Our Vision
At Heartwood Public Charter School we utilize a Place-based education model,
providing opportunities for our students to build valuable relationships within our community
through service, experiential learning, and an integrated curriculum.
Why placed-based, project-based, and nature based education?
We are fortunate to live in a region that is defined by its natural beauty, hard-working people, and tight-knit communities. With emphasis on connecting students with their greater community, our place-based model allows students to learn from the people and places around them, while also helping to foster a greater understanding of the value of education within our community. Studies have also shown that learning outside in nature supports creativity and problem solving, enhances cognitive abilities, improves academic performance, and also has physical and mental health benefits. With our approach, we hope to integrate the goals of:
Student Achievement: Placed-Based Education boosts students' engagement, academic achievement, and sense of personal efficacy as stewards of their local environment and community.
Community Social and Economic Vitality: Placed-based education forges strong ties between local social and environmental organizations and their constituencies in the schools and community, which helps to improve quality of life and economic vitality.
Ecological Integrity: Through project and nature-based learning, students make tangible contributions to resolving local environmental issues and conserving local environmental quality.*
*Center for Place-based Learning and Community Engagement
Educational Mission
Heartwood Public Charter School educates students through authentic place-based experiences, empowering them to find meaning, engage deeply, and think critically. By using our community as our classroom, students cultivate a love for learning and explore academics within meaningful contexts. We strive to develop inspired students who become stewards of the earth and active citizens of the world.
Educational Vision
At Heartwood Public Charter School we learn beyond our classroom walls. We provide opportunities for our students to build valuable relationships within our community through service, experiential learning, and an integrated curriculum. We believe our kind, self motivated, and empowered students will grow up to be compassionate, informed, and engaged citizens that will create healthy communities.
At Heartwood, we believe in:
Cultivating a thriving school culture that is embraced and supported by our community.
Delivering an academic experience using place-based education that exceeds the NH State Standards.
Providing differentiated instruction that guides, supports, and enables each student to succeed at their own pace.
Shaping an environment where students are valued, validated, and believe in themselves.
Supporting and encouraging the development of each student’s social-emotional intelligence.
Helping students find their voice, remain curious, and tap into their creative selves.
Using community service to foster a connectedness throughout our local region and our neighborhoods.
Inspiring students to become active shapers of culture, community, and society.
“The more slowly trees grow at first, the sounder they are at the core, and I think the same is true of human beings.”