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In
the fall of 1980, a group of concerned mothers in the
Blackstone Valley, troubled about the effects of severe funding cuts on
education, met with a small group led by progressive educators Pat and
Ray Budde and pursued the idea of founding an independent school in the
Valley area built around two core principles – developmentally
appropriate curriculum designed to meet the needs of the whole child
and parent participation in a three-way partnership of school, parents,
and students. The number of interested parents at planning meetings
grew and Touchstone Community School opened its doors in September of
1982 with 22 students in two mixed-aged groups, four to six-year-olds
and seven to nine-year-olds.
The educational program was
based on "Five Touchstones":
1. a balanced and integrated
curriculum
2. the child as an active learner
3. a competent and caring staff
4. a challenging and supportive environment for learning
5. a meaningful partnership between parents and teachers
The goal was to enable students to acquire
literacy in the broadest sense – reading, writing, speaking, listening,
and thinking. The early leaders also invited parents to join in the
educational process, based on their conviction that the social,
emotional, physical, and intellectual well-being of everyone in the
school community needs to be supported. Parent involvement has been a
distinctive characteristic of Touchstone School from the beginning.
“Founding parents," as they have come to be known, set the tone for an
extraordinary level of parent involvement and commitment to
parent-teacher partnership continues to this day. Currently, over 90%
of Touchstone parents volunteer at the school.
The new school
committed to remaining accessible to families
of all financial levels, and keeping tuition levels affordable has
always been
one of the highest priorities for the board of trustees. A financial
aid
program was created very early in the school’s history. Financial Aid
supports
40% of students attending Touchstone in this current school year,
meeting about
50% of demonstrated need.
From the beginning, Touchstone Community
School has expanded conservatively. Thanks to the generosity of
families, friends and foundations, three capital campaigns in the first
25 years have provided us with our current attractive campus.
Touchstone is accredited by the Association
of Independent Schools of New England (AISNE). Members of the school
community share a sense of joy and amazement at what has been achieved
since the school's beginning. Our middle school, which we
call our Older Student Program (OSP), was founded in 2004 on
the conviction that the kind of educational experience Touchstone
provides for primary and elementary school aged children should be
extended to include younger adolescents at a time in their lives when
being connected to a close and caring community can be of enormous
benefit. The OSP makes it possible for students to go directly to high
school from Touchstone.
Campus
Touchstone Community School is nestled in
the rolling hills of Grafton, Massachusetts. Located on a wooded,
eight-acre campus, the main school building plus two modules encompass
over 12,000 square feet of interior space, which includes 11
classrooms, a library, a science and arts project room, a conference
room, a gymnasium, a kitchen and a large common room. The atmosphere is
open, relaxed, and inviting with multiple areas for play, study, and
hands-on learning. Two adjoining playing fields, a playground, woods,
and stream are rich in opportunities for environmental learning,
playful recreation, and full engagement of the children with one
another and their environment.
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