Mission Statement
Graded
School's mission is to provide an excellent individual education to prepare
students to maximize their potentials and be responsible citizens in a
pluralistic society. The School provides a high-quality, well-rounded,
English-language, American-style education to children of the international and
Brazilian communities. Through its
policies and programs Graded endorses the value of diversity and the virtues of
social and environmental responsibility and cultural awareness.
Core Values
Excellence
- Striving for excellence in teaching, learning, and in our relationships is a crucial value in the Graded community.
- Achievement
of high standards is developed through encouragement, praise,
cooperation, acceptance of individual responsibilities, and the
provision of many diverse opportunities to excel.
- Achievement of high standards is developed through consistent, coherent curriculum development and revision.
Goodness, Virtue, and Community
- We believe that every member of the school community must strive for personal goodness and community virtue.
- We
believe in the duty of all school members to be committed to supporting
each other, to be cooperative in our relationships, and to be
responsible and accountable for our actions.
- We believe that
rules and regulations exist to promote the development of values,
self-regulation, and a sense of community. We emphasize the importance
of parental support for our beliefs and endeavors.
Respect and Tolerance
- We believe in respecting people (their integrity, sense of self-worth, individual identity).
- We believe that diversity has a positive and enriching value and should be recognized and appreciated.
- We accept differences as it fosters solidarity, unity, and empathy.
- We respect safety and the protection of property.
- We stress respect for cultural differences and diversity.
- We
respect agreed upon values as expressed by Graded as an institution and
as expressed in our relations with each other in the school community.
Freedom, Privacy, and Self-exploration
- Privacy and the protection of personal integrity is a cherished right.
- We believe in free and thoughtful expression and the development of sound judgment.
- Self-exploration requires an environment of trust, public courage and independence, generosity and fairness.
- Democratic values and transparency shall guide all issues of governance, policy, and community relations.
Service
- We help and support each other as individuals.
- Community service is an integral part of the Graded philosophy of education.
- A commitment to community service should be a life-long value.
Graded Core Educational
Expectations
In
order to foster a humanistic learning community, we value and strive to uphold
these Graded Core Educational Expectations.
We demonstrate ethical behavior in personal and social
actions
- We work together to better
understand our role and responsibilities as global citizens.
- We take responsibility for
personal actions and act with fairness, honesty, and integrity.
- We show respect to
ourselves and to others.
- We treat everyone
equitably and fairly, respecting and embracing the diversity of all,
including gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, socio-economic status,
sexual orientation, religion, language, abilities and disabilities.
We demonstrate effective communication skills
- We work on positive
intrapersonal and interpersonal skills.
- We communicate with
clarity, purpose, and understanding of audience.
- We recognize, analyze, and
use various forms of communication.
We demonstrate effective creative, critical and
analytical skills
- We generate new and
creative ideas by taking considered risks in a variety of contexts.
- We use, evaluate, and
refine multiple strategies for problem solving.
We nurture intellectual curiosity and risk-taking
- We develop a thirst for
knowledge and love of learning that will enrich our lives beyond school.
We develop our potential in educational and personal
contexts
- We commit ourselves to
creating quality work.
- We use a variety of
learning strategies, personal skills, and time management skills to
enhance learning.
- We reflect on and evaluate
our learning.
- We seek a healthy balance
between the variety of elements and activities in our lives.
We integrate and apply knowledge between subjects and our
personal experiences
- We use and assess a
variety of information sources and information gathering techniques.
- We develop a holistic view
of knowledge.
