students), the teacher was encouraged to be firm with structure and hold students accountable for appropriate behavior. While MPCS was welcoming and accommodating to students with a large variety of temperaments, faculty worked hard to make sure students could effectively transition into a public middle school or high school based on academic rigor and appropriate behavior. A classroom teacher progresses with the same group of students as they get older. In other words, the third grade classroom teacher would become the students' fourth grade teacher when they aged. Students will switch classroom teachers when they transition between elementary and middle school.
MPCS tends to attract families that adopt alternative, holistic, or spiritual lifestyles. There are many families that commute from Boulder, Fort Collins, Littleton, and Nederland to come to MPCS. Because of the current social and political climate, parents are very protective of what students are exposed to in their lessons and in their general social lives. The school and the parent community all adopt the media mindfulness philosophy, which means that technology use is very limited in and out of the school (which includes using it to complete homework). Parents are also required to do forty hours (per household) of volunteer work within the school. They could do this by helping out in the classrooms, participating on school committees, or chaperoning major school events.
Because MPCS is a Waldorf public school, they still have to meet state mandates for test scores in reading, writing, and math. Students can also attend the school without paying tuition, though there's a wait list to get into the elementary school. Not all of the teachers at MPCS have a Waldorf teaching license. Because of this, there's a mix of teachers that have extensive experience at private Waldorf schools and traditional public schools. However, this creates some cultural tension between the teachers based on how authentically they follow the Waldorf philosophy. This is a challenge that the current educational director is trying to resolve. The overall MPCS community (faculty and parent included) values community, creativity, health, reverence, integrity, and stewardship.
School-Wide Policies
Management:
Because of the Waldorf trained and public school trained mix of teachers, there is not an overall consensus on classroom management values. Some teachers prefer structure and routine while others have a more flexible, nurturing approach. Overall, many of the teachers prefer to adopt Kim Jong Payne's philosophies with teaching, which focus on interpersonal connection and emotional accountability over structured rules. Teachers assess student progress based on "willpower," or being able to show up authentically in projects, rather than technical output. Depending on the teacher's values, they can adopt a governor management approach (having structured rules, expectations, and consequences) or a gardener management approach (letting the student guide the management values and project expectations). Ultimately, this depends on the maturity of the students.
Safe Schools: Jeffco Public Schools strive to mitigate safety challenges with robust training, technology, and thorough and well-developed protocols and plans. The principals, facility managers, security and emergency management team, and first responders work together throughout the year to identify risks and put measures in place to reduce these risks. Buildings are equipped with secure entrances, access control systems, intruder alarms, and video surveillance. Security measures include annual "lockdown/active attacker" student and staff training and practice, monthly school drills, and extensive security staff training. In addition, each school has a threat assessment team that receives training annually. The district security and emergency management department includes the office of threat management, which is responsible for all district threat assessments. That team works with the District Attorney’s office, Jeffco Mental Health, local and county law enforcement, school staff, and other district personnel. The program also includes a crisis mental health team that responds to students in crisis, and the most robust Safe2Tell program in the state - a program that ensures every tip received is reviewed by the school principal, district security, and local law enforcement. Admittedly, MPCS has an open campus and has a gate around the school. There is a risk for students to be caught outside during a lockdown/lockout situation, but MPCS has a protocol for bringing students into an academic building safely.
Conflict Resolution:
The faculty culture is very tight knit and vocal about supporting each other when they have questions about dealing with a difficult student. Meetings with the students support coordinator are conducted so all relevant faculty are on the same page about addressing a particular students' academic or behavioral need. Students can also meet with the students support coordinator in "the nest" to work out issues with each other or with a teacher. If there is any major disciplinary action, students and/or teachers will meet with the education director.
Students with Special Needs:
There was no documentation about any laws or mandates for supporting students with special needs. This could be because there are not many students that have high need physical or mental disabilities. However, there are students with ADHD and high functioning autism/Asperger's that attend MPCS. Students are eligible to receive IEPs, a 504 plan, or a GT/ATL plan based on their specific needs. MPCS has an employed speech pathologist and paras, but the paras rarely work exclusively one-on-one with students that have a specific learning disability.
