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Keswick School Academics
Our philosophy of education encompasses all aspects of student growth, both academic and social/emotional. For many of our students, the classroom has been a place of consistent struggle. We know the antidote to this history of difficulty is providing a setting where students feel safe and confident enough to take the risks necessary to grow. We tailor the learning environment to highlight the individual strengths of each student while also providing support for their learning needs. We promote a positive attitude towards learning and encourage our students to develop the skills necessary to remain lifelong learners.
Our five classrooms are staffed by teachers certified by the Virginia State Department of Education. A dedicated, highly trained classroom aide is assigned to each group. An academic support counselor, a shift supervisor, the Director of Academic Services, and three loyal therapy dogs are all present in the Academic Center for additional social-emotional and behavioral support.
Students are placed in classrooms based on consideration of their grade level, student skills development, and social-developmental needs. Each classroom has a maximum of eight students and is primarily self-contained, except for a daily math class where students switch classes based on the curriculum. Because of our small classroom sizes and high number of staff to students, we routinely differentiate instruction to accommodate each student’s strengths and needs. We provide a high level of individualized support and enrichment.
Occupational, speech-language, and art therapy, as well as primary therapy services, support student learning by collaborating on important student skills, including executive functioning, personal competence, and self-regulation. These services occur in pull-out sessions and are also provided through integrated, push-in sessions in which the therapist works in the learning setting with the student to apply skills and concepts to real-life situations.
Keswick School maintains a high academic standard while balancing therapy and social development for each student. We use a multi-disciplinary approach to treat the whole child, emphasizing cognitive, social, emotional, artistic, and athletic attributes to develop each child’s unique sense of self. In addition to achievement as measured by standard assessments, students learn to be lifelong learners. Some of the lifelong goals include:
- Plan and conduct research
- Gather, organize, and analyze data
- Think analytically and critically
- Understand and apply principles of logic and reasoning
- Seek, recognize, and understand systems, relationships, and patterns
- Apply and adapt a variety of strategies to solve problems
- Acquire and use precise language to communicate ideas
- Explore and express ideas and opinions using media, the arts, and technology
- Demonstrate ethical behavior and respect for others
- Participate in the context of the community
- Understand and practice a physically active and healthy lifestyle
- Learn to use strategies to plan, monitor, and evaluate one’s work
