A Letter from Our Head of School
Dear Prospective Weekday Families,
I am Weekday’s Head of School, but first and foremost, I am the mom of four school-aged children. As parents, you and I both know firsthand how important it is to find the right environment for your child.
My oldest son has always thrived in a large school environment. He’s about to start his sophomore year at Columbia High School in Maplewood, and since he was in Kindergarten, I’ve been thrilled with his school experience in the local public schools. He has excelled academically, socially, and emotionally. He takes AP and Honors classes and is on the football team.
My younger teenage son has had a very different experience. I happily enrolled him in public school for kindergarten, only to see early on that it was not the right environment for him; It was clear he needed something smaller and more tailored to his strengths and challenges. It was an overwhelming time, but eventually, I found a small school about half an hour away from Maplewood. The drive was worth it!
Warmly,
Samantha Grab, Head of School
Our Mission
We aim to inspire a passion for learning through a progressive approach to education that values intellectual pursuit, creativity, diversity and community involvement. We believe children learn by doing: by constructing knowledge, by collaborating, and by engaging as citizens to promote social justice and democracy within the school and the world beyond it. Teachers and students work together to create a dynamic learning community grounded in cycles of inquiry and action. At Weekday School the purpose of education is for students to develop their critical thinking skills and to become thoughtful participating citizens in their communities.
Our Philosophy
Our philosophy of teaching is based on the principle that students learn by doing: by constructing knowledge, by collaborating with their teachers and peers, and by engaging as citizens to promote social justice and democracy within the classroom, the school and the world at large.
Students at Weekday School actively participate in their own learning. They look, listen, and touch. They ask, answer, and discuss. They measure, move, and create. Current research in cognitive science consistently supports the effectiveness of project-based learning and hands-on learning approaches. Studies have shown that actively engaging students in real-world projects and hands-on activities helps to build memory retention, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. When children can engage in meaningful learning experiences, hands-on learning methods promote deeper understanding and long-term knowledge retention.
At Weekday, each student is valued for, but not defined by, her/his/their unique learning style and the pace at which she/he/they learns. We also believe including art, music, and movement in our core curricula as an integral part of the academic program, helps students develop crucial critical thinking skills. While challenging and supporting children in their academic learning, we are also attending to their social, emotional, and physical development.