Management:
Because of the Waldorf trained and public school trained mix of teachers, there is not an overall consensus on classroom management values. Some teachers prefer structure and routine while others have a more flexible, nurturing approach. Overall, many of the teachers prefer to adopt Kim Jong Payne's philosophies with teaching, which focus on interpersonal connection and emotional accountability over structured rules. Teachers assess student progress based on "willpower," or being able to show up authentically in projects, rather than technical output. Depending on the teacher's values, they can adopt a governor management approach (having structured rules, expectations, and consequences) or a gardener management approach (letting the student guide the management values and project expectations). Ultimately, this depends on the maturity of the students.
Safe Schools: Jeffco Public Schools strive to mitigate safety challenges with robust training, technology, and thorough and well-developed protocols and plans. The principals, facility managers, security and emergency management team, and first responders work together throughout the year to identify risks and put measures in place to reduce these risks. Buildings are equipped with secure entrances, access control systems, intruder alarms, and video surveillance. Security measures include annual "lockdown/active attacker" student and staff training and practice, monthly school drills, and extensive security staff training. In addition, each school has a threat assessment team that receives training annually. The district security and emergency management department includes the office of threat management, which is responsible for all district threat assessments. That team works with the District Attorney’s office, Jeffco Mental Health, local and county law enforcement, school staff, and other district personnel. The program also includes a crisis mental health team that responds to students in crisis, and the most robust Safe2Tell program in the state - a program that ensures every tip received is reviewed by the school principal, district security, and local law enforcement. Admittedly, MPCS has an open campus and has a gate around the school. There is a risk for students to be caught outside during a lockdown/lockout situation, but MPCS has a protocol for bringing students into an academic building safely.
Conflict Resolution:
The faculty culture is very tight knit and vocal about supporting each other when they have questions about dealing with a difficult student. Meetings with the students support coordinator are conducted so all relevant faculty are on the same page about addressing a particular students' academic or behavioral need. Students can also meet with the students support coordinator in "the nest" to work out issues with each other or with a teacher. If there is any major disciplinary action, students and/or teachers will meet with the education director.
Students with Special Needs:
There was no documentation about any laws or mandates for supporting students with special needs. This could be because there are not many students that have high need physical or mental disabilities. However, there are students with ADHD and high functioning autism/Asperger's that attend MPCS. Students are eligible to receive IEPs, a 504 plan, or a GT/ATL plan based on their specific needs. MPCS has an employed speech pathologist and paras, but the paras rarely work exclusively one-on-one with students that have a specific learning disability.
Classroom Environment and Art Classes Taught
As part of the Waldorf philosophy, the classroom teacher was responsible for integrating art with other subjects while teaching students. At MPCS, the K-3 classroom teachers taught art during their main lessons. Grades 4-8 attended visual arts classes as an elective separate from their main lessons. These were the grades that I predominantly worked with. I saw each group of students twice a week. There was no specific teaching philosophy that my mentor teacher and I followed when working with students. Generally speaking, 4th-6th grade students created projects that focused more on creativity and imagination. 7th-8th grade had a heavier emphasis on technical precision. Materials we worked with during my placement included graphite, oil pastel, colored pencils, cutting paper and cellophane, weaving yarn, and paper mâché. I assisted with the 8th grade woodworking class and the homeschool students, but I did not write any lessons for these groups.
As part of the Waldorf philosophy, the classroom teacher was responsible for integrating art with other subjects while teaching students. At MPCS, the K-3 classroom teachers taught art during their main lessons. Grades 4-8 attended visual arts classes as an elective separate from their main lessons. These were the grades that I predominantly worked with. I saw each group of students twice a week. There was no specific teaching philosophy that my mentor teacher and I followed when working with students. Generally speaking, 4th-6th grade students created projects that focused more on creativity and imagination. 7th-8th grade had a heavier emphasis on technical precision. Materials we worked with during my placement included graphite, oil pastel, colored pencils, cutting paper and cellophane, weaving yarn, and paper mâché. I assisted with the 8th grade woodworking class and the homeschool students, but I did not write any lessons for these groups.
