Academics
Academics
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At North Star Academy, our academic program keeps in line with our mission: providing students with a first-rate college preparatory education and an holistically positive and enriching overall school experience.
On a daily basis, this means making sure our students have chances to expand their knowledge, build their skills, exercise their creativity, develop healthy social-emotional foundations, meaningfully contribute to their community, and shape their social environment as both leaders and team players.
All of this connects to three key factors: what we teach, how we teach it, and who our teachers are.
WHAT WE TEACH:
North Star Academy provides students in grades 7-12 with a teacher-designed curriculum that draws in part from Massachusetts DESE Standards and the National Core Curriculum while allowing space for student interest and teacher expertise. North Star's academic program encompasses both vital foundational content (what all students need to learn) and student-driven, interest-based content (what individual students want to learn).
Academics for Grades 7 will focus on the traditional core subjects of Math, Science, Social Studies, and English Language Arts all of which will meet daily. They will also take Creator Lab, a rotating slate of courses focused creative, hands-on fields such as Cooking, Fine Arts, Communication Arts, and Craftsmanship. Students will also take wo sessions per week of Spanish Language & Culture and one session per week of P.E.
Read more about our Grade 7 Course of Study
HOW WE TEACH:
North Star teachers believe every student has a right to a great education which meets their needs. To provide this type of education, we believe it is important to consider each student as a whole person with strengths and challenges, hopes, concerns, a cultural background, a home life, hobbies and interests outside of school, and plans for the future. Through getting to know our students and applying what we know of best teaching practices, we believe we can help our students be prepared for whatever comes after graduation --and help them to embrace and be enriched by the "here and now" of their formative years in secondary school.
NORTH STAR TEACHERS :
Are Qualified and experienced educators
Are life-long learners who constantly work to improve their skills as educators
Model the values of our school community: curiosity, integrity, creativity, compassion, and courage
Work to meet students where they are and help them visualize and pursue concrete goals for their progress
Build solid, honest communication with parents/guardians
Allow students, whenever possible, to learn key skills by following their interests
Believe in equipping our students to be agents of change in their own education
A Note About Special Education:
We believe every student deserves a school that meets their needs. Out of fairness to applicants and families, we cannot enroll students whose needs, academic or otherwise, we cannot meet. It is very important that parents recognize North Star Academy is unable to offer academic or social-emotional special education services. We cannot adhere to public school IEPs, offer 1:1 student aides or counseling services. As per our application and family contract, we do require students be able to work independently at grade level and be able to maintain solid daily attendance.
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