Welcome to Springwater Environmental Sciences School!
We are Oregon City's first public charter school, founded by a core group of parents committed to promoting an excellent sciences-based education and supported by the Oregon City School District. Springwater's curriculum, class and school size, rural location, and level of parent involvement all combine to make it a unique educational opportunity for interested students.
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Free Play on a Naturalized Schoolyard (by Mr. Jon) |
At Springwater, we hesitate to use the word “recess”. Sure, kids explore and run and climb and build outside every day – rain or shine. And, a lot of this time is spent engaging in free play in cross-age circumstances. But “recess” implies that kids go outside to get rid of surplus energy. Traditionally, “recess” or “outside” is a place to “burn off steam” rather than a place to help kids develop social and problem-solving skills. Free play does not imply lawlessness, but rather that kids choose how to spend them their time. There are rules and boundaries, but with-in these limits there are a multitude of choices.
During their time outside, we hope Springwater students are doing more than expending extra energy. We hope to channel this energy into productive learning. The following study (“Interaction with Nature during the Middle Years: Its Importance in Children’s Development & Nature’s Future ” by Randy White) outlines the importance of exposing children to nature (to the outside) purposefully in order to…
- enhance social interaction
- develop awareness
- stimulate the imagination
- hone observational and reasoning skills
- instill a sense of peace and place
- encourage creative play
When kids play outside they notice, touch, smell, ask, and wonder. At Springwater we use these outdoor experiences to address real-world issues and empower students to make good decisions and solve problems. In this sense, when we zip up jackets, pull on muck boots, and open the doors to the playground we’re asking kids to do more than simply run around. We’re asking kids experience nature – both physical and human.
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Classrooms are Going Green: How Science Class can Reconnect Kids with Nature |
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The following excerpts from “Classrooms are Going Green: How Science Class can Reconnect Kids with Nature,” by Samantha Cleaver, originally published in the January 2008 issue of Scholastic Administrator, nicely summarizes Springwater’s underlying purpose and philosophy for its environmental sciences focus:
“Across the country, environmental education schools and the growing movement to get children outdoors are challenging the current ‘indoor generation’ of kids . . . Even as No Child Left Behind decreases the time allotted for environmental education and field trips, research shows that children who spend time outdoors are healthier, happier, and smarter. With the global warming crisis looming, children who spend time outdoors may also be the ones who help save the planet.
Today’s children spend far more time indoors than out . . . And when students are in class, they’re not learning about the environment. ‘One of the unintended consequences of NCLB,’ says Brian Day, executive director of the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE), ‘was that a whole set of things, environmental education included, got pushed out of the classroom because of the initiative’s overwhelming focus on reading and math.’
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Science Education’s ‘Overlooked Ingredient’ |
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Why the Path to Global Competitiveness Begins in Elementary School
By Harold Pratt In the emerging national dialogue about threats to American leadership in the global technological marketplace, concern over the outsourcing of U.S. jobs to technologically skilled workers in India and Asia runs deep. But our educational responses to such competition have so far failed to match the level of concern. The testing requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act actually have led to a diminishing amount of class time devoted to science, as teachers focus sharply on reading and math, the first subjects tested under the federal law. Now, this new urgency about our technological progress appears to be changing the political calculus, pushing lawmakers as well as educators to give science education the attention it deserves. |
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Springwater Recognizes and Fosters Multiple Intelligences in Students |
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In support of Springwater’s mission and vision statements and its underlying philosophies, Springwater staff are committed to recognizing the value of students’ talents in all of the multiple intelligences, and allowing students the opportunity to express, be recognized for, and develop skills in the multiple intelligences. Just as not all students learn in the same way, not all students demonstrate skill or competency in the same way, either. A student who does not do well sitting quietly and writing may have great talents in manipulating objects, using their hands, building and inventing solutions with “real” materials. Other students learn and demonstrate competency best musically, or socially, or by relating to the natural world. |
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Springwater Launches its Second Year of Operation! |
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We are very excited to be launching our second school year here at Springwater! This year brings many changes, including the addition of 44 new students and our expansion to fifth grade. Our signature Friday Field Studies program continues to grow and develop, as well. Teachers are realizing Springwater's vision in the classrooms every day, this year focusing on expanding hands-on learning opportunities for students, providing opportunities for students to demonstrate learning and growth through project-based curriculum and assessments, and using the concept of Multiple Intelligences as a guiding post for their teaching. One of the most exciting features of our school is our great staff. We have Laura Wolf (Salmon), Elizabeth Payne (Salmon), and Rae Calvary (Oak Leaves) returning, and we have added Jon Vogel (Dragonflies), JenMarie Cannon (Blue Herons) and Faith Jones (Blue Herons). Please visit their bios under the Community tab for more information about each of our wonderful teachers. School tours and opportunities to visit Springwater and watch us in action will be coming soon. Watch this site for more information! |
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