Boulder Community School of Integrated Studies, Boulder, CO

"PassageWorks has helped me see the importance of emotions with learning. If kids are emotionally in a stable place, they are better able to have access to their memory and learning."  -BCSIS 5th grade teacher

   

"The Kindergarten First Steps curriculum brings the children into community. I am so amazed and impressed with how quickly and easily they have learned the skill of deep listening and how much patience they have in Sharing Circles. Through PassageWorks they have made profound connections to one another."  -BCSIS Kindergarten teacher

Kindergarten and 5th grade Transition Programs

BCSIS, a public focus school in Boulder, CO, has been implementing the PassageWorks model throughout their school for the last five years. During this time, PassageWorks has become a part of the rich and positive school culture of BCSIS, which utilizes an arts integrated curriculum and social-emotional learning to achieve academic excellence. The 5th grade transition program supports students to acknowledge the transition they are in, identify what they value, and stretch themselves into new interpersonal and intrapersonal capacities that will serve them in middle school and beyond. The 5th grade PWI end-of-the year ceremony has become a celebrated tradition, in which parents and students come together to honor students’ passage out of elementary school and acknowledge student growth throughout this phase of life.  And because the entire BCSIS faculty has taken the PWI Foundation Course, each BCSIS student is introduced early to focusing activities, deep listening, authentic speaking—creating a sense of continuity throughout the school years. Additionally, over the last two years, BCSIS has been implementing the PWI First Steps Kindergarten Transition program with great success.  Kindergarten students regularly experience Golden Moments of silence and learn self-reflection and communication skills from a young age, supporting their social, emotional and academic lives.

"PassageWorks has been a profound experience for both my students and myself. The work we have been engaging in through the curriculum has strengthened our connections to one another while adding a whole new depth to our community. The children seem to be gaining a deeper understanding of themselves, as well as recognizing the importance of strong peer connections and what it means to build trust in others and be a trustworthy person themselves. The children look forward to our Friday PassageWorks hour and are thoroughly disappointed if we miss a session together.    I wish I could do PassageWorks with my students every day!"  -BCSIS 5th grade teacher