We live in a world of constant change. Our children need to develop feelings of personal power and self-worth, as well as the practical skills that will enable them to live their lives as active, positive participants in a challenging world.

Donna Bracewell
Principal, Founder, and Teacher
Linnaea School

Our School
Linnaea School is a small, independent school located on Cortes Island in British Columbia. The school is located on Linnaea Farm, a beautiful land trust with 315 acres of forests, fields, organic gardens and lake-front. The School is a project of the Linnaea Farm Society, a registered non-profit, charitable organization.

Linnaea School offers a holistic approach to education which nutures the inner spirit and strives to meet the needs of the whole child.

Our Vision
We believe that children who learn in a safe, supportive, and co-operative atmosphere will develop self worth, self expression, and personal power enabling them to grow into strong, creative, and caring human beings.

We believe in fostering in children an awareness and respect for the human spirit and the natural environment.

We believe that children who are taught in a nonsexist atmosphere and are made aware of gender biases have a greater opportunity to develop the full spectrum of their talents.

We believe that by fostering in each student a love and curiousity towards learning, children will be motivated to strive for academic excellence. These attitudes will prepare them for a life long process of education and allow them to be self-reliant and independent in their studies.

Our Mission
Our mission is to realize the beliefs inherent in our vision by fulfilling the following objectives:

Developing self-esteem through fostering respect for individuals and the human spirit by:

teaching tolerance and acceptance for individual differences
providing a framework and a language for teaching values through participation in the 'Virtues Program'
nuturing self-empowerment and the development of leadership skills
teaching conflict resolution and co-operative problem solving strategies
providing forums for discussion of discrimination, gender bias, and inter-group conflict
using balanced material with unbiased gender language and illustrations
encouraging the participation, interest, and achievement of all students in subject areas traditionally carrying a gender bias
discussing and celebrating social issues and events
celebrating multicultural holidays and creating 'World Tour' days

Delivering a dynamic curriculum that motivates, empowers, and inspires children through:

combining the teaching of strong, basic academic skills with progressive and innovative approaches to learning
encouraging academic excellence
a high teacher to student ratio
multi age groupings within classrooms
the individual tailoring of academic programmes
teaching democratic principles and procedures by involving students in decision making through both voting and consensus models
the teaching of essential personal and co-operative problem-solving skills in all curriculum areas
involvement of the students in their own learning through self assessment, goal setting, and the compilation of student portfolios
progress reports, consisting of both checklist evaluation and detailed comments, issued three times/year
student-led parent-teacher conferences twice a year
a school-wide theme approach to delivering curriculum
providing a comprehensive arts programme for all students
providing a French Programme from grade one through seven
meeting the B.C. Ministry of Education requirements

Building a community of staff, students, and parents through:

building community in the school through morning circles, school meetings, jobs and projects
school buildings designed to create the atmosphere of a community centre
eliminationg separate spaces for staff and students, thereby making a commitment to share meals, space and playtimes
accessibility of staff to students
using of first names
encouraging and modeling mutual respect
bringing a variety of talented individuals from the community into the classroom
participation of parents in the classrooms
keeping parents informed through their regular contact, newsletters, parent meetings
celebrations attended by parents to promote pride in their children's talents and accomplishments

Creating appreciation, respect, and responsibility for the natural world by providing:

beautiful lakeside farm setting
education on Linnaea Farm's special land trust status, ecological covenants and reserves
nurturing a sensitivity, respect, and responsibility for the farm environment
on-going discussions on environmental issues
outdoor education programmes
recycling and composting programmes
gardening club
participation in the 'Green School Programme'