Community Testimonials from Teacher Appreciation Week!

Community Testimonials from Teacher Appreciation Week!

Our teachers are the foundation of our school.  We have a faculty made up of some of the most creative, principled and hard working people one can ever hope to have guide our children. We are sincerely grateful for the talent, time and energy that each of our teachers bring to our learning environment. 

In advance of Teacher Appreciation Week 2017 we solicited testimonials from our community of parents and students recognizing the Breakwater faculty. Here are a few.

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Alumni Spotlight: Meredith Coolidge, '11

Alumni Spotlight: Meredith Coolidge, '11

Meredith Coolidge graduated with the class of 2011 after attending Breakwater for nine years. 

In this funny and heartfelt Q&A, Meredith updates us on her adventures, shares a story, remembers faculty, and describes what a Breakwater education means to her.

Are you a Breakwater alumni? Join us Saturday, April 29 for an Alumni Reunion at the Bayside Bowl in Portland from 1-4pm. RSVP here!

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Civics, State House & Honorary Page Program

Civics, State House & Honorary Page Program

When the Maine Senate is convened, the public is invited to visit and see what happens during a Legislative Session. Through a lottery process, several of our students were invited to serve as Honorary Pages at the State House in Augusta.

This opportunity comes as part of the Breakwater 7th and 8th grade's continuing investigation of American civics. Learn more here…

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Middle School Civics, Jed Bloom, and Johana Rivera

Middle School Civics, Jed Bloom, and Johana Rivera

How do citizens make a change in their community and the world? How does an idea become a law? How do social movements work? These are the big questions many of us are thinking about in 2017. The 7th and 8th graders at Breakwater are doing more than thinking - they are engaged in an integrated, immersive Civics Unit, and one student is speaking up in the greater community for a cause. Middle School teacher Jed Bloom and 8th grader Johana Rivera tell us more...

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Curiosity is Life.

Curiosity is Life.

In the John Knight Curiosity Lab, students are encouraged to ask how does it work, why does it work that way, and how could it work. In development at Breakwater, the Curiosity Lab is a physical space designed to not only spark imagination, but scaffold it to help learners develop key readiness skills such as STEM, grit, resilience and self-confidence, and a broader curiosity mindset that prepares them to be active contributors, creators and entrepreneurs. Curious? Read more about Breakwater's tinkering program and the Curiosity Lab...

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Mindfulness + Music

Mindfulness + Music

Beginning with the chime of the singing bowl, calm instruction guides students to “...find your mindful bodies, with long spines, sitting like royalty with your crowns on your heads, notice your breath… ” Focus is brought to where students are in the present moment, and how mindful attention boosts each child’s sense of agency and well being. Working in partnership with colleagues Danielle Gorman is bringing mindfulness practice and music to Breakwater’s toddler through grade four students. Read more... 

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Breakwater + Community Programs

Breakwater + Community Programs

The goal of our Community Programs initiative is to allow a wider audience to experience "The Breakwater Way.” We are exploding our doors and bringing the principles of the Breakwater learning model to programs that invite diversified participation, expand our reach, and, importantly, contribute to the broader community commons. Courtney Cronin is Breakwater’s new Community Programs Specialist. Read more about Courtney, community programming, and how Breakwater is growing....

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Meet Josiah Pierce

Meet Josiah Pierce

Breakwater grandparent, committed conservationist, businessman, and the new Chair of our Board of Trustees. When Jo’s grandchildren started their Breakwater experience, Jo made sure to get involved. He shared school drop off and pick up duties and he came to school events. When asked to become involved at the Board level, Jo said yes - if it supports his grandchildren, the answer is always yes. For Jo's biography, and more about our Board of Trustees, read on...

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