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Who We Are
Atlas Elementary Academy is a small independent school serving Mars, Cranberry, and surrounding communities in southeastern PA. The school is the embodiment of the vision of former public school teachers and administrators from southwestern PA who recognize the need for a unique choice in primary and elementary education. We offer a Montessori-based pre-K--kindergarten and early elementary program. Our goal is to add one grade level each year, expanding through grade eight with our students and their families.
Our Mission
We are committed to maximizing educational opportunities that engage every child in an intellectual journey, with shared responsibility in the most valuable of all endeavors - that of becoming confident intelligent citizens leading the way to a better future.
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Our Philosophy
A proper education provides opportunities for children to actively acquire, construct, and communicate knowledge, while building confidence in an environment that models intelligent behavior as a lifelong pursuit. Our approach to education emphasizes a coherent integrated program, thoughtfully presented in ways that inspire, nurture, and respect each child. As students progress through our program, they build lasting knowledge of history, science, and mathematics; they develop an appreciation for classic literature and art; and, they practice skills in writing, reading, and inquiry across subject areas and grade levels. We see our students as individuals, within a community devoted to providing a solid intellectual foundation on which a successful life is built.
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The Atlas Approach
The following tenets are part of the Atlas approach, and will be applied in all of our classes:
- Every child should be treated with respect, and taught to respect him/herself, others, and his/her environment.
- The learning environment should be carefully prepared and attended to by the teacher, so that maximum creativity and learning are possible with minimal distraction.
- Content to be studied is relevant and developmentally appropriate, and is related to other areas of the curriculum.
- The teacher is a scientist with the task of observing each child's progress individually.
- Students thrive in a multi-age classroom with opportunities to help and learn from each other.
- Children act out when they are bored or confused, not because they are bad.
In addition, our methods of teaching ensure our students are introduced to core knowledge in ways that guarantee lasting and meaningful understanding. Using a cycle of inquiry, students' existing knowledge about a concept is engaged, they are guided as they explore and gather evidence, and they are taught to develop explanations that are supported by their evidence. As each topic is explored, we help students make connections within and across disciplines. A balance of individual, small and large group instruction, supported by first-hand experience and outstanding curricular materials, allows our students to gain content knowledge linked to reality, and confidence that is respected and shared by their classroom community and beyond.
"We need in every part of the city units in which intelligent and cooperative behavior can take the place of mass regulations, mass decisions, mass actions, imposed by ever remoter leaders and administrators. Small groups: small classes, small communities, institutions framed to the human scale, are essential to the purposive behavior in modern society."
(Lewis Mumford, The Culture of Cities)
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General Info
Atlas Elementary Academy
162 Brickyard Rd Suite 100
Mars, PA 16046
(724)625-3699
Click here for directions
2009-2010 School Calendar (PDF)
School hours for 2009-2010:
8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Contact us for more information at:
info@atlaselementaryacademy.com
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