Anna`s House is Christian non-profit school for children. It will begin by serving children 2 years through 4th grade. It will eventually involve infants and toddlers and then hopefully, older adults through either volunteer work or an elderly care program.
It is staffed with teachers who will assist in caring for each individual`s growth; spiritually, physically, mentally and socially in a nurturing environment.
It will seek to foster a love of learning, independence, and self-confidence in an atmosphere of mutual respect.
The staff of Anna`s House believes that our role in the
development of a child is to provide an atmosphere that respects
each individual child and gives precedence to nurturing their
spirit, and mind. We will cultivate an environment that encourages
self-discipline, builds self-esteem, and enables us to nurture the
growth of the whole child (body, mind, and spirit). Each child is
encouraged to work within a healthy classroom structure which
provides an atmosphere of order and respect. We commit to create a
positive environment, provide quality curriculum and lessons, and
nurture each child as the child develops his or her own powers of
critical analysis, creative problem solving, information retention,
project-based learning and the capacity for sharing loving and
understanding responses to others.
Children by nature are deeply curious. At Anna`s House,
we encourage our students` curiosity through intentional "work" and
"play." We believe that all children can and should work
hard, play hard, be kind to each other, and sleep well at
night!
The research says-and we know in our hearts-that every child is
capable of absorbing and sharing real knowledge about the world and
themselves when given the opportunity. At Anna`s House,
therefore, children practice lifelong learning skills in the
context of a knowledge-rich, liberal arts curriculum. Even
our youngest children learn about science, art, music, mathematics,
geography, history, and literature-and have fun doing it!
From the moment our children walk in the door until the moment they
leave, we nurture their hearts and minds by teaching them content
knowledge and nurturing their skills to gather and share their
knowledge respectfully with one another
At first we ask them to speak, draw, or dictate to a teacher or
peer about what they are learning. Later, as they learn to
read and write, they share their knowledge by speaking and writing
with and for one another, their teachers, and even the wider Anna`s
House and Staunton communities. We know that by building our
students` confidence in this way from the very beginning of their
school years, we are equipping them to be lifelong learners who
communicate respectfully with the people that they work and play
with throughout their lives.
Literacy
Reading and writing are not skills that develop naturally in
children. Children must be taught to read and write, and we
must teach them based on the science of successfully teaching
reading and writing. Using the Wilson reading sequence, we
teach our children to read by first teaching the sounds (phonemes)
and then the letter and letter combinations (graphemes) that
represent those sounds. At the same time, we build students`
love of literature and content knowledge through literary and
content-rich "read-alouds" and decodable texts that contain the
sounds and letters as students learn them. By practicing
active listening and speaking skills, even our youngest students
cultivate a climate of respectful civil discourse that pervades all
the grades. Pre-readers may dictate or draw, but will soon
find themselves happily writing about their knowledge, and
supporting their opinions with evidence from their own research on
a wide variety of topics.
Science, Geography, History, and Civics
In students` nascent years, and even as they grow, much of our
curriculum in these critically important areas will be conveyed in
the literacy block. Through an integrated approach to
learning, students will learn these inextricably related content
areas as they learn to read and write. We use literary texts,
literary nonfiction, as well as essential "informational" texts to
convey information about the world, our history, and our
government. We choose texts that deliberately build a
"staircase of complexity" so that our students can wrestle
successfully with grade-level texts about these essential content
areas. We also identify texts at a wide range of reading
levels focused on the content students are studying so that we can
simultaneously meet the needs of struggling students and students
who need more challenges.
Mathematics
In our first year, we will use the Everyday Mathematics
Program, which emphasizes "real-world" problem-solving skills, but
also builds students` innate mathematical fluency. Everyday
Mathematics contains many "hands-on" activities and practical games
that make mathematics fun. Because Everyday Mathematics is
designed to build students` mathematical reasoning skills, the
program often teaches students several ways of solving a
problem-ways that may differ from the way parents learned
math. The program, therefore contains useful "parent letters"
that explain what students are learning in each unit and offer
suggestions for ways to practice the skills outside the classroom
and at home.
Art, Music, and Physical Education
Our classrooms will be filled with art and music, integrated
into the study of literacy and mathematics, in particular.
Not only will students learn about art and art history, they will
have many chances to make art every day as they express their
learning as well as their imaginations. Many teachers will
incorporate singing and dancing into their instruction, offering
"brain Brakes" that allow student to move and sing. We will also
provide regular outdoor exercise and play.
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Quick Stats (2021-22)
Grades: Prekindergarten-4
Students: 42 students
Yearly Tuition: $7,725
Average class size: 10 students
Application Deadline: None / Rolling
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Did You Know?
The average private school tuition in Virginia Beach City, VA is $7,877 for elementary schools and $9,443 for high schools (read more about average private school tuition across the country).
