Education of the Heart - Villa Academy

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Academics

Schooling of the Mind.

Education of the Heart.

Beyond reading, writing, and arithmetic, Villa offers an expansive intellectual grounding in all kinds of humanistic inquiry. Interdisciplinary by nature, inquiry-based learning actively invites students to make cross-connections between and among different subjects. Villa’s specialist offerings amplify and expand students’ experience of school; they add imagination, energy, and inspiration to their world, and provide rich opportunities for students to express themselves.

Comprehensive Whole Child Education

At Villa Academy, we are growing confident young minds with strong moral character who are prepared to make a difference. Our inquiry-based approach to education balances theory with experience, pairing student-centered academic excellence and whole child wellness with our values of growth, justice, and student agency.

The Villa Difference

Math

Mathematics

Mathematics education is a cornerstone of Villa’s academic program, offering opportunities for students to thrive amidst appropriate challenge and stretch. Villa students develop a deep understanding of mathematical concepts through exploration, inquiry, play, practice, reasoning, and collaborative dialogue. Through productive struggle and healthy challenge, they develop curiosity, resilience, and perseverance while experiencing Math as a joyful endeavor.

A young girl with long brown hair smiles at the camera while writing in a notebook at her desk, with another student blurred in the background of a classroom.

A teacher and two young students are engaged in an activity at a table in a classroom with large windows and a %22READING%22 banner in the background.

A teacher in a suit stands by a desk in the foreground, while three young girls in a classroom sit at their desks in the background.

Four children sit on colorful beanbag chairs in the foreground, each with a laptop, while a bright window with red trim fills the background.

Science

At each grade level, Villa students delve into the wonders of the natural and physical world through inquiry-based Science education. Grounded in Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), our Science program builds a global set of cognitive skills through experiential, hands-on, and often outdoor exploration. Students invest in their learning by grappling with real-world problems, participating in small groups, and applying their creativity to innovative solutions.

Two girls in plaid skirts and sweaters stand by a ramp with toy cars in the foreground, while shelves filled with books and supplies line the wall in the background.

A young girl peers into a microscope in the foreground, while a boy writes on paper in the blurred background.

In the foreground, young boys are engaged in building a complex structure with white and blue robotic components, while in the background, a classroom wall displays colorful alphabet letters and educational charts.

A teacher guides two students in a lab as they use a thermometer on a beaker of green liquid, with lab equipment visible in the background.

Language Arts

Language arts

Villa students grow as effective communicators across their Language Arts journey, building a toolbox of critical skills for reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Villa’s approach to literacy is one of deepening meaning-making, fostering our students’ maturing understanding of self and others. They imagine, dream, and fall in love with stories, all the while developing their vocabulary, comprehension, reasoning, and critical thinking skills.

In the foreground, two children sit at a round table in a library, while in the background, two boys walk past bookshelves and a collage of artwork.

A woman reads a book to a young girl in the foreground, with a bookshelf filled with children's books in the background.

A student with curly hair writes in a workbook at a wooden desk, with blurred classroom shelves in the background.

A teacher in a red dress instructs students in a classroom with colorful posters on the walls.

Spanish

Guided by a communicative approach to language acquisition, Villa students grow in Spanish language learning each year. Spanish educators draw upon authentic resources and experiences to not only teach the language, but also cultivate an awareness of Spanish-speaking cultures around the world. Students gain the ability to communicate meaningfully in Spanish and deepen their understanding of its widespread presence throughout our local and global community.

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A woman in a black sweater and jeans leads a group of children in uniform in a dance class, with colorful flags hanging in the background.

Two young boys in casual and school uniforms stand in the foreground, looking to the right, with a classroom filled with colorful posters and charts in the blurred background.

A teacher gestures while teaching two students in a classroom with colorful decorations and a whiteboard.

Social Studies

Through the interdisciplinary study of economics, geography, history, and sociology, students grow in their understanding of human experience across time and space. They learn to interpret and analyze multiple sources, come to understand cause and effect, and build critical compare and contrast skills. Villa students’ Social Studies education prepares them for life in a culturally diverse, interdependent world through ever-increasing depth of inquiry and study, all while having fun!

A woman in a denim jacket and a boy in a gray hoodie look at a map on a table in the foreground, with bookshelves and seating areas visible in the background.

Children in uniforms sit on a colorful rug in the foreground, facing a teacher holding a diagram in a classroom with a whiteboard and colorful decorations in the background.

A young girl in a gray hoodie reads a book at her desk in the foreground, while other students work at their desks in the blurred background of a classroom.

Three young boys in navy hoodies collaborate at a desk in a classroom with shelves of books and charts in the background.

Villa Learning Support

villa learning support (VLS)

Villa offers a scaffolded, responsive learning support program that honors each student’s strengths and tailors support for their individual needs. Built upon best practices in education, our Learning Support Program meets students where they are, helps identify areas of need, recommends and supports curricular adjustments, and provides executive function skill building. Villa’s dynamic, inquiry-based program ensures that all learners are appropriately challenged and engaged, empowering them as active agents of their own intellectual growth.

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A teacher helps two young boys with art supplies at a table, with shelves of art supplies in the background.

Children in the foreground are working on math problems on the floor with colorful tiles, while a bookshelf filled with books is visible in the blurred background.

Three schoolgirls in uniform examine a book on a table, with bookshelves in the background.

Performing Arts

Performing Arts: music, band, theater

Villa students grow in understanding and self-expression through engaging in a host of diverse Performing Arts opportunities. They enjoy age- and skill level-appropriate music and theater education, including sound study, expressive movement exercise, and instrumental music beginning in fourth grade. Through curricular and co-curricular engagement, Villa students discover their voices as active participants in the creative process.

