Our classrooms are physically set up to have a “home-like” feeling, giving our students a sense of warmth and safety. The use of color, texture, sound, lighting and furniture placement helps us address many different needs. We offer alternatives to traditional desk seating, with the belief that when the students’ preferences are met, behavior and performance improve.
Classroom schedules have been created that allow adequate time for each subject area. When a student cannot complete his/her assignments due to behaviors, we allow for flexibility within those schedules. The goal is to help the student make appropriate choices regarding his/her schoolwork and to understand the concept of “moving on” with the day and not getting “stuck”. In order to achieve this goal, we have a very low teacher/pupil ratio.
Incentives for the students are part of our program. We believe in a positive vs. a punitive approach, helping the students set personal goals and supporting them as they work towards achieving this goals.
The Harris School is divided into four levels: Early Education (Pre-K and Kindergarten), Lower Primary (grades 1-2), Upper Primary (3-4), and Intermediate (grades 5-8). Transitions between the different levels are based on age, cognitive ability, and emotional development levels. We attempt to keep the students with their social age group and meet their academic needs on an individual basis.