Students in the Lower School delve into a highly personalized, inquiry-based program under the guidance and care of talented teachers who honor and cherish childhood. Students learn in an environment of inquisitiveness and connectedness. At Bush we believe that learning through building, tinkering, creating, and playing opens a world of imagination and a passion for discovery that carries students through their entire lives.
Lower School students from Kindergarten to Fifth Grade have opted into on-campus or remote learning.
Mrs. Metzger’s Second Grade class held their own presidential vote ahead of the national vote but the candidates looked a little different. Students voted between Piggie or Gerald the Elephant for Class President, and listened to endorsements from key members of the Bush community, including Head of School Percy L. Abram.
Sean’s Kindergarten class took a walking field trip to a neighborhood landmark–the home of the miniature horses! Students practiced their observation and drawing skills to document the field trip.
The Bush Middle School program harnesses the growing capacity for critical thinking and self-awareness in young adolescents, meeting all students where they are and enabling them to find success in a progressive and demanding educational program.
Each student is provided a wide variety of opportunities in experiential learning that balances the pursuit of individual interests with risk-taking in new arenas. Learning extends beyond the classroom walls to encompass the collective goals of exploration, interaction, investigation, and service to the larger community.
Middle School faculty are expert guides on the journey from childhood to adolescence. During this time in life, the brain is more tuned to new experiences and more sensitive to change. At Bush, this is an opportunity to support student growth through positive challenges. Our Middle School faculty model trusting adult-student relationships, help students respond to stress, and create caring environments that support emotional and academic skill development.
In addition to their core classes, Middle School students meet in multi-grade e-lectives twice per week and have found creative ways to connect over Zoom. Eva G. ‘25, led her follow students in a fun art activity using watercolors and ink to create portraits. Remote learning still requires school supplies and the Middle School faculty has brought cheer and good humor to the supply pick-ups this fall.
In the Bush Upper School, students are asked to participate actively in learning, communities, and the world because we believe deep learning takes place inside and outside the classroom. Students are called upon to consider the greater good and learn about themselves in relation to others. They take risks, have real responsibility, and engage in service learning. These experiences are powerful tools for developing values, building confidence, and charting a path toward a life of purpose.
The best learning results from genuine connections between faculty and students. Through these critical relationships, students learn the art of collaborative work, independent research, advocacy, and authentic leadership. Faculty are encouraged to bring their full selves to the job, teaching their passions inside and outside of the classroom to create a program that is balanced and academically fulfilling.
The Upper School prepares students exceptionally well for college and for life, inspiring involved, active citizens who want to make a difference in the world.
While the fall sports season is on hold, athletic team pods meet for socially distant practice at set times throughout the week. Our Blazer athletes are staying active and connected with a focus on safety for all. Teen Feed, one of forty-two clubs in the Upper School, continues to work in partnership with the Seattle nonprofit Teen Feed to prepare a monthly meal for teens experiencing homelessness in the Seattle area. Upper School students collected meal items and faculty prepared the 90 to-go dinner boxes.
After two days of intense planning and professional development, Bush launched a remote schooling program on March 11, 2020 in the face of the COVID-19 health outbreak, following the recommendation of local and national health officials. Bush faculty demonstrated resilience, ingenuity, and flat out hard work. Together they created certainty and purpose for Bush students during a time of uncertainty through the power of education.
In a very short period of time, one campus became hundreds of campuses spread all over the city as students learned from home. Adjusting to virtual classrooms, testing out lesson plans, wondering if a new idea would sink or swim, and being mindful of student wellness through the pandemic defined Bush teachers’ work through the final months of the 2019-2020 school year.
Over the summer, the remote program was assessed and redesigned for the 2020-2021 school year with the four key goals of supportive pathways, predictable routines, well-being, and play.
Since March 2020, The Bush School has put into action best practices and adapted to this new platform for teaching and learning that has allowed our students and families to stay safe through the health crisis. In many ways it has been like building a new school from the ground up, and in other ways the relationships, curriculum, and conversations remain the same. The ability to adapt has allowed Bush teachers to continue to deliver our mission while our community stays safe during the pandemic.
