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Peninsula School

Peninsula School

A PLACE THAT MAKES LEARNING IRRESISTIBLE!

Engaged Teachers Who Engage Children.

Peninsula School is the best example of what a small, progressive school can be. Parents choose Peninsula School because it is a place where children love coming to school. And it's no wonder they do.

With a high teacher to student ratio and a focus on the social and emotional development of children, every student is known and respected.

We provide ample time and space for children to be children - to roam our expansive, natural campus and to have the freedom to make choices throughout their days.

Our time with children is used well. Skillful teachers incorporate their students' natural curiosity and interests, foster their creativity with abundant arts, and stimulate their intellects with teaching that favors questioning, analysis, and depth over breadth.

Because Peninsula is known for values that include embracing diversity, inclusivity, and a commitment to social justice, we attract families who place a priority on community.

Peninsula has a long history of nurturing each individual's interests and talents, and our graduates are a testament to this. They enter a wide array of high schools, colleges and universities and stand out as enthusiastic lifelong learners who are curious, creative, and community minded. Later in life, Peninsula alumni have chosen varied paths in life from astronauts to musicians, engineers to authors, business owners to teachers.

Engaged Teachers Who Engage Children.

Peninsula teachers are dedicated to the development of each child and are skilful practitioners of progressive education. The opportunity for teachers to form close bonds with students, to have a voice in how they teach, and to continually update and deepen their practices through generous funding for professional development, makes Peninsula such an exciting and fulfilling place to teach that many teachers spend their entire careers here.

  • Peninsula teachers recognize individual learning styles and adapt lessons to provide multiple paths to learning.
  • They are practiced at asking questions that lead students to inquire, experiment, take risks, explore and think critically to broaden and deepen their understanding.
  • They have the autonomy to approach their teaching with flexibility and creativity.
  • They know how to engage students to be active participants in their learning and to advocate for their needs.
  • Our teachers place great emphasis on diversity and on respect for individuals for their similarities and for their differences.
  • Peninsula teachers understand the essential role that joy and wonder play in learning.


Peninsula Makes Learning Irresistible!

Teaching that is responsive to the interests and abilities of students and creative instructional approaches have been hallmarks of Peninsula's progressive philosophy of teaching for over 90 years.

Academic subjects are approached from a number of perspectives; they are woven into class projects and learning activities and presented through games, manipulatives, and other experiential ways of learning.

Our focus is on building deep, critical thinking and engaging students to be active participants in their learning in a non-competitive environment. As a result, our students learn naturally and enthusiastically and immerse themselves in topics to satisfy their own intellectual curiosity.

Classrooms for younger students (five- to ten-year-olds) are multi-aged, allowing us to group children in classes that match their social, emotional, and cognitive level where they feel both supported and challenged.

Play at Peninsula is indispensable to learning. Our curriculum is steeped in play from the very early years right up through eighth grade. With younger children play, including digging in sand, building with blocks, and pretending with friends, builds the foundations of social and intellectual development. For older children, play is broad and wideranging and integrates with academics as a catalyst for critical analysis creativity, and questioning - maintaining child's innate curiosity for a lifetime.

Social and Emotional Skills Are as Important as Academics.

Learning to be a strong individual while honoring the strength of diversity and community are essential lessons for life in a rapidly changing world and form the very core of Peninsula School values.

Teachers spend countless hours with students, in both structured and unstructured settings, helping them appreciate the power of listening and reflection to better understand the perspectives and feelings of others and to better comprehend the depth of their own feelings. Every classroom has a class meeting each day. Class meetings may appear simple, but a closer look reveals children engaging in social democracy, finding their voice, learning how to resolve conflicts, and building consensus. They learn how to compromise, how to disagree, and how to take responsibility for their choices, and they develop confidence and autonomy in the process. We are excited that you chose to explore Peninsula. School. We invite you to visit for a more in-depth look.

Children Feel Ownership

Creating opportunities for children to have choices and to make decisions provides them with lessons they will use at every stage of life. Having choices and a voice in decisions are fundamental elements of a Peninsula education dating back to our founding in 1925 Choices throughout the day may be simple or complex: where to play and what to play, which activity class to take, how to solve a math problem, what project to work on, where to camp and what to cook for trips. Older students often lead class meetings and have input on the agenda. Peninsula teachers are particularly skilled in guiding students in analyzing choices and discussing the responsibilities and impacts of their decisions.

Here are a few examples of how having choices and a voice have resulted in activism at Peninsula:

  • When contractors began to remove a large mound of dirt left-over from a campus excavation, eight-year-old students made a proposal to school administration to keep it as a play feature. Their proposal was accepted!
  • Seventh- and eighth- grade students wanted an interscholastic basketball team. They organized themselves, made a request, and discussed it w i t h their teachers. As a result, several teachers agreed to coach them and - schedule games with other schools.
  • After studying the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, nine-year-old students decided to publish a "Book of Dreams" inspired by Martin Luther King, Jr. that contained stories art aid poetry. They sold copies of the book raising $1,000 for the International Rescue Committee.

"Activities" time occurs for one hour each day. Beginning with six-yearolds, children choose the activity they will attend on that day. With options that include weaving, art, woodshop, music, ceramics, science, library, and physical education, it can be a tough choice! Activities classes are multi-age which allows friendships to develop across age ranges and strengthens community bonds.

We invite you to visit us and experience Peninsula School for yourself.

PENINSULA SCHOOL · 920 PENINSULA WAY, MENLO PARK, CA 94025
· TEL (650) 325-1584 · info@peninsulaschool.org