Atrium School Profile | Watertown, Massachusetts (MA)

69 Grove St, Watertown, MA, 02472

Tel: (617)923-4156

Grades: PK - 6 | 92 students

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The Atrium is a school for Pre-Kindergarten through 6th Grade located in Watertown, MA near the Cambridge line. Established nearly 30 years ago, we believe that small classes, passionate faculty and a truly engaging, hands-on learning environment can draw out the best in each child. Our graduates emerge curious and capable, truly loving learning, and welcomed by both public and independent next-schools throughout the Boston area.

School Overview:	Atrium School
School Type	School with Special Program Emphasis
School Membership(s)	Association of Independent Schools in New England (AISNE) National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS)
Religious Affiliation	Nonsectarian
Grades Offered	Grades Prekindergarten - 6
Year Founded	1982
Awards	Blue Ribbon School - Selected in
Student Body
Total Students	92 students
Student Body Type	Co-ed
% Students of Color	13% (MA School Avg.: 23%)
Students by Grade

Academics and Faculty
Total Classroom Teachers	15 teachers
Student : Teacher Ratio	7:1 (National school avg.: 13:1)
Average Class Size	18 students
Classroom dress code	Casual
Finances and Admission
Admission Deadline	Jan. 15 / rolling
Tuition Notes	Financial aid available. Admission is need-blind.
% on Financial Aid	25%
Admissions Director	Susan Diller

School Notes:

Our Approach at the Atrium School. Nearly 30 years ago, Cambridge-based educator Ginny Kahn envisioned a school where children are nurtured, valued, and challenged: nurtured as individual, creative learners, valued as thoughtful, constructive members of a warm and loving community, and challenged to achieve their fullest potential as they grow and change. She envisioned the Atrium School, an educational community in which we are all encouraged to "wonder, explore, invent, imagine, develop skills, and persevere at challenging work." Working together, Atrium families, teachers, and friends developed the school in Watertown, Massachusetts, where it has become a model for independent, progressive education. We are committed to:
Small classes and individual attention: Because early educational experiences set young people on a path for life, the Atrium carefully cultivates each child's love of learning, confidence in his or her own ideas and abilities, respect for others and the environment, and engagement as a citizen of the world. To give each child the attention this effort requires, our class sizes are small, with two full-time teachers in every classroom. Our average classroom student:teacher ratio is 1:9; including specialists, our faculty:teacher ratio is 1:4. The educational program at the Atrium helps children to become invested in their learning and to value and trust in themselves as learners.
Hands-on, Progressive educational model: Children learn best by doing and applying. At the Atrium School, direct experience in a meaningful context is core to our educational philosophy and approach. Hands-on explorations enable children to discover new information for themselves, reflect on this knowledge, integrate it into their full spectrum of ideas, build on it, and make further connections. We build our approach on the established foundations of the Preogressive education model, which means that we nurture the social development of children as much as we do their cognitive and academic growth. Students develop strategies that nourish their intellectual, emotional, social, and physical self-confidence. With these tools, children are inspired and prepared to take risks in order to achieve higher levels of thinking and learning. Our students become good at working on teams, valuing diversity, multi-tasking, thinking creatively and critically, and showing what they know and understand in a myriad of powerful ways.
Innovative, rigorous academics: An emphasis on collaborative and hands-on learning sustains a climate where students learn critical thinking and problem-solving skills. From Pre-Kindergarten through 6th Grade, the Atrium curriculum provides strong foundations mixed with flexibility, a distinctive structure personalized to each child's own strengths. You can read about the atrium curriculum in detail in the Learning section of our website. Atrium graduates attend and succeed in public and private "next schools" throughout the Boston area.
Extraordinary Enrichment: Spanish, violin and environmental stewardship. We provide powerful contexts to engage each individual. In addition to core subjects, our students in ALL grades learn Spanish, play violin in partnership with New England Conservatory, and study urban wildlife at the adjacent Mt. Auburn Cemetery.
Whole Child and welcoming community: By upholding the principles of social justice and educational equity, the Atrium community accepts and teaches responsibility for building a community in which each person's voice can be heard and respected. Children carry with them the teachings of an educational community that encourages its members to see the common threads that run through people's lives. They learn to value the strength and integrity of differences, and to affirm the rights of the individual and the rights of others.

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Nearby Schools:

Show: All Schools, High Schools, Elementary Schools | Public Schools

Atrium School
Gr. PK-6 | 0 mi. away

St Stephen's Armenian Elementary School
Gr. K-6 | 0.3 mi. away

Haggerty School
Gr. K-6 | 0.6 mi. away

Shady Hill School
Gr. PK-8 | 0.8 mi. away

Buckingham Browne & Nichols School
Gr. PK-12 | 0.9 mi. away

Spring Hill Montessori School
Gr. Nursery/Preschool-PK | 1.2 mi. away

View all schools in: Watertown, Middlesex County, Zip 02472

School Reviews:

March 29,2013 - Atrium is a warm, nurturing, progressive school where both our children are thriving. We are so grateful to have found this treasure. The teachers are committed and creative, with a deep understanding of their students. Our children are being appropriately challenged academically, and they love going to school every day, because Atrium fosters joy in learning. Most importantly for our family, Atrium respects and celebrates our children for who they are.*-Posted by Parent *

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