Our Story and Beliefs

Our Beliefs

Who We Are

We are a home-grown, grass-roots, local independent study charter school.  We believe that every family should have the ability to choose their child’s education and we have worked diligently to create a school that supports that belief.  We also believe that community creates a school, which is why we are proud to offer a local alternative to the large independent study charter schools. Our founders and our staff all live and work locally. They are part of our community in both word and deed. We are teacher led and community created.

Our Journey

Our charter is new but our community has existed in one form or another for the past 15 years.  In an earlier incarnation, we existed under the auspices of an umbrella charter held by a large Charter Management Organization based in Southern California.  We understand the dangers and challenges of not having a truly local charter. We are thrilled to be operating for the first time under our own charter. Our founders all live locally and are passionate advocates for educational choice and individualized learning opportunities.  Their drive comes from wanting this choice for their own families and for their own children. Our director is a committed and experienced educator and has been a happy resident of the North Bay for the last 20 years.

Our Quest

We believe in the joy and power of community and want to keep building ours.  We are seeking like-minded families to join our community and to help us empower homeschool families to choose the education that best fits their whole child.  We are creating a thriving local Independent Study Program that embraces a large community of homeschoolers, providing them with a responsive local team of credentialed teachers, vendors, and administrators, as well as financial support to help offset curriculum and educational expenses.  Our hope is to demonstrate the reasons that charters were created, not as a business enterprise, but to provide a local alternative that serves and supports communities of learners who are making a different educational choice.

Our Story

We believe in the unique wonder of each child.
We believe in the power of doing.
We believe academics can be both rigorous and joyous.
We believe dirt is good; Nature is our first home and our greatest teacher.
We believe by exploring the world we discover ourselves.
We believe that truth, beauty and goodness exist and are important.
We believe the study of another language allows us to experience ourselves differently.
We believe that both the heart and mind are essential elements in education.
We believe in Rudolf Steiner’s picture of child development.
We believe music connects us with the universal nature of being human.
We believe service is a gift to both the community and ourselves.
We believe that social intelligence is the key to elevating our humanity.
We believe love is our first language.
We believe that every family has the freedom to choose their child’s educational path.
We believe that community creates a school.
We believe every individual has the capacity to change the world.