Pars Omni® Elementary School

Pars Omni, with the support of Dr. Lozanov, plans to establish a model elementary school (K-6) in San Diego County. Curricular materials are being developed. We will be delivering reading and foreign language (Spanish) programs for children (ages 5 - 7 approx.) initially. After that, the school will commence formal kindergarten and first grade classes, with other grades following in subsequent years.

In our instructional approach we have these three general purposes:

1. To accelerate the learning rate (over what is normally achieved with conventional methods) so that it more closely approximates the natural functioning of the brain.

2. To eliminate or greatly reduce the harmful effects often associated with the formal educational process, so that it is healthy in every sense.

3. To promote the development of creativity (in addition to memory) and overall personal development.

Our Vision

Our vision of the Model Elementary School is a school where learning progresses in a calm, joyful atmosphere, driven by the students' own inner urge for self-development and self expression. Our emphasis on self-development, and by implication, freedom from coercive, negative influences that can inhibit learning and personality development, requires an unusually high degree of professionalism and training on the part of our entire staff. We see that students are free beings, and being free, will tend to choose optimally for their own health, happiness and growth. A necessary corollary of this freedom is that the school should provide an environment that is well ordered, safe, calm, aesthetically stimulating and full of harmony - one that is created and maintained by loving and wise adults.

Based on our Vision, and experience, we hold these expectations and guiding principles for the school:

• The focus is on the entire personality: motivation, creativity, moral development, interests, perceptions, intellectual activity.
  
  
• An intrinsic characteristic of Dr. Lozanov's approach is the acceleration of learning, which frees up time, so, in addition to core subjects, classes in music, art and physical education will be part of all students' course work.
  
  
• The 3-month reading program, for 4 - 6 year olds, takes children to a reading level equivalent to the end of public school 1st grade requirements.
  
  
• Students reach public school 9th grade equivalency in reading and math by the end of the 6th grade.
  
  
• Music, art, literature, drama, foreign language instruction and athletics are considered integral parts of the curriculum.
  
  
• Second language instruction (Spanish) starts in kindergarten. Given the fact that we are next door neighbors to Latin America, Spanish as the second language is an appropriate choice. All children are speaking, reading and writing at a high level of proficiency in Spanish and English by the sixth grade. Some classes are conducted entirely in Spanish, e.g. a history class in the fifth grade might be conducted in Spanish.
  
  
• Integration of subjects. An integral part of our approach is that all subjects are interrelated. For example, in a first grade Spanish lesson, with the focus on the new foreign language, the lesson will also encompass all subjects for the first grade: English, math, science, history, geography, social studies, fine arts such as dancing, singing, painting and drawing.
  
  
• There will be a special transitional course for 6th graders to prepare them for entry into the regular public school system. (Alternatively, a model middle and high school may be available at that time).
  
  
• Teachers show a "joie de vivre"; they all demonstrate a high level of curiosity and creativity.
  
  
• Teachers are completely bilingual in English and in Spanish.
  
  
• All teachers will be trained in our teaching method, in addition to their normal teacher preparation at the university.
  
  
• To maintain quality, teachers receive on-going training in the techniques and principles pioneered by Dr. Lozanov.
  
  
• Class size is limited to 20, or fewer, students.
  
  
• Each grade's curriculum is developed to conform to our teaching method.
  
  
• The school population reflects the kind of student body that is consistent with other public schools: A mix of family income levels and ethnic racial and linguistic backgrounds (some scholarships will be offered). It is our intent to make this school a model school where teachers from public and private schools can be trained in the future.