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Mast Landing School, Freeport
Grade level: 3-5
Promising Approaches
- Student participation in governance
Overview
Special Features
Civic Learning Goals
Professional Development Opportunities
Snapshots of Practice in Action
Contact Information
Overview
Mast Landing School is an elementary school in Maine that offers families a choice of 3 different programs for 3rd-5th graders. There are two reasons for making this choice available. The first is the programs have a "human scale" with a manageable number of about 100 students each. The second reason is balance. In education, there are often several approaches to instruction and grouping, all of which have proven
success, but which work best when small teams of teachers are committed to certain approaches and use them consistently. Choice in these philosophical approaches aids student achievement, parental support and teacher development. During a student's 2nd grade year, parents go through a process of gathering information in order to make the best selection for their child's next 3 years of education.
The three programs, each housed in a separate "pod" within the school building, are called Harraseeket, Spring Hill and Soule. Each of these programs may differ in instruction and grouping practices, but all of them contain important elements of student input, child-centered instruction, instructional sub-groups, and special activities and traditions.
Most unique about the entire school is its belief in the importance of student input into playground, program and classroom rules and their enforcement. While this happens within each program, there are significant differences that make each program unique.Each program has "whole-program meetings" that deal with the decisions about everyday life that make school a good place to be for children (and adults). Each program sends student-selected representatives to a whole-school student council that considers larger building and playground issues.
Special Features
To involve students in self-governance and decision-making, each program has a
student council and weekly assemblies involving all students and staff.
Elections and electioneering are part of student council selections in all
programs. Differences do exist and are
highlighted below.
The Harraseeket Student Council has three
functions: 1) to solve problems within the Harraseeket Program, 2) to plan
community service events and 3) to plan fun events for the students in the
program. The structure is similar to the
Federal government in which there is a President and a Vice President, both of
whom serve for half the year, a Senator from each of the classes who serves for
the entire year and two Representatives from each class and who are elected
three times each year. The purpose is to
include as many children as possible in the government and in the decision
making and planning that that involves. All solutions and events are announced at the weekly assemblies at which
class presentations, skits and songs are also shared.
The Spring Hill Student
Council is made up of two representatives from each class who meet weekly with
two Spring Hill teachers. This year they
planned a community service project of gathering toiletries for the Freeport
Community Services. They did this by
placing bins in each of the three programs as well as spending a Saturday
morning at Shaw's. They also planned the
two major events: the Family Fun Night for all Mast Landing Students and their
families and the annual Spring Hill Talent Show which will take place in May.
In the Soule program, at the beginning of the year students review and revise program
rules from previous years. These rules are posted throughout the program and
are referred to daily. Elections are held early in the fall to elect members to
the Soule Student Council and to the Mast Landing Student Council. The purpose
of the Soule Student Council is to interpret the school rules and to work with
Soule staff and students to make sure everyone feels safe and welcome. The
Student Council also works to solve issues of concern (such as playground
rules) and plans special celebrations. Assemblies are held at least once a week to celebrate successes, to
choose units of study and to present issues from the student council. Students participate in two small meetings a
week. The purpose of these meetings is to build a climate of mutual respect by
having general discussions and sharing concerns and successes.
Civic Learning Goals
Civic Knowledge
- Key
principles, documents, and ideas essential to constitutional democracy
- Structures,
processes, functions, branches, and levels of
U.S. government and legal system
- Social and political networks for making change, such as voluntary associations or local organizing
Civic Skills
- Critical thinking, active listening, analyzing public policies, problems and assets, and understanding multiple perspectives
- Communicating one's position through writing or speaking
- Planning and implementing civic action through managing, organizing, and building consensus
- Voicing opinion through electoral and non-electoral means, such as voting, lobbying, protesting, and organizing.
Civic Dispositions
- Developing tolerance, respect, and appreciation of difference
- Developing concern with the rights and welfare of others
- Developing a belief in one's ability to make a difference
- Developing attentiveness to civic matters and a desire to become involved
Professional Development Opportunities
Visits to each of the three programs within the Mast Landing School can be arranged by contacting the school in advance.
Snapshots of the Practice in Action
The Soule Student council has worked hard to resolve issues around fair play on the playground, specifically in four
square games and touch football. They have also come up with a plan that they
presented to the teachers whereby the student body can eat lunch in the
classrooms on special occasions. The teachers agreed on a trial basis. The
Soule student council also adopted a family through Freeport Community Services
during the holiday season and has planned two program celebrations. They meet
weekly and report out to the all program assembly every Friday.
Mast Landing Student Council: The whole school student council meets weekly and consists of six members from each
program (two from each grade level). The major project to date has been
planning for using the pond for school wide skating. They are currently working
on concerns around safety and equity. They report back to their own programs at their weekly meetings.
Contact Information
Judy Higbea, Teaching Principal, Harraseeket
Judy_Higbea@coconet.me.org
Holly Couturier, Teaching Principal, Spring Hill
Holly_Couturier@coconet.me.org
Beth Willhoite, Teaching Principal, Soule
Beth_Willhoite@coconet.me.org
Mast Landing School
116 Bow Street
Freeport ME 04032
207-865-4561
