Have you ever considered that your kids spend more time at school than they do with you? Wouldn’t you want to feel completely confident in the school where your kids are spending the majority of their time 9 out of 12 months of the year?
… We hear you and we can help.
We understand that as a parent, you want to feel confident that your child is safe, happy, supported, and challenged academically. You put a great deal of trust in an educational system that claims it will teach your children what they need to know in order to succeed. We want to help you feel at ease in your decision about what school is the best fit for your children. We want you to feel the peace in “getting it right” for them.
As a private school with an average of 13 students per class, we strongly believe that every child matters. Many schools are unable to keep their classes small, and as a result teachers are not able to give the individualized attention they would like to their students. In fact, one of our teachers recently spoke with a friend who said that in order to get the school’s class ratios under 28 students to one teacher, the school factored in lunch staff, the janitor, the office staff, and any other adults working. This inaccurate counting resulted in their actual average class size of 38 to 40 students per teacher going down to 28 students per teacher. This is a gross error that public schools often make. As a result of policy changes, one third of the teachers at the school quit because they did not have enough time to prepare adequately for their huge classes. It was very difficult for them to get to know each student and their individual strengths and weaknesses.
Some parents don’t realize the real dangers of over-loaded teachers and large class sizes that weigh down our public and charter schools. As the number of students grows beyond twenty, the ability of even the best teachers to manage their classes is increasingly at the mercy of unruly and difficult students. These students make it more difficult for a teacher to attract and maintain the group’s attention or to be more creative in their teaching approach. The loss of learning time for your child can be staggering.
Let’s do the math: If in a 40-minute lesson it takes 10 minutes instead of a few minutes to settle the class down, and various disruptions waste another 5-8 minutes, students lose about 25-33% of learning time. When this happens day after day, a child effectively loses the equivalent of one educational year every three to four years.
In addition to this loss of learning time, serious, well-behaved students can and do become invisible. When so much of a teacher’s energy is spent on classroom management, even the best teachers aren’t able to really understand the individual needs of each student. At best, teachers in large classrooms hope to “get through” a curriculum or “cover” material. The idea of deeply understanding each student—knowing their interests, how they are inspired, where they are challenged, how they think and make sense of their world, and how to help each one discover their own unique voice—is simply not feasible.
According to the Utah State Office of Education, the average elementary school class size in 2013 was 25 students per class. For secondary courses like language arts, science, and math, the average class size was 30 students per class. At Arches Academy, we have an average of 13 students per class.
In our sensibly-sized classes, students receive individualized attention and experiences that challenge each one based on their specific needs. Our safe and nurturing environment empowers students to take new steps to excel academically, socially, and emotionally. Their success is also centered on the combination of three essential elements:
The child’s positive attitude, effort, and ability,
Support and involvement of home and community, and
A nurturing, encouraging, creative teacher dedicated to reaching each individual.
Due to our small, child-focused classrooms we are better able to build and strengthen each of these elements to impact a child’s education in powerful and positive ways. Each student is valued as a unique individual whose mental, physical, and emotional capabilities and needs underscore daily learning and overall success.
Our focus on each child results in strong individuals who are:
Thoughtful, self-motivated, and confident;
Problem solvers and team players,
Global citizens;
Respectful and cooperative;
Kind, accepting, and inclusive;
Cheerful and well-rounded;
Responsible, organized, and hard-working;
Resilient and proactive;
Inspirational leaders;
Creative, imaginative, inventive; and
Focused and positive about learning.
At Arches Academy we nurture a climate in which the worth of each individual is continually affirmed, and in which students can have meaningful experiences in a stimulating environment where they feel safe, valued, inspired, and challenged.
Enroll now for the fall! We’re certain you’ll be the hero in your child’s life and love the feeling of peace in knowing you’ve chosen the best for them.
To learn more about Arches Academy, subscribe to our blog here, download our eBook, or call 801-374-5480 to schedule a tour!
