Our School

At Sanderson Academy, we are a student-focused, vibrant, educational community. We tap the resources of our entire community—students, staff, parents, and neighbors—to provide a high quality education for all children.

At Sanderson Academy We Believe...

  • The foundations of learning are literacy, mathematical competence, and thinking. 
  • Public education has a responsibility to set high expectations and to be accountable for the achievement of those expectations. 
  • Each member of the school community is entitled to fair and equitable treatment. 
  • All students can learn. 
  • Learning is a lifelong activity. 
  • Students learn in different ways. 
  • Physical, emotional, and social health are essential to learning. Nurturing and supportive relationships strengthen academic growth. 
  • Respect for self and others is necessary for a productive learning environment. 
  • Education is the shared responsibility of students, parents, staff, and community.

Community Life

We kick-off each school year with our back-to-school picnic, followed by a family/community celebration in the evening. During the school year, we invite parents and community members every Friday to our all-school meeting where students showcase classroom activities and talents. 

Senior citizens and family members regularly join our students for lunch, providing opportunities to share stories, honor achievements, and make new friends. Our strong parent teacher organization helps support an exciting array of enrichment programs, ranging from student concerts and plays to all-school field trips.

Learning In and From Our Environment

Our school is located in the town of Ashfield on State Route 112. We sit at an elevation of just over 1,500 feet above sea level in the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains. Our campus sits on 40 acres and includes sports fields, a spacious playground, wooded areas, and acres of pasture. During their studies of insect and amphibian life cycles, students visit our certified vernal pool. We are also an official Monarch butterfly way station with a beautiful butterfly garden on the west side of the building. Our third graders recently planted two vegetable gardens, one in the style of a Native American Three Sisters garden and the other modeled after a traditional English garden such as what the early Colonists might have had.

Our Philosophy

The staff at Sanderson Academy believes that effective education involves helping all students to acquire basic skills and the ability to apply them in meaningful contexts. Each child will be viewed as a unique individual, possessing strengths and needs in the cognitive, social-emotional, and physical areas of development. All students will have opportunities to build positive self-esteem, appreciate diversity in society, and gain a broad knowledge base.

The staff at Sanderson Academy endeavors to do the following in pursuit of effective education:

  • Incorporate a variety of teaching methods and materials in order to address the learning styles and abilities of all children.
  • Praise and support learners so they develop positive self-esteem and increased independence.
  • Implement curricula based upon scientific research.
  • Create a physically and emotionally safe school environment.
  • Develop strong school-home relationships in which teachers and parents work in partnership.
  • Learners, staff, parents, and community working together will achieve quality education for all children.