MADDUX THE
SCHOOL
Building strong foundations for learning and friendship
Founded in 2004, The Maddux School celebrates different learning styles, personalities, and interests of young children.
THE MADDUX SCHOOL
At a Glance
Program Features
• Private general education day school • Licensed by the Maryland State Department of Education • Full-day Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, First, and Second Grade Classes • Average Class Size 10 – 12 • Student/Teacher Ratio 5:1 • Unique curriculum emphasizing social learning and strong academics • Highly-qualified, Master’s Degree Level Teachers • Integrated Speech/Language and Occupational Therapies • Students from throughout Maryland, Northern Virginia, and Washington, DC
• Challenging, state-approved curriculum • Comprehensive, researchsupported social learning curriculum • Multi-sensory, trans-disciplinary, developmentally-appropriate instruction • Emphasis on problem-solving, building confidence, and selfregulation • Integrated speech and occupational therapy for all students • Instruction and support for pragmatic language development and learning differences • Art, library, music, physical education, technology, and yoga • After-school special interest and sports enrichment • Strong parent-partnership model
FROM THE DIRECTOR
At The Maddux School, our mission is to promote strong academic, communication, and social foundations in a warm, nurturing setting. We provide small, structured classes with specialized social and language supports for young children in pre-kindergarten through second grade. Our goal is to nurture a love of learning by teaching children how to learn. Through individualized and differentiated instruction, we maintain high academic standards while addressing social challenges, learning differences, and self-esteem concerns. With our unique social learning curriculum, social opportunities and skill development are embedded in all activities throughout the day and across core subjects including math, language arts, and science as well as in specials such as art, music, and technology.
“We are so thankful that our son has the Maddux staff to support, encourage, and teach him. Beyond all that he has accomplished academically and socially, he is so happy at Maddux. He feels safe and secure and loved— which is perhaps the most important part of any child’s education. We breathe a sigh of relief each day knowing that he is in your very capable and loving hands.” - Former Maddux Parent
We invite you to visit our school and experience the magic of Maddux! Andrea Mullins Director The Maddux School
1
OUR STAFF
The staff at The Maddux School is a group of nurturing professional educators, therapists, consultants, and administrators. Their experience, training, and innovative ideas help each student reach his or her fullest potential. Classroom teachers, speech pathologists, and occupational therapists collaborate to present challenging academics using creative, engaging, and interactive lessons. Each activity is designed as an opportunity to target specific skills and incorporate instructional strategies, giving all students the tools they need to participate fully. With dedication, insight, and flexibility, our staff creates a supportive and exciting environment in which Maddux students can learn and achieve.
2
“The staff at Maddux is truly extraordinary. They take a group of children with different issues and mold them into a beautiful community by understanding and appreciating them and teaching each child to be his or her own special self. They do it with a perfect balance of discipline and structure, and nurturing and love. There is no other school like it.� - Former Maddux Parent
THE MADDUX MODEL A truly wonderful and uniquely special aspect of The Maddux School is our approach to teaching through the Arts. As students work to build a strong foundation of academic skills and develop a strong sense of self, they are also taken on a journey that exposes them to rich literary experiences and awe-inspiring creations. Our social studies and social skills units are the jumping-off point for an integrated approach that focuses on designing, constructing, and creating. Along the way, our students become reflective, flexible, and confident. Each Fall, students prepare for our annual Literacy Festival by exploring well-regarded authors and high-quality children’s literature. In the spring, the discovery continues as students research the work of famous artists and artwork and set out to make their own museum-worthy creations. Their work is showcased at our annual Arts Festival in May – the culminating event of the school year.
3
ACADEMICS
At The Maddux School, we strive to provide a highly rigorous and developmentally-appropriate educational experience for all students. To that end, we have created our own unique, stateapproved curriculum by combining grade-level standards from both the Common Core State Standards and the Maryland State Curriculum. We believe that the focus of a strong
4
learning experience should be to develop problem-solving skills and to learn how to think critically and flexibly. We celebrate the many different personalities, interests, and learning styles of our students. Our aim is to provide a “just right� learning opportunity for each individual student, enhancing his or her strengths while supporting areas of challenge.
Both academics and social learning take center stage at The Maddux School. Talented and enthusiastic teachers and therapists work in trans-disciplinary teams to create multi-sensory and highly engaging activities that facilitate growth in the areas of language arts, mathematics, writing, play, communication, executive functioning, emotional regulation, science, and social studies.
Our highly trained Maddux staff implements a variety of researchbased curricula to ensure a strong foundation of academic and social skills. In small classes with differentiated instruction, students are exposed to Phono-Graphix, Orton-Gillingham, Handwriting Without Tears, Guided Reading, Writers’ Workshop, Visualizing and Verbalizing, Saxon Math, Social Thinking, and Unstuck and On Target.
