Mission & Philosophy

Mountain Sunrise Academy: 

an education worthy of the promise inherent in every child

Vision
Mountain Sunrise Academy is a Waldorf charter school in the Salt Lake Valley that provides a comprehensive education program that integrates academics, arts, movement, nature and social responsibility into everyday learning.  Through a culture of holistic learning, our students, teachers, faculty, and families emerge as confident, creative, strong critical thinkers and environmental stewards, empowered to act positively in their own lives and communities.

Mission

Mountain Sunrise Academy provides a K-8 public Waldorf education that is dedicated to the optimal development of each individual child. MSA nurtures intellectual, social and emotional, and physical capacities through an artistic, hands-on, interdisciplinary approach to core academic subjects which enables each student to blossom into an imaginative, engaged, competent, life-long learner. 

Vision and Mission in Action

MSA will be recognized by the community as a highly desirable educational option as its graduates demonstrate creativity, social and emotional awareness, moral reasoning, physical abilities, and academic success in rigorous environments. 

MSA will be will be highly sought after by families in the surrounding community who maintain and seek enrollment.

MSA will cultivate a strong, Waldorf-certified faculty of engaged teachers who together develop a full academic curriculum inspired by Waldorf education that includes language arts and reading, writing, mathematics, social studies, science, multiple foreign languages, and character education taught with an emphasis on the natural world, as well as a specialty curriculum including visual and performing arts, speech, vocal and instrumental music, eurythmy and dance, physical education, handwork, woodwork, gardening and animal husbandry.

MSA will offer an inclusive environment for students of all abilities and backgrounds.  The school community will involve families and reflect the diversity and culture present in the broader community. 

MSA will be supported by strong parent volunteers, dedicated staff, and engaged students who strive together for life-long learning.

The growth and effectiveness of MSA will lead to an expansion of programming, including pre-K, parent-toddler, arts and parent / family support curriculum and future other K-8 campuses and a high school.

Educational Philosophy, Foundation and Culture

The philosophy of Mountain Sunrise Academy is founded upon the conviction that children are innately curious about themselves and the world; they inherently want to learn, discover, and create. The role of the school is to nourish and guide this natural exuberance, energy, and delight in the quest for meaning and knowledge.

Waldorf education is the fastest growing independent school movement in the world.  The modern philosophy behind “Waldorf” education is based on an innovative school started in Stuttgart, Germany in 1919 by the Austrian philosopher, scientist and thinker Rudolf Steiner. In responding to a request to start a school during the cultural upheaval in Germany following World War I, Steiner outlined a model for education that has since inspired many schools called “Waldorf,” after the first Steiner school. In its very inception, the first Waldorf school embraced a sense of equity and social responsibility: educating boys and girls together, being open to all children, stretching across a wide range of grades, and involving teachers in school governance. Underlying all instruction was a three-fold model of human development which understood how in different stages children grew in their capacities to will (or move and do), to feel, and to think.  MSA’s approach to education practice is built on this rich Waldorf philosophy.

Education for All:  MSA believes that every child can excel, every child should be seen and recognized for their unique contributions, and every child should be given the time, space and tools to grow and develop into their highest self. MSA further believes in providing the highest possible educational experience to all students, regardless of race, gender, socio-economic status or ability.

Education for the Whole Child:  The foundation of Waldorf pedagogy is the belief that in order for a child to best develop critical thinking skills, he must cultivate an active imaginative capacity.  Further, it holds that many of the processes required for academic and analytical abilities are connected to physical capabilities.  Waldorf teachers beautifully integrate core academic subjects with arts, movement, music, ethics, and the natural world in order to engage the whole child in every part of the learning process.

This practice wholly engages the child and provides an experiential, multi-sensory context for understanding intellectual concepts. In every lesson, MSA develops a child’s capacities to:

·      “will” or move, do and create (the “Hands”);

·      “feel” or imagine and engage material with a personal connection (the “Heart”); and

·      “think” or analyze and form judgments and conclusions (the “Head”).

A Developmental Approach: The Waldorf approach to education recognizes that certain capacities emerge in students at fairly predictable stages, while also allowing for individual rates of maturation and uniqueness. At each stage, MSA meets the child with a mode of instruction and learning that is suited to their development. This appreciation for the metamorphosis of comprehension underlies both the organization of the curriculum and the changing methods of teaching.

Engaged Teaching: The success of Waldorf methods lies in the hearts of engaged, trained teachers who translate the philosophy into practice. At MSA teachers are artists, creators, experts, mentors, and examples of human beings that are worthy of emulation. Teachers are engaged in school governance and decision making. Teachers are trained in Waldorf methods and pedagogy, including an understanding of how to attend to the needs and abilities of individual students and differentiate instruction. They grow as they follow their students throughout the grades and master new subjects.

MSA’s overall approach is designed to instill not only high standards for academic achievement, as in the Common Core, but also a sustaining degree of intellectual curiosity, creative thinking, problem solving, civic responsibility and creative self-expression, as well as valuable interpersonal and intrapersonal life skills. Cooperation and self-advancement is encouraged rather than outwardly directed competition with the goal of enabling students to freely choose their individual paths in life.

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