Cascade Canyon was founded as an elementary school in 1981 by international educator Ann Barar (Evans). The original teachers and parent body of Cascade Canyon School wanted to establish a committed and connected community for their children. They felt that their children’s success lay in the relationship between teachers and students. Three basic tenets were established in order to secure this philosophy: 1. Small student to teacher ratio; 2. A familial atmosphere which included community meetings and cross age learning; 3. A sense of student responsibility and ability to affect positive change in the world. The original foundation of the school was based on Dewey's model of education and Barar's experience in the British Embassy School in West Germany.
Ann’s first staff member was Peggy Tunder, who was hired to teach the Kindergarten-1st-2nd grade program. Several years later, Ann asked Linda Franco, a Cascade parent and elementary teacher at the school, to develop the middle school program. Cascade soon grew from a K-5 school into an elementary and middle school, with a continuous K-8 program.
When Ann moved on, the Board placed the directorship of Cascade Canyon in the hands of Peggy and Linda, and hired Zoe Ghazi to fill Ann’s role teaching third and fourth grade. In two years, these three teachers – Peggy, Linda and Zoe – became co-directors of Cascade Canyon, a role they shared for many years. After a successful tenure of each wearing multiple hats with the school, the co-directors decided to re-immerse themselves in their teaching and pass on the administrative functions of the school. In the spring of 2006, Peggy, Zoe and Linda solicited the help of the Board in searching for a Director.
Sharon Reynolds-Kyle, seven year Board member and parent of Cascade Canyon stepped into the Director role in its first year, 2006-2007, and was succeeded by Rebecca Hausammann, in the fall of 2007-2008.
Today, the three founding tenets of Cascade Canyon still remain as integral components of the school. The curriculum has grown to include visual art, music, theater, French, Sign Language, and Physical Education, in addition to core studies in English Language Arts, Math, Social Studies and Science. The size of the school has grown since its inception, as has the number of staff . Cumulatively, Peggy, Zoe and Linda have invested over forty-five years developing Cascade Canyon into the vibrant learning community it is today. All three of the teachers enjoyed the pleasure of having their children go through the school. Cascade Canyon welcomed the newest member of the teaching staff, Sarah Burhop, three years ago. Sarah became our fifth-sixth grade teacher.
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Cascade Welcomes New Teacher |
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Cascade Celebrates Writing |
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School-Wide Theme: Sustainability |
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CASCADE CANYON SCHOOL PHILOSOPHY
At the heart of our school community is the relationship that each individual child forms with their teachers, their peers and their education. It is our role, as a school, to create an environment that fosters these relationships and encourages each of our students to develop a love of learning.
We challenge our students intellectually, creatively and physically through a progressive, standards-based curriculum that integrates environmental learning, the arts, foreign language and physical education with core subject matter in language arts, mathematics, social studies and science.
To further enrich our curriculum and strengthen our community, we provide a variety of learning experiences outside the classroom, including schoolwide overnight trips, community service projects, performances, and and a challenging eighth grade transitions program. Our goal is to help our students develop confidence in their own abilities, support each other, and interact actively with the world around them.
MISSION STATEMENT
Cascade Canyon School is dedicated to maintaining a small student/teacher ratio and to offering an integrated and balanced curriculum that exposes students to the joys of learning as a lifelong pursuit and leads students to become independent thinkers, strong leaders, and active participants in the global community who are respectful of others, flexible in responding to challenge and appreciative of diversity.
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Cascade
Canyon is truly a hidden gem, quietly nestled on the edge of the
woods, on the outskirts of the town of Fairfax. You can find the
school site easily, but you have to look deeper, you have watch the
students and the teachers for a moment, before you truly find Cascade
Canyon. Then, you will be amazed by the spirit of this community.
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Read more...
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Donations are always welcome to Cascade Canyon's Capital Campaign Fund. Donations may be received at the school office on a walk-in basis, or through the mail, addressed to our Office Manager, Cascade Canyon School, 2626 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Fairfax, CA 94930. Our Capital Campaign Fund is used to augment our school budget in support of our academic program, our facility, and our school operations. As a small, independent school, we rely on community support to continue to offer a program of excellence that is rich in both arts and academics, and to preserve our small class size.
If you prefer to donate directly to a particular intiative or program, there are several other ways to support Cascade Canyon. One is by contributing to our newly established Theater of Tolerance Fund. Two years ago, our wonderful theater teacher, Peggy Tunder, laid out her vision for the rebuilding of our outdoor amphitheater, equipped with lighting and sound, a wonderful stage and dressing/costume area, and natural wooden benches. In keeping with the values of Cascade Canyon, our vision is for the theater to become a venue for school and community productions that celebrate diversity, tolerance and acceptance of ourselves, others and the environment.
You are also able to donate directly to our newly established Eco-Literacy Fund. The Eco-Literacy fund supports green initiatives at Cascade Canyon, including the greening of our facility and our operations, and the ongoing development of our science and gardening program. Cascade Canyon became a Marin Green Business in the spring of 2007. In the fall of 2007, we launched our Eco-Council with parents and staff members interested in continuing green efforts at our school; and in the spring of 2008, we will be launching our student Green Team who will work alongside our Eco-Council. We are committed to modeling and teaching environmental and social responsibility through activism.
All donations made to Cascade Canyon are tax deductible; a receipt will be furnished for your records. Please make checks out to Cascade Canyon School, and note in the ledger where you would like your contribution directed.
We thank you for your interest in our school and for any contribution you can make.
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About Us 
