Satori ChaRter School

Satori is a preschool and primary school designed to meet the special intellectual, emotional, behavioral, and social needs of gifted and inquisitive children.

We offer gifted children and their families an alternative educational setting where each child is recognized for his/her unique gifts. Because our curriculum is self-directed, we allow children to work at their own pace in the own unique styles. While this approach can benefit any child, for a gifted child it is essential.

Satori’s program nurtures the child while celebrating creativity and cooperation. We consider it vital that children find education exciting, because those feelings inspire learning. It is critical that tomorrow’s adults know how to learn, how to work with others, and how to become lifelong learners.

Satori students learn early to respect each other, their community, and their environment. Children participate in projects such as recycling, gardening, community service, and science fairs that expand their experiences. They encounter arts, cultures, sciences, and other curricular enrichment through field trips and guest presentations.

The teaching staff at Satori is composed of dedicated and talented educators drawn together to share their joy of learning with children and their families. Many of Satori’s faculty have completed their masters degrees in education and/or related fields. Because of Satori’s low student-to-teacher ratios, teachers are able to work individually with children and their families.

Satori is one of a handful of schools nationwide that actively applies Dr. Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Gardner identifies eight ways we learn:

• verbal/linguistic

• bodily/kinesthetic

• logical/mathematical

• intrapersonal

• visual/spatial

• musical

• naturalist

Each of us has a unique combination of these intelligences. How we use them determines how we learn. Traditional education teaches through verbal/linguistic and logical/mathematical abilities. Satori teaches through all the intelligences.

At Satori, teachers assess each student’s strengths and monitor learning through the eight intelligences. Children, not textbooks, guide the curriculum. Teachers present content in a variety of ways using a variety of media. Musical thinkers might tune it to math facts through songs and rhymes. Kinesthetic learners may run to touch a letter on the wall as they vocalize the sound. Interpersonal thinkers could use their skills to help other students solve real-life problems.

At an early stage, Satori teaches students how to use their own cluster of intelligences to learn. This knowledge gives them the power to guide their own academic career in the future.

As Satori’s student body exemplifies, giftedness is gender neutral. Our children come from diverse socio-economic, ethnic, and racial backgrounds. Although the children differ greatly in outward appearance and experience, they share a common love learning and curiosity about the world around them. Many quickly learn, moving through subject matter and grade levels at an astounding pace.

Over 30 percent of Satori students receive some form of financial assistance. We strive to keep Satori affordable so that children and their families who need our services can afford them. Over 35 percent of Satori’s students are children of color. We celebrate cultural diversity through exploration, sharing, and family participation.

Gifted children have special needs. When left in a traditional classroom, where schoolwork and subject matter are dictated by grade level and average competency, gifted children often stagnate. In the worst case scenario, they tune out completely. Their gifts are never fully realized and great potential is wasted. If they luckier, they learn to adapt and fit in, but are rarely challenged to perform their full potential. At Satori, we allow gifted children to move unobstructed through subjects, grade level, and competencies.