
|
The Board of Trustees
of The Valley School has confirmed a three-year contract
renewal for Robert Schultz, who became head of school on July
1, 2010.
After a thorough, international search, the board and school
community enthusiastically welcomed Robert Schultz as our new
head of school. Rob's interest in children and his previous
experience in teaching, teacher training and school
administration is serving the school well. During his first
year at Valley Rob demonstrated an ability to connect
successfully with students, staff and parents. With his
engaging personality, he was also able to articulate a deep
understanding of essential educational principles and a
commitment to child-centered education, both core to The Valley
School's mission and practices. He has shown the ability both
to lead the school and to represent the school and its mission
to the greater Seattle community in a professional and
thoughtful way. Under Rob’s leadership this year, Valley is now
a subscriber school of Pacific Northwest Association of
Independent Schools (PNAIS).
|
2011-2012
Calendar
June 8 (Wed)
Last day of school
Fifth Grade Graduation
No after-school care
The Valley Views Newsletters
Sep 2011
Jun 2011
Apr 2011
Archives
|
| More About Robert Schultz
Robert Schultz is a native of Washington State and grew up
in West Seattle near Lincoln Park. He is a graduate of
Washington State University where he earned a B.A. in Human
Development. He earned his Masters in Education at the
University of Guam. More than 12 years ago he moved to Saipan
to work with ESL students in the public schools. Rob was a
full-time faculty member during his seven years at Northern
Marianas College Lab School, and eventually became the
principal of the program. He has taught child development,
educational psychology, thematic planning, numerous methods
courses, as well as supervised dozens of practicum experiences
and student teachers. Four years ago Rob was recruited by
Brilliant Star, a Montessori school based in Saipan, to be
their principal. While there, Rob worked with staff trained in
the practices of the Association Montessori Internationale. He
added the Upper Elementary class, reclaimed two additional
buildings from the jungle, and re-energized families.
Our Educational Mission
The Valley School believes that all children are created
equal in their right to an unfettered start in life through a
good education. We honor the proven developmental stages of
childhood. Teachers treat the children individually and help
every student grow to full capacity in all areas of
development: cognitive, creative, social-emotional, and
physical. Our educational challenge is to create an exciting
intellectual atmosphere while still emphasizing basic skills
acquisition. A diverse student body — ethnic, academic,
economic — is our goal because we think it is the healthiest
setting for young children.
Our School
The Valley School, a non-profit educational institution, was
founded in 1985 by Patricia Overy and is approved by the State
of Washington. Within 10 years the school expanded from a
one-room preschool of 18 children to a complete elementary
school of just over 100 children. The campus, located in an old
Madison Valley orchard, has experienced an equally impressive
growth and now occupies eight city lots with enlarged
classrooms, library, art room, meeting hall, and administrative
building and features an outstanding outdoor playspace. During
times of construction and land acquisition, care has always
been taken to preserve and enhance the outdoor play spaces for
the children.
The growth of the campus has not significantly changed the
population the school serves or its mission. Enrollment remains
at approximately 100 children from pre-kindergarten through
fifth grade, a size that supports its child-centered learning
environment. The easy interaction between grades and careful
communication between teachers and administrators are essential
to the school's practices and principles.
In 2004, founder Patricia Overy retired as head of school.
She continues to work at Valley as a consultant and reading
teacher.
|