DunhamAcademy.com is a year-round K-8 school in California for gifted students.
Dunham Academy
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Gifted and motivated students have unique needs that are often not met in their school
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Common myths about gifted students include that they are all high achievers, do not need special hep as they can manage on their own, are self-directed and do not need encouragement.
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Dunham Academy is designed to meet both the academic and social needs of gifted and motivated students
Dunham Academy provides a rich and challenging curriculum in a warm and nurturing environment. We acknowledge that children develop simultaneously along multiple dimensions: physical, social, emotional, moral, aesthetic and cognitive.
If your child is already identified as gifted or exhibits some of the qualities above, he or she may need a specialized learning environment to realize true potential, both academically and as a person.
Dunham Academy, established in 1998, is an academically selective, independent, co-educational day school for gifted and motivated students, offering a rich and challenging curriculum in a nurturing environment from Pre-Kindergarten to Eighth grade. Dunham Academy also offers testing and screening for gifted children.
Call today for a tour of the best little school in Marin. It could change your life. Contact Dan or Katrina at 415-491-4700 or 415-250-5376 today!!! Call now!
Mission
Dunham Academy is committed to the development of children as productive world citizens and leaders for the future. The Academy develops the intellectual, physical and emotional needs of each child, while offering each student a challenging education that provides the intellectual skills for the pursuit of a lifetime of learning. The school also encourages ethical and social values that support productive lives of service and mutual respect.
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History
Dunham Academy started off in 1998 with three students. The student body now consists of 31, in a sprawl of classrooms in the courtyard next to the St. Vincent Chapel, east of Marinwood.
Dunham Academy is the brainchild of Jennifer and Dan Dunham, originally from Maryland, who envisioned an academy for gifted students. Jennifer had taught gifted classes in public schools in Maryland, where "At the end of each class, the children just begged me - 'do we have to go back to regular class?' Gifted kids need to be with other gifted kids. They need different work. They need to be able to think out of the box."
The Dunhams discovered Marin while visiting family in San Leandro. They met a school principal who offered them a room at Santa Margarita School in Terra Linda to start their academy. A couple of years later they moved to commercial space in San Rafael, where they stayed for three more years before moving to St. Vincent's, where they now occupy two buildings.
Before students enroll, the Dunhams test each one, looking at IQs 120 and above, and at the 90th percentile in achievement, using the Woodcock-Johnson III test for achievement and cognition.
Dan says, "Not many people think of teaching gifted students as special education, but it is. Testing gives us a snapshot of where the students are, what they are good at, what their knowledge is, and we create an IEP (individual education plan) for each child." At Dunham Academy, Jennifer teaches literature and composition, while Dan, a retired nuclear physicist, teaches math.
The Dunham School Difference
Students aged 4 to 13 study a highly individualized curriculum. Classes take place all year-round, with one and two week vacations after every seven weeks of class. They rarely have homework because classwork itself is so intensive. Class size is limited to 12 students. School hours are 7:00am to 5:00pm, with classroom work beginning at 8:15am and ending at 3:15pm. Students who stay later can read, write poetry, play word games or enjoy a variety of games including backgammon and chess.
A big part of the school day is devoted to inquiry, debate and asking questions. The school is a haven for students who, teachers say, might feel bored or vulnerable or "different" in a public school environment. Students study traditional subjects, as well as physical education, chess, poetry and foreign language. Instruction in Spanish or French begins at the kindergarten level.
Admission Procedure
Admission to Dunham Academy is competitive and is based on standardized academic ability test scores, an interview with Jennifer Dunham and a school visit which enables both parties to evaluate goodness of fit with the school. An academic ability test can be administered for a fee if prior educational testing is unavailable. Tuition assistance is available.
- The admissions office can be contacted by telephone at 415-491-4700 or
email (
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- A testing session has to be scheduled if required. The testing fee is $300 and is non-refundable.
- A pre-admission interview will be scheduled which may be done in conjunction with the testing session.
- Prospective students who qualify spend a half or full day in the classroom to determine the student's interest and compatibility with Dunham Academy's learning environment.
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Address
Dunham Academy
- 1 St. Vincent Drive
- San Rafael, CA 94903-1504
Contact
- Telephone:
- Information and Administration:
- (415) 491-4700
- Email:
- Admissions:
- General Information:
- Admissions:
Testimonials
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News
- TIME: Are We Failing Our Geniuses? - 16 August 2007
