Our Academic Program

At Sheridan, our goals are simple, yet bold. From the outset, we build a community of learners where students feel known, valued and safe to take risks. We affirm and celebrate the cultures, identities, interests, and passions of all students and families. We foster joy in learning and love for school while developing resiliency, self-confidence, independence, interdependence and problem-solving skills. Against this backdrop, our students acquire and deepen foundational academic skills across myriad subjects. 

Guided by the tenets of Reading and Writing Workshop, we instill a love of reading and writing in our students across all of our grades. Concepts integral to our reading and writing curriculum include audience, purpose, structure, strategy, meaning, craft and voice. Students leave Sheridan able to confidently use written and spoken language not only for communication, but for learning and reflection and for social and personal fulfillment.

Social Studies at Sheridan focuses on the use of active inquiry, collaboration, and problem-solving to explore political, social, and economic issues from multiple perspectives. Teachers help social studies come to life through in-depth research projects and hands-on, engaging learning experiences, including simulations and field trips. 

Sheridan’s Math Program provides students with the skills and understandings necessary to problem solve effectively, reason mathematically, calculate fluently and accurately, communicate their math thinking, and apply what they know to complex, real-life situations. 

Sheridan’s science program prepares students to think as scientists, instills a lifelong love of the natural world, and encourages students to use scientific reasoning throughout their lives. It includes a balance of the disciplines of science (earth, physical, space, and life) with a focus on building students’ scientific skills and practices. Throughout the grades, students actively engage in scientific inquiry in the laboratory and in the field.

Our integrated Spanish program is a rigorous, joyful, playful, and authentic way for students to gain proficiency in an additional language and to foster a love of language learning and culture.  Students leave Sheridan proficient in Spanish and inspired to continue their studies in high school, either by deepening their understanding of Spanish or by pursuing a new language.

We develop in our students a love of music, an awakening of musical creativity, and an appreciation and deep respect for the music of many cultures. Our instructional approach is based on Orff-Schulwerk, a hands-on approach incorporating movement, singing, playing instruments, and dramatic expression in a developmental sequence. 

We believe all of our students are artists.  Inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach, our program supports students as they develop an individual artistic vision that is informed by their own experiences, ideas, and understandings, as well as being grounded in the fundamental elements and principles of art. 

Sheridan’s physical education program prepares children to be physically active and make healthy choices throughout their lives. The curriculum is based on the National Association for Sport and Physical Education Standards. Through cooperative and competitive activities, students learn how to work as part of a team and how to deal constructively with competition.

Rich in content, stimulating, joyful and full of possibility, the Sheridan library draws children to its space where they seek, reflect on, understand, evaluate, build and share ideas.  Through Maker Learning, the library also serves as a place of “doing,” rather than simply receiving, encouraging students to actively engage in their learning. 

Technology is taught throughout the Sheridan curriculum and integrated into all courses. Sheridan students experience visual programming using MIT’s Scratch, hybrid learning using Khan Academy, 3D design using Autodesk and, as a Google Apps for Education school, students work completely in the cloud. Multimedia creation experiences, including image and video editing, are a core component of work in the Middle School.

Through learning experiences at our Mountain Campus and other outdoor locations, students develop a strong connection to the environment, explore how society impacts the natural world, investigate and analyze environmental issues, and take individual and collective action towards preserving and protecting our natural world.  

Our electives courses, offered to students in Grades 3-8, give students the opportunity to engage in high-interest, interdisciplinary work that supplements our regular curriculum and provides students with an opportunity for choice.  Options include classes in Music, Art and STEAM/Design.