5
6
OUR STUDENTS
“Maddux was the first place that I made a friend. Before I came to Maddux, my only friends were the teachers.” “I was nervous. Now I love going to school – especially the playground!” “When I first started at Maddux, I was very shy. And then, I started learning how to be friends with kids, and then I started to love school!” Maddux students have diverse strengths, interests, learning styles, and backgrounds. They generally have age/gradeappropriate cognitive skills, but may have vulnerabilities that could make it difficult to form friendships, organize and express ideas, cope with frustrations, or maintain flexibility in other settings. Some are outgoing while others are shy. Some embrace academics while others gravitate to the Arts or technology. Many are social leaders while others need help establishing relationships. We foster attitudes of respect, responsibility, positive thinking, and cooperative effort at Maddux. We reach out to a range of individuals, all of whom become celebrated members of our school community.
7
8
Maddux students learn to be ‌
9
ENGAGED
Our developmentally-based educational program encourages students to be involved in the process of learning. Classroom environments are tailored to meet the individual and varied needs of each child. Students explore the core academic curriculum of reading, language arts, math, science, and social studies with
10
partners and in small groups that promote a love of learning. Lessons feature interactive activities that foster connections between instruction and real-life experiences. They offer a balance of structured activities and the freedom to discover and to be creative.
EXPRESSIVE The Maddux School’s comprehensive speech and language programming helps students gain receptive, expressive, and pragmatic communication skills. Social language is targeted both explicitly and indirectly throughout the day in every activity. Conversational skills, asking and responding to questions, language organization, topic orientation, and verbal negotiation are prioritized by the entire teaching team. Articulation, vocabulary development, syntax, and semantics are also emphasized. Our certified therapists spearhead the language-infused curriculum through an integrated classroom model as well as in small group sessions. They provide direct services to students and consultation to staff so that communication skills can be addressed in a cohesive, consistent manner.
11
CREATIVE
Our enriching program embraces the Arts! Students are immersed in music, art, crafts, literacy, and yoga, both in structured sessions and in classroom activities. Literary and art genres are explored in depth through semester-long units culminating in school-wide exhibits
12
and presentations. Specialists in each field collaborate with classroom teachers and therapists to expose students to a range of classic and modern artists and to encourage every child’s expression, interpretations, and ideas.
SOCIAL
The social learning curriculum at The Maddux School teaches children how to navigate their social worlds through explicit instruction, facilitated practice sessions, daily discussions, and adult/peer modeling. Students learn to demonstrate “expected” behaviors while recognizing
those that are inappropriate or “unexpected”. They embrace the perspective of others as they interact. They use strategies to organize and retrieve language to increase the depth and range of their communication with classmates and build friendships that extend beyond the classroom.
13
WELL-ROUNDED
The Maddux School has innovative, comprehensive programming. All instruction is trans-disciplinary, diagnostic, and developmentally appropriate. Creative, handson lessons and themes are integrated in the curriculum. Reading, writing, math, music, and movement all connect to social studies, science, literature, and the Arts as well as social learning. Children gain both academic skills and selfconfidence by actively participating in each moment of their day.
14
“Thank you for an amazing and unforgettable experience at The Maddux School. Your program has changed all of our lives for the better.� - Former Maddux Parent
CONFIDENT & SUCCESSFUL
Students gain confidence through their successes. With appropriate support and individual guidance from our staff, our students demonstrate strengths in processing, planning, self-reflection, and evaluation. Each child is carefully encouraged to take on new challenges and to expand his or her horizons. At The Maddux School, we celebrate effort as well as achievement, and above all, we celebrate each child.
“We are so delighted with our daughter’s progress and feel so optimistic about her future. You have unlocked the brightness in her personality that we always knew was inside but hidden behind her language and sensory issues. We are truly grateful to the Maddux team of accomplished and supportive professionals for giving our daughter such a wonderful learning experience.” - Former Maddux Parent
15
BEYOND MADDUX
Students leave The Maddux School with the foundation for academic and social success. They are confident in their abilities to learn, solve problems, negotiate, and build friendships. Upon graduating, the majority of our students enter general education programs at public and private schools to complement their learning styles and strengths.
16
Our staff works closely with families to find the best educational environment for students and to foster a seamless transition to their new schools. Alumni are always welcomed back as part of the Maddux family and are encouraged to attend school special events. As our students go out into the world, they take with them an enthusiasm and readiness for learning.
“I have watched my son open up in amazing ways during his year at Maddux. . . . He started out with strong but erratic academic skills and weaker social skills. Academically, the teachers have identified gaps and pushed him as far as he could go. Socially, they have worked miracles. . . . Truly, I could not be more grateful to Maddux. There is no other school like it.” - Former Maddux Parent
“Maddux gave our son a second place to call home where his uniqueness would be celebrated, his insecurity quieted, and his zest for life rekindled. THANK YOU!” - Current Maddux Parent “That is the primary school experience that every child should have!” - Private School Educator, following a visit to The Maddux School
www.madduxschool.org 301-469-0223 11614 Seven Locks Road Rockville, Maryland 20854