At The Country School, we are committed to creating an environment which is both academically challenging and responsive to the social and emotional needs of growing children. Encouraging close relationships among students and teachers and cooperation between home and school, we foster a feeling of family. The school community strives to nurture each child, valuing his or her unique gifts in an atmosphere of mutual respect. The traditional disciplines of reading, writing, mathematics, science, social studies, and foreign language form the core of our academic program. Because we seek to educate the whole child, the school is also committed to a vital arts program, strong offerings in physical education, and challenging opportunities for individual growth. Our teaching is spirited and promotes active learning. We provide experiences which are sensitive to different learning styles and stages of development. We guide students to discover their own strengths and develop confidence in their abilities to learn. Our program is rich and flexible, offering many pathways to success. We recognize our responsibility to prepare students to meet not just academic challenges, but personal and ethical ones as well. Our faculty provides leadership for character development, guiding students toward self-reliance. We encourage our students to look beyond themselves, to work cooperatively with others, and to serve their communities and the larger world. We expect much of our students, because we believe they have much to give. As we honor the creativity, sense of wonder, and exuberance in childhood, we hope to stir in our students enthusiasm for learning as an exciting, lifelong activity. We work to equip each student with a solid mastery of essential skills, healthy self-esteem, and a clear sense of values. At The Country School, we strive to empower young people to reach their highest, not only in school but also in life. Statement on Diversity A diverse student enrollment and a curriculum that stirs appreciation for various cultures, including one's own, are increasingly important for the fulfillment of The Country School's mission. It is our intention to foster in our students both respect for individual and cultural differences and understanding of our common humanity, and so to prepare them to assume their responsibility as Americans and citizens of the world. The Country School Ethos The Community Expectations Committee was formed in response to the desire of the TCS school community to make explicit a common ethos that allows for healthy relationships between all constituencies resulting in a positive, academic learning environment for our children. As is customary in The Country School community, the Mission Statement provided the committee with the philosophical framework for discussion and the resultant statement of school purpose. Statement of Purpose At the most elementary level, the purpose of The Country School community is to establish an environment in which the primary relationships on campus can flourish, that between students and teachers. Thus, we believe strongly that the worth of all TCS initiatives must be measured by how well they support and benefit student-teacher interactions. In Support of the Purpose In order to support the student-teacher relationship, it is essential for home and school to work collaboratively to forge a common understanding rooted in a set of values. The notion of responsibility is central to the understanding of the school’s core values. Specifically, we are all responsible to and for supporting the school’s primary purpose of establishing an environment conducive to teaching and learning by the two most important groups on campus – teachers and students. Thus, responsibility becomes the umbrella under which the school places the virtues of Honesty, Respect, and Trust. The key elements in a harmonious relationship between home and the school are honesty, respect and trust. At the core, it is honesty which engenders respect and establishes trust. This is done through effective communication that allows all to work in support of the school’s aims of educating the child. The practice of honesty, respect, and trust will foster civility, encourage humility, and maintain the dignity of all members of the community. The Country School admits students without regard to gender, race, color, national or ethnic origin, and sexual orientation to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities made available to the student body.