About the School

The Garden City Community School

Overview

The Garden City Community School is a charter school in Garden City. Charter schools are public schools – funded by the State of Idaho and providing an education free of charge – that are created by groups of educators and parents to provide an alternative to traditional schools.

The Garden City Community School is the first public school established within the boundaries of Garden City. The school opened in the fall of 2006. We currently serve grades Kindergarten through 8th grade. Future plans include expansion to high school.

The school is located at 9165 Chinden Boulevard, Ste. 101. This location is on the southern side of Chinden, west of Glenwood and near the intersection of Garrett St.

Educational Program

The educational program  for the Garden City Community School has been designed from the ground up by a team of educators and parents to provide the greatest possible support for learning and development. It is also tailored for the realities of Garden City.

The program has the following three key features:

◊   Learner-Centered.

◊   Freedom with Responsibility

◊   Community-Based

Learner-Centered means that the activities and methods of instruction are designed around the needs, interests, abilities, and styles of the learner. The learner is at the center of the system; instruction and curriculum exist to support the learner’s success in the world.

Freedom with Responsibility means that the learner will participate in the design of their own educational path within the school  Learners will take responsibility for their learning, with full support from the staff, the curriculum, and the facility.  

Community-Based means that the school will work in partnership and coordination with other organizations to maximize educational opportunities for students’ families and for people of all ages. The school will serve as a community center, open extended hours and providing extended services.

Innovative Features

Collaborative Learning Design: Students will participate in the design of

their own learning program both individually and with others, so that their

educational experience fits their actual abilities, their learning style, and

their interests and initiatives, as well as state requirements.

 

Integrated Curriculum: In the real world, challenges and issues do not fall

into separate boxes. Our curriculum crosses the boundaries between

separate subjects to strengthen understand and skills, and to better

prepare learners for success in the world.

 

A continuously-accessible authentic assessment system which,

combined with work sampling and portfolios, will provide students, staff,

and parents with a clear picture of what students are capable of, beyond

what tests alone can show.

 

Student-run studios and labs that allow for in-depth, self-guided projects

and unlimited potential for student initiative and responsibility. Such studios

and labs may involve the visual arts, music, information technology,

horticulture, theater, or other themes.

 

Multiage classrooms that take advantage of the natural mix of abilities

and helpfulness that learners of different ages provide to each other.

 

Arts Integration: The arts enhance learning and the arts enhance life. The

arts will be woven throughout the school and throughout student

experiences.

 

The “Individual Education” or “4R” approach to discipline and

counseling are:

Respect:  A student is treated with respect and thus learns to

respect self and others. We learn to be respectful to others by

being treated with respect ourselves.

 

Resourcefulness:  A student develops an awareness and greater

ability to become a successful problem solver. We become

resourceful when permitted to solve our own problems.

 

Responsibility:  A student must take an active role in his

educational process. We learn responsibility by being given

responsibility.

 

Responsiveness:  A student is provided with opportunities that

assist him in learning how to develop strong, effective

interpersonal relationships. We become responsive when treated

with love, care, and responsiveness.

 

Along with the 4R’s goes a simple, clear, and effective system of

discipline that fully respects the student and empowers them to

make choices for themselves.

Language instruction at the primary level, tentatively to include both

Spanish and American Sign Language for all students. 

 

Extended Services to members of the community. Options being explored

include adult and continuing education, educational opportunities for refugees,

a multilingual library, and a preschool branch.  

 

For more information on the background of the educational design, visit the

Design Documentation and the Knowledge Base Support System pages on this

web site.

 

All residents and people involved with the Garden City community are invited

to participate in the continuous design of the Garden City Community School.