In terms of management strategies, my mentor teacher and I used copper bells and sound bowls to quiet down students or redirect their attention. We also used the "artist circle" strategy. Each of the studio tables had a photo of a famous artist with a corresponding finger puppet magnet on the board. These artists were Leonardo da Vinci, Salvador Dali, Keith Haring, Georgia O'Keeffe, Pablo Picasso, Vincent Van Gogh, and Bob Ross. After the teacher rang the bell, artists would move into the circle to represent students that were quiet and attentive to instructions. This created a social expectation for students to quiet down. When one table group simmered down, the others followed suit out of peer pressure. If students had a focused work ethic and could control their vocal volume, they would earn a marble. If students earned eight marbles, they would have a tea party. Fidget toys were offered to students that had issues with focusing on work or transitioning between classes. Middle school students were in charge of keeping themselves accountable for their behaviors. 6th grade did a group ball toss before and after class to collectively assess how the noise level made them feel and what they would do to improve their habits. 7th and 8th grade students filled out a daily self-evaluation sheet focusing on their studio habits and goals they have with their productivity.
The classroom was pretty standard in terms of materials storage and work spaces. The only difference was that the walls are painted with sky murals with watered down paint, and black chalkboards were used for doing demos. Due to the school's value with media mindfulness (limited technology use in and out of schools), the classroom did not have a SMART Board and technology literacy skills were not encouraged in lessons. If the teacher wanted to show examples of professional artists' work related to the lesson, hard copies of the images had to be printed out and passed out to each table group.
The classroom was pretty standard in terms of materials storage and work spaces. The only difference was that the walls are painted with sky murals with watered down paint, and black chalkboards were used for doing demos. Due to the school's value with media mindfulness (limited technology use in and out of schools), the classroom did not have a SMART Board and technology literacy skills were not encouraged in lessons. If the teacher wanted to show examples of professional artists' work related to the lesson, hard copies of the images had to be printed out and passed out to each table group.
LESSON PLANS
Fourth Grade
Lesson 1: Landscapes in the Style of Famous Artists
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Artist References
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Ideation
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Final Work
fourth_grade_lesson.doc | |
File Size: | 8386 kb |
File Type: | doc |
inquiry_sheet_fourth_grade.docx | |
File Size: | 13 kb |
File Type: | docx |
artist_table_samples.docx | |
File Size: | 7510 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Lesson 2: Australian Dot Art Animal Paintings
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Final Projects
fourth_grade_lesson_plan_2.doc | |
File Size: | 1555 kb |
File Type: | doc |
Fifth Grade
Lesson 1: Color Field Weaving
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Artist References
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Color Field Drawings
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Final Weavings
fifth_grade_lesson.doc | |
File Size: | 6991 kb |
File Type: | doc |
Sixth Grade
Lesson 1: Stained Glass Celtic Knot Designs
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Ideation Sketches
Final Projects
sixth_grade_lesson.doc | |
File Size: | 8163 kb |
File Type: | doc |
x-acto_knife_safety_test.docx | |
File Size: | 15 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Seventh Grade
Lesson 1: Inner Dragons
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Ideation Sketches
Final Photos
seventh_grade_lesson.doc | |
File Size: | 7486 kb |
File Type: | doc |
Eighth Grade
Lesson 1: Iconic Artist Self-Portrait
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Ideation Sketches
Final Drawings
eighth_grade_lesson.doc | |
File Size: | 9470 kb |
File Type: | doc |
eyes_and_nose_reference.docx | |
File Size: | 990 kb |
File Type: | docx |
mouth_and_hair_reference.docx | |
File Size: | 1754 kb |
File Type: | docx |