For 104 years, the Lyme School has strived to prepare its students for success in a world they’ll impact. The fact is: our current economy demands different skills than tomorrow’s economy will. Our job is to prepare our students for their future, not our past.

So, as we look to our students’ future, we see that they need to be fluent in technology, science and mathematics, and they also must be prepared to communicate effectively - not only in their native language - but in a foreign language as well.

We see early language instruction as imperative to our students’ and our society’s ability to succeed. It is key - from both a neurological and developmental perspective - that this becomes available to our youngest students, as children at this stage of development are most predisposed to learning language. And so, we’ve begun instructing foreign language at the kindergarten level—and offer this instruction every day for a minimum of 30 minutes.

In addition to developing language-learning skills, we also use the art of mastering a new language as a bridge to learning other languages. Our focus is to encourage development of the neurological pathways - those which optimize students’ ability to acquire multiple languages. Our program provides the opportunity and experience to transition from one language to another by focusing instruction in one language in the first five years, kindergarten through 4th grade, and then introducing a different language in the 5th grade. It doesn’t particularly matter which language is taught initially, so long as these neurological pathways are granted the opportunity to develop in early stages of development. In 8th grade, students are given the choice between either language, and encouraged to choose the one they’ll find most useful to pursue in high school.

Unfortunately, the cost of a Lyme School education which best prepares for the future is somewhat out of step with the community’s economic realities today. The resulting gap is a burden borne by the students we are charged with educating. The goal of the LIFE foundation is to close the gap between ideals and realities.

Your support and generosity can make the difference in the lives of hundreds of children. A contribution to the LIFE Fund makes this program, as well as programs we hope to implement in the future, a reality. It will also help us promote a model of forward-looking education in a public school setting. It is possible, with your support.

Sincerely,
Jeffrey W. Valence
Principal, Lyme School