Hummingbird School

We have an inclusion philosophy and the expectation that all children are invited to join in any activity. If children want to exclude others, we remind them that school is like a birthday party and everyone is invited to play. We feel this fosters an emotionally safe environment of acceptance where we learn to embrace differences in others and truly work cooperatively with everyone at the school. We strive to create an authentic community where students feel safe emotionally to be themselves and share who they are. We talk about differences and acceptance and take students' feelings seriously. We use the Collaborative Problem Solving Approach. When conflicts arise, we work with the children and brainstorm solutions together. We see "negative" behavior as a child's attempt to fill a need in the best way he or she can at that moment, and we look for how we can meet all our needs in a way that feels acceptable to everyone.