The Whitby Difference

Naomi & Vivien

Academic Rigor, Redefined for the 21st Century

Schools that associate academic rigor with test taking, hours of homework and rote memorization of facts are preparing students for success in the last century.

"An individual’s success in the 21st century will be entirely dependent on his or her ability to think critically and creatively about the challenges they face."

Rigor at Whitby is much more expansive as we provide our students with opportunities to explore real-world concepts and issues, challenge assumptions, think critically, and acquire skills that they will need to apply throughout their educational and future professional journeys.

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Triple Accreditation Puts Us In a Class of Our Own

Whitby is recognized by three accrediting bodies - the American Montessori Society, the International Baccalaureate Organization, and the Connecticut Association of Independent Schools.

All three accrediting bodies require an in-depth self-study that involves most of the staff and takes the school a year to complete.

The commendations and recommendations of the self-study, when validated by the accrediting agencies, ensure we remain focused on our mission and progressive in our continued commitment to provide an exceptional learning continuum for our students.

Your Child's Questions Will Change the World

Inquiry-based learning is the basis for how our children learn. Starting in the earliest years, our students are encouraged to post questions on their classroom's Wonder Board.

As they move up through the grades on their learning journey, their questions become the foundation of their inquiry and research into the world around them.

The genius part of this process is that the questions spark their curiosity and then their curiosity leads to more questions.

Students are more committed to finding answers for the ones they are asking,  instead of the ones being asked. 


MS English: Six Words. One Story.

 

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Your Child, In the Driver's Seat of Their Education

We're happy to share the ingredients of our not-so-secret recipe for making your child into a lifelong learner.

  • First, give students the freedom to explore and inquire into the world around them.
  • Second, provide them with lots of opportunities for reflection as well as time for collaboration with their peers. Then, give them the tools to assess themselves as learners.
  • Next, give them the opportunity to present their learning in Student-led Parent-Teacher Conferences.
  • Finally, repeat these steps over-and-over for 12 years. If you followed this recipe then you will end up with children who take ownership of the learning process, have a vision to chart their own course and the strength to learn whatever, whenever needed.

Remember, students are far more committed to the outcome when they have a voice and a choice.

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Academics are Just One Piece of the Puzzle

We all know academics are important, but only focusing on them is like watering one leaf of a plant.

"At Whitby, we understand that the joy and challenge of learning needs to extend well beyond the classroom so we embrace the idea of focusing on the whole child."

This means that we provide opportunities to support our students' social, emotional, and physical needs along with their academic needs.

One highly visible example of how we achieve this is through our co-curricular program which provides students with opportunities to engage in a wide array of after-school classes that extend learning from the core subjects.

Some of the class titles that we offer include: Comic Creations, Global Video Game Developers, Kung Fu Tiger, Circuit Adventures, Beginner Crochet, Slimy - Scaly - Ooey - Gooey, Advanced Chinese, and 3D Printing.

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Differentiating Learning Through a Low Student-Teacher Ratio

Forget the "one-size fits all" approach to education where one teacher teaches a large group of students all at the same level. At Whitby, our multi-teacher classrooms allow us to differentiate the instruction on a small group or even individual basis.

Teachers observe, mentor, challenge and assess, while providing their students with the freedom needed to inquire, explore, and develop a deeper love of learning.

When we say multi-teacher classroom, we don't mean one teacher and one assistant.  Two to three fully certified teachers work in each classroom in the Lower School as well as the Children's House.

Happiness Found in the Service of Others

We think Gandhi was so right when he said that the best way to find oneself is to lose oneself in the service of others. At Whitby, we make volunteerism a key part of our student's experience.

"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others."
-Mahatma Gandhi

If you live locally, then you may have even seen our students around town volunteering at different organizations such as SoundWaters, Bruce Museum, Red Cross, Adopt-A-Dog and Boys and Girls Club.

The best part of community service is that it is a win-win situation for the students who learn to develop empathy, humility and leadership skills, as well as the organizations the students are volunteering at as they get free labor. In turn, the people being helped by those same organizations receive the extra support.

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why is community service important

See the Whitby Difference in Person

Register for an Admissions Event

 

 Accepting applications for the 2025-2026 school year. Click here to register for Fall Open House Events.