Banbury Crossroads
Independent School

Mission Statement

Our Vision

The students of Banbury will be self-motivated, intellectual achievers with a strong sense of self. Their empathetic, unwavering spirit and their contributive experiences in the real world will allow them to confidently embrace the challenges and opportunities encountered throughout life, ultimately to become compassionate, resilient and natural leaders.

Our Mission:

“We at Banbury Crossroads treasure children as respected individuals, and meet their diverse needs within a safe, familial setting. We are passionately committed to incorporating innovative educational methods that foster intrinsic motivation, learning to mastery, self-responsibility, community participation and social competence.”

“Our school values physical, creative and intellectual exploration and growth…” We believe that exploration and development should be part of every person’s life experience. Our school is a reflection of this journey.

At our school, students explore and grow through a variety of means:

• engaging in learning opportunities that are active, rather than passive, and realized through movement, discussion, inquiry and discovery;
• examining the world outside them—culture, history, artistic and musical expression, scientific and mathematical theories, career needs, recreation and social interactions—and the world inside them—their talents, interests, strengths and weaknesses, motivations and driving principles by which they live;
• participating in many physical education programs, using first class community facilities off campus to promote the development of individual athletic prowess and an attitude conducive to healthy recreation;
• identifying and drawing upon intrinsic motivational factors, in order to find joy, discover interests, develop autonomy and create meaning from learning;
• sharing the journey of discovery with caring teachers, peers, community mentors and family;
• receiving practical support for goal setting, self-discovery and perseverance; and
• living in a school environment that is safe, amiable and comfortable, as well as stimulating, so that they will be engaged and willing to take intellectual risks;
• participating in volunteerism and contributive community internships.

“…that results from curiosity.” Children are innately curious and eager to master their environment. They exhibit energy and focus in achieving this intention. Curiosity and intrinsic motivation are the catalysts for students, teachers and parents to learn anything. Therefore, we can trust that our students will learn without coercion.

At Banbury Crossroads, we preserve the natural enthusiasm that curiosity produces in young children by:

• utilizing kinesthetic activities, conversation and field trips to foster animated engagement and inquiry based learning—students asking their own questions, and directing the manner and pace of their investigation;
• incorporating individual interests in our students’ curricular study, assignments, projects, internships and optional classes;
• encouraging choice for students in their time and space management;
• offering students instruction and optimistic support in a manner relevant to their motivation and ability;
• responsively participating in discussions, presentations and exhibitions to share the discoveries and insights that result from their work.

“We shall assist students in developing a standard of competence and pace of instruction to suit their own needs and abilities…” Banbury Crossroads follows the Alberta Programs of Study, and is an accredited independent school. Learning is achieved by all individuals through their own unique pattern of perception, motivation and timing. Teachers act as mentors for students as they uncover their own academic needs, learning style, interests and potential for growth, and as they organize their learning activities accordingly. Students develop finesse in assessing the quality of their own work. Our “open classroom”, “progressive education” concept is particularly apt for this interaction, because it allows:

• active decision making by students in choice of worksite, subject matter and duration of study, so that they may pace their work to their goals, abilities and interests;
• the development of time management skills as they create their own schedules, set goals, participate in professional realms, assess progress, and, if necessary, amend earlier plans;
• low student-teacher ratios, so that teachers have time to mentor students, accommodate their learning styles, give remedial and enrichment assistance, and also offer continual feedback, tutorials and mini-lectures;
• learning and personal expression through a variety of media and activities, rather than just pencil and paper, and the spoken word;
• self-directed student-initiated learning, more than teacher-directed learning; and
• parents to be engaged in ongoing communication and in learning activities, both informally and formally. We prepare three lengthy report cards per year that include anecdotal comments and curricular information. As well, we organize two parent/teacher/student meetings to discuss progress and reassess goals in a collaborative manner.

“…so they can work to mastery in their academic courses.” Banbury Crossroads operates with the belief that schooling is primarily about learning, not teaching. We do not use a teacher-paced, lecture-based approach within classes. Instead, we use a tutorial approach to encourage the learning process to proceed until knowledge and skills are mastered. This is accomplished through:

• organizing classes with small numbers of students—approximately 10 to 12—so that teachers have time with each student to help them process the vast amount of information they encounter;
• providing a multi-aged setting, where students are not socially penalized by being either ahead or behind their peers;
• ensuring that students demonstrate competency at each stage of their academic work, before they proceed to the next stage—students may be in different grades in different subjects, depending upon pace of performance;
• reducing performance anxiety by giving individualized instruction and mini lectures to small groups;
• offering plenty of individual assistance and feedback regarding portfolios of academic work;
• downplaying competition between students by not assigning marks until Grade 10—promoting learning for intrinsic reasons, so that students focus on their own personal development; and
• creating a comfortable and peaceful environment in which students can concentrate and learn effectively.

“We value a harmonious atmosphere…” One of our most outstanding attributes is that we exert tremendous energy to develop effective social skills and a harmonious environment. We want each member of our school community to develop a strong sense of self with an unwavering spirit of optimism. Self-responsibility, autonomy and resiliency are necessary for personal emotional health, and for providing citizens with the means to create a healthy democracy. We foster these attributes through:

• caring for the well-being and happiness of each student, as well as their growth in academic areas and community participation;
• seeing conflict as a golden opportunity to develop honesty, tolerance, empathy, creative problem solving strategies, and communication and negotiation skills;
• explaining to children their right to determine the course of their own lives, as long as they respect the rights of others to do the same;
• organizing vertical age grouping to mirror the outside world that requires people of different ages to function together with compassion and trust; and
• focusing upon mutual respect as our underlying principle.

“…and encourage the students to create constructive social relationships with others.” Effective social functioning is attained through emotional and character development that underlines the importance of our interrelatedness. Happiness is reached through self-fulfillment and an optimistic attitude, and through appreciating small, lovely details in our environment and relationships. Teachers are able to encourage such personal growth and connectedness by:

• dealing with conflict constructively, through engaging students in individual and small group discussions, whereby adults may influence and convince them with intrinsic reasons for choosing positive behavior to facilitate social responsiveness and justice—thus, de-emphasizing the behaviorist method of punishment and rewards;
• offering meaningful, trusting relationships with mentors to assist with developing effective logical and moral reasoning skills;
• practicing effective and constructive communication and negotiation skills in interactions with students;
• modeling kindness, good humour, flexibility, equanimity, gentleness and appreciation;
• promoting contributive community volunteerism and helpfulness within the school; and
• persisting in their efforts to help children experience a balanced life with a broad range of interests and skills.