About NOVA
Mission
NOVA School is an independent middle school for highly capable students, offering a challenging and engaging curriculum in a uniquely personal environment. NOVA guides the social and emotional development of each student emphasizing respect, responsibility, and active participation in a supportive community.
Core values
We believe that our mission statement provides a focused framework for our decision making and that the specific focus of our mission statement is a helpful guide for channeling our energy and resources effectively.
We believe that 10- 14 year olds have specific developmental needs. Highly capable students have an additional subset of needs, and it is possible for both to be effectively addressed in our school setting.
We believe that students learn best in a positive environment that is safe, stimulating and challenging. Students should feel safe emotionally, physically and intellectually, and be able to take reasonable risks without fear of failure. Activities should be engaging and designed to be sufficiently challenging to promote student growth.
We believe that there are a set of basic academic competencies that all young people should develop; however, there is much more to an academic education. We value the ability to engage our students in applying their skills to higher level thinking, to real life applications, and to studying subject matter in depth.
In addition to emphasizing academics, we believe in nurturing and encouraging our students to be well-rounded people.
We believe that middle school education should be a triangular partnership between teacher, student, and parent, with each having a role to play in the education of the student. However, because middle school is the time when students are making the bridge to independence in their academic lives, we believe in creating a structure that encourages self-direction and problem solving.
We value effective communication in all aspects of our work: among teachers, students, parents, and administration. We believe that communication is most effective when it is respectful, direct, clear, timely, and thorough.
We believe that each student is entitled to our best efforts, and we strive to ensure that this occurs by keeping the class sizes small, modeling desired behaviors and values, and by being consistent and fair. We value being engaged with each student individually so that a strong rapport is fostered.
We value having a diverse school community. We believe in developing a supportive school community that fosters a sense of belonging of each member, where all members feel safe, and their diverse ideas, values, and beliefs are accepted.
We believe in teaching and modeling ethical decision making. Our students need tools and information to make good decisions and benefit from the guidance of caring adults in order to learn to do so.
In holding high standards, we believe in creating an environment that requires high levels of student self discipline and work ethic in order to help them utilize their gifts and realize their potential.
We value a professional climate that develops and best utilizes the talents and energies of each adult for the betterment of the school. This climate…
…empowers teachers to have a voice and take decision making responsibility
…has an administrative structure with minimal hierarchy and administrators who remain close to the “pulse” of the students and the faculty
…encourages all concerned to understand and appreciate the efforts of everyone
…fosters consistent collegial interactions.
We believe the role of the NOVA Board of Directors is to provide direction for long term planning, fiscal oversight, establishment of policy, and evaluation of the Director.