Our Vision

It is our belief that the public school systems in this country do not develop our children’s academic potential to their fullest. Studies show that children educated in other countries perform much better on standardized tests than our own children. Many countries begin formal full-day schooling at age four. Most children can begin reading before the age of four if appropriately taught, while our public schools begin teaching reading in first grade, age 6-7. To this end, we will begin taking children at age 3 into an educational preschool environment.

We believe that, at least until the highest grades, there is need for only minimal homework. Six or more hours per day of school is adequate learning time if well utilized, and children need unencumbered time outside of school to spend with their families and friends.

Very few American children enter graduate school for doctoral degrees in mathematics and the sciences. Foreign students fill these positions. The reasons for this are unclear, but may relate to underexposure of our children to the wonders of math and science at younger ages. University level scientific education in this country is excellent, however this may be too late for many students to develop the love of science that would prompt pursuit of graduate level training.

Physical activity is underemphasized in public school systems. There is an epidemic of childhood obesity in this country, which stems from lack of physical activity and poor food choices / excessive caloric intake. We believe that physical activity should represent a substantial part of each day. We further believe that children need to be educated to eat a well balanced diet and acquire tastes for more healthy and diverse foods. To these ends, the daily routine will include ample physical activity and both breakfast and lunch will be provided by the school, designed to be well balanced and provide exposure to a variety of world cuisines.

The best time to learn another language is in early childhood. We intend to begin foreign language training at the preschool level. Motivation for learning other languages should be reinforced by travel to places where this language is used. We plan to offer chaperoned trips to other places during the year so that children can begin to use their foreign language skills and understand the utility of these skills. Travel locations will also be coordinated with cultural and historical education so that the children can experience the things they have learned about from other cultures and times within a short time.

Our school will educate children from ages 3 to 14 initially (preschool to 7th grade), with the intention of expanding the grade range to cover all grades through high school as years ensue. We will provide opportunities for those children in our community who clearly demonstrate a strong desire and passion for education, but whose family does not have the financial capacity to attend RASA.

Children will be assigned to a base group that will consist of peers of their own age for physical education, handwriting (younger ages), science, foreign language, history, art, and music. Math and Reading/English will be based on achievement. At these times students will attend class with their academic peers regardless of age. Advancement between class levels will be based on standardized testing on a quarterly basis.

Computer use and keyboarding will be incorporated throughout the curriculum. An optional class in computer programming is being offered to interested students.

Physical education will focus on sport skills that will have lifelong utility. These will include, but are not limited to, dance, tennis, golf, soccer, running, swimming, and martial arts. Sports with a high injury potential will be avoided. The Rochester Athletic Club will be the site of many activities, and an agreement has been reached regarding staffing and facilities. Membership at the RAC will not be required.

Art & Music will be a mixture of learning to draw, paint, and sculpt, didactic teaching for music reading, music appreciation including a variety of musical styles, and learning to play instruments. Use of industry standard software (Photoshop, Illustrator) will be incorporated into the art curriculum as well.

Optional school trips will be scheduled during the off times. These trips will incur extra expense, but we will make every effort to minimize these costs. Parents and other family members are welcome, but not required. In foreign countries, at least one chaperone will be fluent in the language of the country to be visited, and at least one chaperone will be a medical doctor.

We understand that some families have two working parents while others do not. For those that do, younger children require further arrangements for supervision after school until the work day is complete. We intend to start school at 7:45, but optional before school care will begin at 6:30 AM, and after school activities until will continue until 6 PM to accomodate the end of the work day. We envision the range of activities extending from simple supervised play to one on one and group lessons in various curricular and extracurricular disciplines. We will work with private individuals to coordinate group lessons and sports activities based on collective interest. This will decrease parental "shuttling", and most likely decrease the cost of these extracurricular activities. There will be an extra fee for extended care and these activities which will be specific to the activity.

Many parents have expressed interest in contributing to the school in the form of small selective classes, usually related to their fields of expertise or hobby interests. We are grateful to any parents who wish to donate their time and skills in this manner and will make every effort to accomodate them. We recognize that this will not coordinate with the schedules of most parents and there is no expectation of this level of participation.

School supplies and texts will be provided at as part of tuition and supply fees. A school uniform will also be required.