Vision and Mission

Mastering academic skills, developing intellectual capacity, enjoying and participating in the arts, applying human relation skills, and increasing physical abilities, are vital to the full development of each child.

Palo Verde teachers, administrators, parents, and students provide a unique collaborative setting to develop minds and a love of learning, enrich experiences, solve problems, expand horizons, and encourage caring, responsible human relationships, in a safe supportive environment.

To excel in our society, our children need firm grounding in the basic skills in addition to critical thinking, problem solving techniques, and computer skills. Skills and knowledge are acquired through careful instruction and guidance by the teacher, sometimes in individualized and sometimes in small group or whole class instruction.

We believe that the arts are fundamental. Children grown to adulthood are likely to cherish memories of the times they performed in a class play, a choral or instrumental music program, or an arts or crafts activity. We know that success in the arts moves many children to the pursuit of fundamental academic skills.

We also believe that human relations values should be pursued with vigor and enthusiasm. A child who believes in his or her own worth is a child ready to learn. A child who believes in the worth of others contributes to a more caring society.

It is, therefore, our very strong commitment to provide adult examples of caring, warmth, and respect for one another and for the children. We help children develop attitudes and skills to appreciate and respect each other. We emphasize manners, eye contact, and active listening. We strive for a pleasant and safe atmosphere in the classroom and on the playground. We strive for positive reinforcement helping children accept responsibility for their actions and learning to solve problems in a responsible manner.

We seek to address the wide-ranging needs of our students in so far as our talents and resources permit. The skills of classroom teachers are supplemented by those of aides and volunteers. Parents, grandparents and community members make substantial contributions to our school. Specialists and other support staff use their expertise to help students with special needs and gifts as well as students within the broad mainstream.

We seek to build a sense of community among the students and the adults in their lives, fostering feelings of mutual trust and commitment to a unified effort.

Learning is not always easy. Children need to feel the challenge of moving beyond the known and the comfortable. It takes skilled and caring teachers to stretch the child's horizons without moving too far too fast. It takes an able and hardworking staff to develop a cohesive program and to share knowledge of and responsibility for each child through his or her years at Palo Verde. It takes a variety of children in every classroom to prepare each child for living in our complex society.

We believe in the value of bringing together children of differing strengths, abilities and talents. With our efforts and yours added to the children's will to succeed, we are convinced that children at Palo Verde will become life long learners, with rich and varied interests, who will believe in their own worth and will contribute to a caring society.