Mission
Our goal is to enable each student to leave Mantua as a productive and responsible citizen, literate in words, numbers and the arts, and prepared to be an effective problem solver in our complex technologically dependent world.
Mantua Elementary School is located in a well-established community in Fairfax, Virginia (USA). It is home to a diverse student population of over 900 students. Mantua strives to meet the individual needs of all of our students through the use of flexible grouping, creative scheduling, and differentiated instruction. In addition we provide specialized support for our students who are part of the following programs: English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), Special Education (SpEd), Advanced Academic Program (AAP Center) for third through sixth grade, Total Communication Program for Students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (D/HOH) for preschool through sixth grade.
Vision
The school and community have a shared vision for elementary education based on Ernest Boyer’s Basic School philosophy paired with tenets from DuFour/DuFour’s Professional Learning Communities (PLC). As part of the Basic School Network, Mantua focuses on proven elementary best practices; the school as a community, a curriculum with coherence, a climate for learning, and a commitment to character. Teachers and specialists, at each grade level, work in professional learning teams to assess their students’ needs and design integrated curricula using the Basic School’s eight commonalities: life cycle, use of symbols, group membership, time and space, the aesthetic, nature, producing and consuming, and living with purpose. Teachers also incorporate brain-based learning strategies within their lessons. Students are engaged in collaborative project-based learning activities that develop and apply their problem solving abilities. Specialists incorporate content based grade level curriculum within their discipline while developing students’ appreciation for languages, healthy living habits, and the arts. All grade levels participate in a Foreign Language Exposure Program (FLES) in Italian. Teachers have a commitment to the thoughtful integration of technology and students and teachers use technology to simplify, facilitate and enhance the learning process.
At Mantua, each grade level or K-2 family functions as a mini-community that embraces all of their students. Parents partner with the school in their children’s education, through volunteer efforts, ongoing communications and extra-curricular community building activities. Mantua students are encouraged to reach out to their community and beyond through acts of compassion and service learning activities.