• Message from the Head of School
• Mission/Philosophy
• Faculty/Staff
• SRV in Brief
• Board of Trustees
• School Environment
• Diversity
• Community Impact
• Directions
• SRV By the Numbers
• Symposium

Contact:	Dana Marcus The School in Rose Valley 610-566-1088
Date:	December 14, 2004

Third & Fourth Graders at The School in Rose Valley Embark on Learning Expeditions

December 14, 2004 – Third and fourth graders at The School in Rose Valley (SRV) have dived into the all-school theme of ‘Expeditions’ this year with gusto! Teachers at this grade level have designed their classroom curriculum to include as many expeditions inside and outside of the classroom as possible. The School strives through its philosophy to make learning purposeful and active for students by offering experiences that make learning come alive. Students who are immersed in a subject matter they are passionate about internalize more information and retain it in a more meaningful way. In celebration of the 200th Anniversary of the Lewis and Clark expedition, students embarked on an integrated social studies, literacy, scientific and mathematical study of these courageous explorers. As part of their research, they visited The Franklin Institute to view the movie “Lewis and Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery.” The film sparked much interest in the subject matter. In addition to other projects, third and fourth graders were inspired to create their own dug-out canoes much like the Native Americans who assisted Lewis and Clark on their expedition westward. Students searched the Saul Nature Preserve that borders the school’s 8.5 acre campus to find logs they could chisel out and transform into handmade canoes. Later in the school year, they will take the school’s collection of real canoes on an expedition to The Delaware Water Gap . A tradition at the third and fourth grade level at SRV, canoeing and camping provide children with rich experiences in independence, teamwork, cooperation and self-awareness.

Another unit of study about migratory birds provided opportunities for expeditions to Hawk Mountain (a lookout point along the migratory path of many species), Mineral Hill (part of the Middletown Memorial Park in Media), and Conowingo Dam (in Maryland). These sites proved to be the perfect spots to do some serious bird watching, sketching, and note taking in their journals about the birds they were able to identify or wanted to research further. A representative from the Great Valley Nature Center helped prepare students for these trips by bringing a live Red-tailed hawk, a Short-eared owl, Screech owl, Broadwinged hawk, and many other birds and bird-related artifacts into their classrooms one afternoon early in the school year.

Regular expeditions to Red Hill Farm, a community supported agriculture project in Aston that SRV has formed a close partnership with, are part of the students’ science and service learning curriculum. At Red Hill, students learn about organic farming, soil composting, the origins of the many foods they eat, and about the different growing seasons of different crops. While there, children help the farmers by harvesting vegetables, pulling weeds, laying straw before a frost and planting.
This kind of active, hands on learning is part of The School in Rose Valley experience at all grade levels. This co-ed preschool through 6th grade founded in the progressive educational tradition in 1929 is not your typical elementary school. Its emphasis on children as partners in their own learning, combined with a curriculum based on state and national standards, creates an environment for learning that is filled with joy and an authentic love of learning.

Accredited by the Pennsylvania Association of Private Academic Schools, the school is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. Go to the school’s web site for more information about SRV’s curriculum, philosophy, woodshop program and more.

* * *

Dana Marcus, Admissions Director