Jordan Lake School of the Arts offers an advanced liberal arts program with a special focus on the arts and outdoor education. The arts allow an in depth exploration of our subjects as well personal expression. The learning environment at JLSA is inclusive, mixed age classes with a low 5:1 student to teacher ratio.
How will this program benefit your child?
We offer a top quality liberal arts program with a focus on nature and arts. All students benefit from small class size, an arts based education, and hands on activities in a beautiful stress free setting. Our school fosters independence, self confidence, and academic and social achievement. With a multi-faceted approach to instruction children learn with their whole selves. Experiential opportunities promote learning, connection to peers and inspire students to explore the world they live in.
What type of students do you serve?
We serve all types of students but specialize in inclusion of the gifted, out of the box thinkers, and those on the autism spectrum. All benefit from our natural setting, outdoor time, and anxiety free environment. All children have an individualized approach to education and social skills goals, so no one feels that a perceived weakness is addressed, we are all learning to grow our abilities. We have a highly structured day, but take time for transitions, ease in and out of activities and utilize hands on activities that naturally incorporate fine and gross motor skills. We know that children on the spectrum see the world differently and art allows us to understand where they are, how the world looks and feels, and to connect as guides to explain the world in a way that makes sense to them.
Children remain in cohorts over the years, so they have an opportunity to make long term connections and friendships. Inclusive programs create an opportunity for all students to develop an appreciation of diversity and compassion. With a strong core curriculum and safe learning environment children are given the chance to be well rounded human beings.
“Inclusion is about living full lives – about learning to live together. Inclusion makes the world our classroom for a full life. Inclusion treasures diversity and builds community. Inclusion is about our ‘abilities’ – our gifts and how to share them. Inclusion is NOT just a ‘disability’ issue” (Asante, Shafika).
Why do you call your approach “organic”?
We call our method an “organic” approach to inclusion because we provide what children need without separating or making children stand out because of their differences. For example our day includes hiking on sandy beaches, watering a garden or greenhouse plants with heavy water jugs, to create a sensory diet that children all benefit from, and that create a regulatory schedule for the body and mind. This is enormously important for autistic children. We include fine motor and gross motor skills in art based activities in which each child is given a role so they can work on their own goals, while being part of the group. The most important part of this is that children remain working together.
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