A child with curly hair strums a ukulele on a sunny lawn while an adult with glasses plays a ukulele beside them.

A group of children in costumes from %22Beauty and the Beast%22 perform on a stage with a castle backdrop.

A young girl in a school uniform plays a saxophone in the foreground, while a boy and an instructor play saxophones in the background, with a piano and ornate architectural details visible.

A music instructor plays a trumpet in the foreground while three young students sit with their instruments in front of an ornate church altar in the background.

Visual Arts

As a critical component of whole child education, Villa students learn elements of art and design through engaging with a variety of media. Our program includes visual art education both within and beyond grade-level classrooms, through which students learn art techniques and history, collaborate with peers, express their emotions and opinions, take risks, and deepen their cultural awareness.

A young girl with blonde hair, wearing a dark blue shirt and black apron, paints with a yellow brush in the foreground, while other children and art supplies are visible in the blurred background of a classroom.

In the foreground, several young students in red aprons and plaid skirts are gathered around a table with art supplies, while in the background, a colorful color wheel poster hangs on the wall of a bright classroom.

Two young students in blue sweaters sort through art supplies in baskets on a table in a classroom with shelves of art materials in the background.

Two children in school uniforms color a large mural on the floor of a classroom, with colorful artwork and storage cabinets visible in the background.

Physical Education & Wellness

Physical Education (PE) & Wellness

Our PE and Wellness curriculum focuses on developing motor skills, staying healthy, and productively communicating with peers. Students gain invaluable education about their bodies, how to maintain their physical health, and the importance of teamwork, all within an encouraging, nurturing environment. Villa students grow smarter, kinder, and ready to make a positive difference in the world, both now and in the future.

Athletics

Four boys play basketball on an outdoor court with a building and trees in the background.

Children in school uniforms are energetically participating in a physical activity in a gymnasium with a climbing wall in the background.

Children in a gymnasium practice dance moves in front of a wall adorned with championship banners.

Children in school uniforms run and walk on a green field in front of a grey wall and a brick building.

Student Leadership

student leadership

As active, engaged members of a preschool-8th grade community, Villa students grow in their positive influence on the lives of others. Through student-led organizations like Student Council, cross-divisional Buddy Program partnerships, and service initiatives both on and off campus, Villa students come to understand their role, responsibilities, and opportunities as members of a connected community.

Several young boys in gray hoodies gather around a table in a gymnasium, with a colorful cactus cutout on the left and a basketball on the table.

Students in school uniforms decorate a stage with red and white patterned bunting, while a scoreboard hangs on the wall in the background.

In the foreground, people in chef hats serve food from a red and white checkered table, while in the background, a yellow wall and other attendees are visible.

Four young girls in school uniforms stand in a gymnasium, with a basketball hoop visible in the background.

Social Emotional Learning

social emotional learning

Villa students develop their social and emotional skills amidst a caring environment that honors student voice through encouraging exploration and questioning. Students engage in regular social-emotional programming in homerooms, and in advisory groups. Through these intentional lessons, we cultivate compassion and empathy, preparing students to lead purposeful lives in service to the world around them.

Reinemund Counseling & Wellness Center

A man reads a book titled %22Breathe Like a Bear%22 to a young girl in a school uniform, both sitting on a wooden deck with blurred foliage in the background.

A man in a plaid shirt kneels on a wooden deck, facing three children sitting cross-legged on yoga mats, with trees and foliage visible in the background.

A young boy in a blue hoodie laughs on a yoga mat, with a wooden deck in the background.

A group of young people are sitting on a wooden deck, with a girl in the foreground holding something in her hand and smiling, while a man in a plaid shirt laughs in the background.

Religion & Social Justice

Villa’s Cabrinian tradition of "education of the heart" invites students to explore and develop their personal faith in God while growing in understanding of the Gospel and global faith traditions. Villa’s dedication to whole child development–mind, body, and spirit–honors students’ innate spirituality while also educating for justice. Our religious education emphasizes encounter through prayer, loving inclusivity, and service to all God’s people.

Three people in yellow gloves scrub a colorful, weathered picnic table in the foreground, with a garage and building in the background.

A teacher leans over a student's desk in a classroom, with other students working in the background.

A young girl in a rainbow sweater colors a dragon on a worksheet at a wooden table, with a classroom filled with learning materials in the background.

A young boy in a gray hoodie writes at a desk in a classroom with bookshelves in the background.

Our Cabrinian model of education balances academic challenge with character development steeped in values of service, justice, critical thinking, and effecting positive change—and we help our students put those values into practice by creating real-world connections to our greater community.

The Villa Difference

THE VILLA DIFFERENCE

Villa is the only independent school in the city of Seattle nurturing the holistic development of children: mind, body, and spirit. Dedicated to inquiry-driven, student-centered academic excellence, Villa simultaneously tends to whole child growth and integrated health, informed by clear and compelling research on the powerful influence of nature, spirituality, and social-emotional intelligence on academic thriving. Our empowered students become stewards of their lives, caretakers of their mental and social wellbeing, and custodians of the environment. Villa firmly stands in commitment to the transformative power of our Cabrinian tradition of “education of the heart.”

LEARN MORE

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Accreditations & Memberships

Accredited by the Northwest Association of Independent Schools (NWAIS)
Member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS)
Member of the Puget Sound Independent Schools (PSIS)
Member of the Washington Federation of Independent Schools (WFIS)
Member of the Educational Records Bureau (ERB)
Certified (Level 3) by Washington Green Schools
Member of POCIS Seattle
Member of the National Catholic Education Association (NCEA)

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Academics

Schooling of the Mind.