Academic basic skills serve as foundation on which to build an educational program that increases the likelihood of becoming life-long learners, responsible citizens, informed decision-makers, and individuals with competitive work skills. Above and beyond these outcomes which are necessary to adapt to a changing future, we will instill the confidence necessary for all school participants to shape their own futures as well as the future of their communities and world.

To meet this challenge, the importance of fostering critical non-academic goals/objectives for student performance becomes obvious. In fact, the lines between traditional academic and non-academic goals become less distinct and highly integrated, a key aspect of this school's mission.

The learning environment encourages each child to develop the following essential life skills:

• Critical Thinking: to think analytically, logically, and creatively, to integrate experience and knowledge, and to form reasoned judgments and solve problems
  
  
• Information Processing and Multimedia Literacy: to engage in the research process, to access/use library and other information resources, and to use technology (e.g., communication, database, ethics, graphics, keyboarding, multimedia, network, presentation, research, spreadsheet, system, writing/publishing).
  
  
• Collaboration/Responsible Citizenship: to work cooperatively, to resolve conflicts, to be self assertive, and to respect and value all aspects of human diversity
  
  
• Life-long learning/Self-determination: to set goals, to increase responsibility and autonomy for learning, to make informed decisions, and to take initiative
  
  
• Metacognition: to think about thinking, to be aware of the problem-solving process, and to monitor and control one's own mental processing