“We are thrilled to have our kids at Telluride Mountain School!
The teachers have been amazing and our kids have grown,
both emotionally and academically.”
~ TMS Parent
Distinctive Features
DISTINCTIVE FEATURES
In addition to the core subjects, Telluride Mountain School’s distinctive programs further enhance the breadth and depth of our academic curriculum by engaging students in hands on experiential learning and social emotional development.
SPECIAL PROGRAMS
Immersion Projects
Every year, following their spring experiential learning trips, lower school students have the opportunity to explore a topic of their choice related to their travels. Students complete a research report, make visual representations, and give an oral presentation related to their topic. The immersion project is highly scaffolded in the earliest grades and becomes increasingly independent and open-ended as students mature and gain mastery in researching, writing and presenting. The immersion projects are an annual highlight for many students and promote critical thinking, creativity, and communication. In the lower school, students showcase their projects in a celebratory “expo.”
Genius Hour
Students in grades three through six participate in individually chosen projects that involve designing and creating products that solve a problem or fill a need. With support from home and school, students create and display their projects, which have ranged from a gaga pit, to a magnetic shelf (patent pending), to fashion wear, to a collection of recorded songs. Students love the special time set aside so they can design and make a product that works for them.
Social-Emotional Learning
TMS utilizes a student-centered social-emotional program, Positive Discipline, where students learn to communicate effectively and solve problems and develop healthy relationships among peers with support from their homeroom teachers. Students meet weekly in Class Meetings to go over their agenda items, discuss social challenges and successes, and propose solutions to problems. In addition to Positive Discipline, students receive instruction through San Miguel Resource Center counselors on age-appropriate topics related to student life, such as friendship skills, when to tell an adult, and internet and social media safety.
Outdoor Education
What experiences develop character, perseverance, and a sense of wonder, all qualities that crossover to the classroom and to adult life? Outdoor adventure! Students in the lower school at TMS develop key skills and attitudes through outdoor education. Starting with short outings and local exploration, students develop the hiking, camping, and paddling skills that allow them to visit destinations such as Goblin Valley, the Green River, and the Great Sand Dunes for longer and more remote outdoor trips as they progress through the grades.
Experiential Education
Ask any Mountain School student what is the best part of the school year, and they will tell you, Experiential Learning trips! In the lower school, students travel locally, regionally, and nationally to learn about topics ranging from Puebloan Peoples, to dinosaurs, the art of Georgia O’Keefe, early American settlement, and the environment of the Pacific Northwest. Starting with shorter and closer trips, students develop the independence and the interpersonal and personal skills and learning attitudes that allow in-depth learning as their trips travel further afield.
