Roots School
740 Haiku Road, Haiku, HI 96708
Administrative Office: 808-250-7988
www.rootsmaui.org
office@rootsmaui.org
Preschool to 5th Grade
Roots School is an independent private school for students from Preschool to 5th Grade. Through our arts-integrated, project-based approach, we offer multi-age classes in a small school setting, and we emphasize critical thinking and creativity. We encourage all students to develop their unique potential. Using state and national standards as the foundation, our teachers combine traditional learning with hands-on projects; to strengthen understanding and knowledge of subjects by making connections across disciplines. Roots School is located in the heart of Haiku town on the island of Maui, which provides distinctive educational and cultural resources. Our graduates attend high schools across Maui, and are accepted at colleges and universities across the nation.
Roots School is nonsectarian and is licensed by the Hawaii Council of Private Schools and the State of Hawaii Department of Human Services, and is fully accredited by the Hawaii Association of Independent School (HAIS) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).
Our Learning Environment
We instill enthusiasm and love for learning by providing inspiring teachers, a challenging and flexible project-based curriculum, small school community, multi-grade classrooms, and a stimulating environment. Our students are offered a broad range of enriching subjects to keep them active and engaged. Well-planned curriculum integration across subject disciplines strengthens our students’ knowledge of real-world applications for learning.
Class sizes are purposefully small to enable our teachers to appreciate and encourage multiple types of intelligence. Using State and National standards as the foundation, our teachers build dynamic lesson plans combining traditional learning with exciting, interesting hands-on projects. Along with mathematics, science, history, social science, language arts, and foreign language classes, we offer fine and performing arts, student activities, and field trips.
Our Social Environment
We believe the success of Roots School relies on a supportive partnership between faculty, students, parents, and staff who actively promote healthful living and human kindness.
Our purpose includes development of personal integrity, confidence, and compassion for others. We allow time for social and emotional development through class discussions which include a focus on the power of personal responsibility as a citizen of the school, the community, and the world. Our multi-grade classrooms teach students how to interact with children younger and older than themselves. Our goal is to help our students become reflective, mindful, thoughtful, aware, and responsible.
Curriculum Philosophy
Traditional school models, divided arbitrarily by age, grade and isolated subjects cannot address the richness and complexity of life. An integrated, project-based approach to education is learning for the real world. It addresses the whole child, creating learning experiences that are relevant to students, enhancing engagement and providing a greater depth of knowledge. It has also proven to cultivate the academic and social skills needed to succeed in the classroom and in life.
Using state and national standards as the foundation; our teachers combine traditional learning with hands-on projects; to strengthen understanding and knowledge of subjects by making connections across disciplines.
Our teachers build dynamic lesson plans that foster excitement and interest, while nurturing critical thinking and problem solving skills. Although some subjects require memorization (like spelling and math) we design curriculums which reflect real-world experiences, keeping students active and engaged through our hands-on, project-based approach.
Project-based learning provides students with opportunities to explore real-world challenges by working in small collaborative groups and integrating multiple subjects. Research indicates that students are more likely to retain knowledge gained through project-based rather than textbook-centered learning. Students also develop confidence and self-direction as they move through team-based and independent work. Longtime Maui educator Christina Cowell observes, “In my 20 years as an Education Consultant, I’ve rarely come across a school with as much breadth and depth in its curriculum, combining a classical academic foundation with dynamic experiences.”
For more information, please call us at 808-250-7988 or email office@rootsmaui.org. You can also visit our website at www.rootsmaui.org, and find us on Facebook and Instagram @rootsmaui.
