Submitted by The Olympia Community School
The Olympia Community School has hired a third highly skilled and experienced teacher as the 41-year-old independent community school expands to meet rising demand for a progressive elementary education from pre-Kindergarten (age 4) through 4th grade, with an anticipated addition of 5th grade the following year.
The school will hold an Open House for interested families on the evening of August 26, 2015 to meet the three teachers and learn more about OCS.
Wendy Dunlap, who most recently was the lead 3rd grade teacher at the independent Hutchison School in Memphis, Tenn., will join the OCS team in the fall to teach the upper grades classroom (3rd and 4th grades), said Stephanie Griffiths, president of the OCS Board.
“We are very excited to have Wendy join the OCS community. She has 16 years of teaching experience with 3rd and 4th graders at three very different independent schools. Wendy’s professional references, former colleagues, and parents describe her as a strong leader, an excellent listener, and a highly talented teacher.”
“She brings a deep understanding and commitment to our innovative approach to teaching and learning – providing a nurturing environment for each child, teaching an integrated, theme-based curriculum of science, math, reading, writing, and art, and encouraging a deep appreciation for community and stewardship of the natural world,” stated Laura Citrin, co-chair of the hiring committee at OCS.
“Wendy joins our two beloved veteran teachers, Becky Schmid (kindergarten), and Jeriann Schriner (1st and 2nd grades), forming an excellent team of highly qualified, gifted teachers,” said Citrin, noting that all three teachers hold a Master’s degree in teaching or education.
Dunlap said she was pleased to find such a unique school in Olympia, where she is relocating with her family for the progressive social climate and the beauty of the natural environment in Washington.
“I look forward to joining one of the most established and successful community schools in the area,” she said. “I appreciate the collaborative approach to give every child the tools she or he will need to learn, the emphasis on experiential learning, and the active participation of parents in their children’s education. I would imagine that this kind of classroom with its low student-to-teacher ratio would be very appealing to former homeschoolers and those looking for an alternative approach to elementary education.”
Since 1973, the Olympia Community School has offered a balanced educational experience incorporating academics, arts, nature appreciation, and social and emotional growth. The school approaches education holistically, where learning is fun and natural in a process of exploration and discovery. Narrative evaluations and parent-student-teacher conferences put an emphasis on student self-assessment and self-reflection. The maximum class size is 14 students, providing a classroom environment where each child is known, appreciated, challenged, and supported as an individual by teachers.
An all-year school theme, chosen with the direction and interests of students at the beginning of the fall, integrates student learning of math, science, and literacy. Field trips to the Food Bank, museums, the library, local farms, and natural areas, as well as weekly alternating enrichment classes such as Spanish, yoga, music, dance, and Aikido are also part of the OCS curriculum. Special OCS traditions (like the 100th day of school, and the Gaelic festival celebration of Samhein), buddy reading between older and younger children, student-led workshops, and recesses in a forested area make OCS a unique, creative, and empowering place for students “where a love of learning grows.”
OCS’s next Open House will take place from 6-8pm on Wednesday, August 26, 2015 at the school, located at 1601 North St SE at the corner of Henderson Blvd SE in Olympia. OCS is currently enrolling in all three classrooms: two-year Kindergarten classroom (ages 4-6), 1st/2nd grade combined classroom, and 3rd/4th grade combined classroom. Come meet OCS’s teachers, hear more about the teaching and learning at OCS, talk with current parents and students, and tour the school.
For more information, visit OCS’s website at: http://www.olympiacommunityschool.org/, or email OCS at ocsinfo@olympiacommunityschool.org.
