Letter from the Principal

Dear Parents and Students,

Congratulations on your decision to explore our school.  We are an independent elementary school, founded in response to demand from parents seeking public education alternatives.   We are founded on the principles of providing academic excellence within the framework of a faith in God, with an emphasis on building learners who are bright, successful and most importantly ethical and decent people.  

It is clear to us that education extends beyond the scope of a textbook or a worksheet.  At Footprints it is one of our directives to bring the world into our classroom using a multitude of resources.  The transformation of classroom into “real world” requires not only physical resources such as text books, maps, globes, and the computer, but it also requires abstract resources such as imagination, vision, and passion.  We believe that it is these last three ingredients that are essential to successful transformation. 

We are committed to remaining current and preparing our students to participate fully and effectively in the future.  That being said, it is also our belief that there is much to be said for traditional methods of education.  We know and understand that our children will surely have technology at their fingertips at all times, but we still believe that it is of the utmost importance, that they should be prepared to survive without it.  They must therefore, be able to add and subtract, multiply and divide, reason and problem solve.  Traditional methods of instruction will be incorporated into our philosophy, as we also carefully scrutinize the latest research in education, and balance the traditional methods with the new ways that children can learn.  Our educational philosophy will be consistent over time. 

The popularity of our program is now driving our decision to continue building our school. Our main goal is to hold true to our philosophy and uphold a strong tradition of academic excellence and goodness in our students.  We will strive to challenge our students and ourselves.  We can proudly say no parent who has made the decision to entrust their child’s education and care with us has regretted that decision.     

Our website includes information for all many areas of our program. One of the unique aspects of our school is that our teachers are free to act within our discipline policy.  They are, therefore, not constantly distracted by disruptions in the classroom, and are free to teach.  Our students are here to learn; that is their main objective.  We have the ability to set expectations for children and ensure that those expectations are met, and that teachers are free to teach in a safe, focused learning environment.  It will be my pleasure to tell you more about our unique school and answer any questions you may have.  If you are interested, please contact me at (651) 731-2608. 

Sincerely,
Nicole J. Robbins
Principal and Founder