A cooperative, non-competitive environment for our students is created with the help of a curriculum called Tribes. The Tribes program empowers children by encouraging self-esteem, teaching cooperative problem solving skills, and giving children a voice in the classroom. An important component of Tribes is a daily circle in which the children practice the four Tribes norms:

students in a circle

• Mutual respect
• The right to pass
• Attentive listening
• Appreciation/No put-downs

These norms provide a behavior code that the students follow in the classroom and on the playground.

Visit Tribes on the Web, for more information about our philosophy.