Mission Statement
The Waverly School cultivates curious, resourceful, confident learners who demonstrate intellectual engagement, critical and creative thinking, respect for individual differences, a strong awareness of personal responsibility, and an active commitment to social justice.
To realize this mission, the school embraces the following ideals:
Community:
Relationships are paramount at Waverly, defined by trust, understanding, and mutual respect. Meaningful, authentic interactions occur everywhere: in the classrooms, on the playground, on the quad, at the farm, and on outdoor trips. Students collaborate to problem solve, discuss, and make connections. Waverly teachers know students on a personal level, with a keen understanding of cognitive and social-emotional needs. Student-teacher conversations are open, challenging, and playful. Waverly teachers model intellectual curiosity, a commitment to a life of meaning, and the highest integrity. Waverly is a community where students, teachers, and families learn from one another.
Progressive Education:
Waverly’s educational philosophy asserts that students learn best when they are actively involved in their education, when they become responsible for their growth as students, when they are encouraged to work to their highest level, and when their learning is based on life experiences. Children and young adults develop in stages; Waverly respects and supports each child’s journey through these stages. The educational program at Waverly incorporates all aspects of human development — intellectual, social, physical, aesthetic, and ethical — and strives to integrate learning by guiding students to be curious about all that the world has to offer. While Waverly is inspired by the work of John Dewey, Jean Piaget, and Lev Vygotsky, amongst others, the school also pays attention to current research and best practices in education.
Equity and Diversity:
The Waverly School is committed to social justice education and thus seeks to provide all members of the community with the tools to recognize and speak out against acts of bias and the discriminatory systems of power that produce structural inequalities. The school is committed to treating individuals with dignity and providing an environment where all members of the community can engage in dialogue, question, learn, and contribute fully. This commitment to full participation encourages community members to be self-reflective about their attitudes toward themselves and others. An equitable and diverse school community makes members better informed, more empathetic, and better prepared to effect positive change in the world. To that end, Waverly fosters an environment in which individual differences of race, ethnicity, biological sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic circumstance, national origin, immigration status, ability and disability, physical characteristics, religious belief, and all aspects of identity are acknowledged and celebrated.
Accreditation
The Waverly School is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and the California Association of Independent Schools.