How to Develop Elementary Students Within a Nurturing School Community

Providing elementary school students with a nurturing school community ensures they are in an environment in which learning can take place. TLC creates a nurturing school community and helps our elementary school students develop into their best selves through some of the following strategies: 

Focus on Relationships

The Learning Choice Academy is a community first and foremost. We take a number of steps to develop this community through fostering strong relationships between our students, teachers, parents, and more. We do this through:

• Restorative Practices - Restorative practices have a proven impact on building strong communities and effectively resolving conflicts when they arise. TLC teachers utilize circle practices in our elementary school classrooms, in which teachers facilitate a space for students to share information about themselves, their thoughts on a certain topic, or another agreed-upon discussion point. TLC teachers receive training on these practices to ensure they are done with fidelity. When implemented well, circle practices have been shown to increase students’ empathy and compassion for one another, to build strong relationships, and to promote a positive community.
   
• Field Trips & Events - TLC recognizes that our community extends beyond the classroom walls. We are a multi-grade, multi-program, and multi-site school community and there is great value in people being able to form relationships with those in their immediate circles and beyond. TLC provides our students and parents with a number of opportunities to connect with one another outside of the classroom and school. We offer families numerous field trips to choose from each month, including educational, cultural, and recreational options. In addition, we host a number of school-wide events throughout the year, such as a Welcome Back event, to help new and returning families meet one another and begin to form positive connections.
   

   

Parent Involvement

• Hybrid-Homeschool Model - The Learning Choice Academy offers two educational programs for our families, a Hybrid Program in which students attend on-site classes three days a week and homeschool two days a week, and a Homeschool Program in which students homeschool five days a week with a parent serving as the primary teacher. Due to the nature of both programs, parents are actively engaged in their student’s education. This direct involvement of parents means that they can tailor the learning experiences of their children on homeschool days according to their interests and specific needs. This provides a personalized, one-on-one, and nurturing approach to meeting a student where they are and ensuring they are receiving the attention and support they need to grow.
   

   

• Triad of Support - TLC parents are not alone in supporting their student’s academic and social-emotional development. TLC’s model pairs an Educational Partner (a credentialed teacher) with each student. The parent, student, and Educational Partner form a triad; they are all connected in their support of the student’s learning. This holistic approach means that students are receiving personalized support at both home and school – from their parents, from their teachers, and from a broader community. 

 

Staff & Student Supports

• Counselors - In addition to restorative practices such as circles, which help students’ develop their own social-emotional skills, The Learning Choice Academy also provides a number of social-emotional supports for students. For example, we have a full-time School Counselor at each school site. Our School Counselors are caring figures outside of a student’s family or teachers, who can provide helpful guidance, a safe space for sharing, or simply a kind presence to cultivate all students’ emotional development. Ensuring that students’ social and emotional needs are met, and that they feel safe in a school environment, are foundational precursors to them being able to learn and grow academically.
   
• Student Volunteers - Since TLC is a TK-12 school, our elementary school students learn in proximity to middle and high school students. This gives our young learners a chance to look up to and be inspired by older students, while also providing ample opportunities for formalized mentorship. At our San Diego site for instance, middle and high school students volunteer in the K-5th grade classrooms, where they serve as Teacher’s Assistants and Reading Buddies, and even run small group activities. This type of initiative gives older students experience with mentorship and volunteering and is an example of TLC’s commitment to collaboration among teachers and students of all ages.
  
   

Personalized Academics

• Data Driven Instruction - At TLC, teachers use multiple forms of assessment and benchmark data to pinpoint areas of strength and areas of growth for all students. These include work samples, NWEA scores, Math Diagnostic data, and more. The use of multiple measures means that TLC is continuously assessing whether students’ are meeting state standards while also identifying how much individual students are growing academically each year. Through the work of our accredited elementary homeschool programs, we identify  where individual students are thriving and where they need more help, which allows TLC to provide personalized and targeted interventions to support the growth of all students.
   
• Personalized Support - After identifying where students may need more support, classroom teachers deliver this through 1:1 or small group tutoring, enrichment learning opportunities, and by providing differentiated work to students on their homeschool days. At TLC we recognize that every student is coming in with their own unique abilities and we aim to provide resources that ensure all students have success in building foundational skills for both reading and math. 

These are just some of the ways that TLC develops elementary students within a nurturing school community.

Our K-5 students are building the foundational skills required to be successful throughout their K-12 experience. Not just academic skills, but their social emotional as well, which is why we spend so much time working with students to provide positive learning experiences.

K/1 teacher, Amanda Sowell

TLC prides itself on providing our youngest learners with the academic and social-emotional supports they need to grow in their young years. While their high school and adult years may feel far off, we recognize that the ways in which we nurture them in elementary school will directly impact their long-term outcomes. Our nurturing school community gives students the foundational education they need to develop into their best and brightest selves. 

If you're interested in learning more about The Learning Choice Academy and our approach to providing a quality K-12 Homeschool Education to our students, visit our website today.