Our Mission

"Welsh Hills School is special experience.  A family atmosphere without the added pressure of some independent schools.  My kids are happy to go to school, which is a miracle." -- parent of two kids, one each in Toddler and Children's House

Vision Statement:  We envision teaching every student to be confident, respectful, knowledgeable, and inquisitive, and inspiring them to become self-motivated lifelong learners.

Mission Statement:   To provide children, during the critical years of their development, with a personalized education that creates a strong academic foundation, builds self-esteem, develops character, and promotes a lifelong love of learning.
   

Who We Are: Welsh Hills is an accredited, co-educational independent school, located in Granville, Ohio, for children 18 months to 14 years of age.   Our excellent teachers are highly qualified to provide a personalized, academically challenging education for children, to carry out the school’s philosophy and to model character qualities.   We offer a Montessori education for children 18 months to 9 years of age, and integrate Montessori concepts with complementary learning approaches for older children. The curriculum is based on developmental groupings rather than grade levels.   The school, founded in 1979, is housed in a custom-designed facility built around an 1810 farmhouse. The schoolhouse provides a warm, comfortable and safe environment perfectly suited to the school’s teaching and learning philosophy.

What We Do:

We recognize that each child is a unique individual. We provide a warm, organized and disciplined environment in which children are comfortable to focus on learning. 

We offer a carefully designed curriculum based on a well-established understanding of children’s intellectual, social and physical development. The curriculum not only includes the skills and information children need to learn, but its design also recognizes that children learn and mature at different rates.  

This developmental approach to teaching and learning is exemplified in the structure of the school. There are five programs: Toddlers (ages 18 - 36 months); Children’s House (ages 3 – 6; equivalent to pre-school thru kindergarten); Primary (ages 6 – 9; equivalent to 1st - 3rd grades); Intermediate (ages 9 – 12; equivalent to 4th – 6th grades); and Middle School (age 12 – 14; equivalent to 7th – 8th grades). The children in each program learn in multi-age classroom groups.

The multi-age classroom is conducive to individual achievement and social development, and supports each child’s natural desire to learn. Within the multi-age classroom, teachers challenge students at all levels and the students reinforce what they've learned and attain leadership qualities by helping peers.

The student-to-teacher ratio is no more than 14:1. Teachers can work closely with each student and develop an understanding of each student’s abilities, learning style and progress, and thereby personalize the education of each child.

Children develop confidence and master the curriculum by exploring the learning opportunities in the classroom, experimenting, making choices, solving problems, and making mistakes. In addition, students apply their skills to projects both in the classroom and through school-wide directed studies and service learning projects. Moreover, their ideas, creations, and discoveries are valued and displayed in the classroom and throughout the school.

Students have the freedom to progress through the curriculum at their own pace. Each child has the time they need to master key concepts in the areas of language arts, math, social studies, science, Spanish, music, visual arts, physical education & fitness, and technology & information literacy. Teachers ensure that they achieve academic and developmental milestones over the course of a program.

In all subject areas of the curriculum, students learn the critical components of language arts: listening, speaking, writing and reading.

Beginning at age 3, students learn conversational Spanish and study the customs and cultures of Spanish-speaking people.

Each child’s progress is assessed using well-established academic and developmental benchmarks. Careful assessment permits teachers to make appropriate instructional decisions for each child.

Character development occurs in several ways. First, each child learns a self-management plan that provides immediate, structured and effective tools for respectful social interactions and for resolving social conflicts. Second, teachers model respectful behavior and pay careful attention to how children treat each other. Finally, school-wide activities help children learn to interact with individuals outside of their developmental group.

School-wide learning opportunities, including Monday morning meeting, directed study, continent study, community service, service learning, performances, and community sing, enhance the academic curriculum, develop character and strengthen the school community.

Welsh Hills School nurtures the child and inspires the mind.