Small Learning Communities and a Personalized Environment
Small learning communities are defined as “schools-within-a-school” taught by interdisciplinary teams of teachers.  A personalized environment allows students to develop a sense of belonging to the school, a sense of ownership over the directions of their learning, the ability to connect with other students and staff within the building.  Windham High School seeks to provide these opportunities to all students through the implementation of Freshman Academy and Advisory.

Freshman Academy
Freshman Academy is a small learning community within Windham High School where all freshman will be taught by a team of teachers for all core academic subjects.  This allows the students and teachers to develop a relationship and connection to each other, therefore providing teachers with the ability to address issues/concerns immediately in the most important transition year for students in high school.

Advisory
Advisory is a dedicated time block four times a week where a group of approximately 15 students meet with a faculty member to work on a variety of areas pertinent to a successful high school experience.  Some of these areas include:  academic advising, home and school communication, developing supportive relationships, conflict resolution, community involvement/service, career planning and group process.  A group of 15 students will remain with the same faculty member for the full four years of their high school experience in order to build this positive adult connection to the school.

Scheduling
Windham High School will run on a modified block schedule with approximately 80 minutes per block on Tuesday-Friday for all classes as well as a smaller block of time for advisory and lunch.  On Mondays, students will follow a more traditional schedule attending every class for approximately 45 minutes each as well as a lunch.  Students will carry an eight course schedule, but will meet for one 45 minute class and two 80 minute classes each week. 

Team Teaching
Team teaching will be an integral part of the Windham High School educational program.  All English and social studies classes will be team taught for the first three years of high school, therefore, this course meets two periods and equates to two credits per course.  This approach allows the student to benefit from an interdisciplinary approach to humanities that will help the student make connections between common concepts. Mathematics and science collaboration will also be a focus for many math and science classes as well.