TARA SCHOOL MISSION

Tara School provides an alternative choice in education by challenging students to practice meaningful life skills as they develop strong academic abilities. Further, Tara School is devoted to building service partnerships with the existing educational community and with Santa Fe at large.

Children are regarded as unique learners. Individual attention is given to the acquisition of basic skills: reading, language arts, math, science, social studies, literature and Spanish. Fine arts are integral to the curriculum, providing opportunities for creative expression through drama, music, art and life-time sports. Students interact both on a grade-level basis and as an entire school.

Parents play a vital role at Tara. Their talents and skills are enjoyed in the classroom as they lead special projects, share stories, read with students and chaperone field trips. Their involvement in the Tara experience provides students with a valuable model of community service.

Community Building is a central theme of the Tara School. Through big brother/big sister preschool programs, community service with the homeless, inter-school projects and other activities, students broaden their social and learning environments.

Tara School encourages children to experience the joy of living and the wonder of learning every day.

MISSION STRATEGIES

Tara School is an independent, not-for-profit, day school for kindergarten through sixth grade boys and girls. We are governed by a self-perpetuating board of trustees. We seek to serve a culturally, ethnically, and socio-economically diverse student body from the greater Santa Fe Area.

Within a nurturing, warm and caring environment, we strive to help our children become their best. Our campus provides a cozy and intimate setting in which children can thrive. Our curriculum centers upon basic academic and communication skills as they are the foundation of learning. We encourage independent thought and action. Skills development and concept building take precedence over information acquisition. We provide direction for conflict resolution, encourage active listening skills, and emphasize multi-cultural awareness. Aesthetic appreciation and creativity, as they add joy and meaning to our lives, are important to our program. We teach our children lifelong physical and wellness skills.

We strive to develop self-confidence and self-esteem in our children, so they may be willing to take risks and make mistakes necessary to learning. We expect children to behave respectfully toward others. Because we are a part of a broader community, we seek through word and deed to develop empathy for others--a social conscience; community service is an integral part of our program.

At Tara School the well being of children governs our decisions. We recognize that children have different learning styles and are at different levels of development, and we teach each child as an individual. In our desire for our children to reach their highest potential, we respect and respond to their needs. To do this, we keep our classes small. We hope to send our graduates away with a strong educational foundation along with a sense of integrity, generosity of spirit, compassion, and kindness.

Tara strives to be an educational leader in our community by hiring experienced and enthusiastic educators, by giving the educators a structured autonomy within which to make the best of educational opportunities, by staying abreast of published research, and by collaborating with community resources.