Madison Country Day School
Encyclopedia
Madison Country Day School is a nonsectarian, private day school in Dane County, Wisconsin
for grades PreK through 12. It is the only non-religious private high school in Dane County, and has an enrollment of around 275 students. The school is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS), and is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools
(NAIS). It is an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School, and offers the IB Diploma Program
to high school students. Madison Country Day School is informally known as "MCDS", and "Country Day".
donated by PDQ convenience store founder Sam Jacobsen, with buildings to be designed by Robert A. M. Stern Architects
. However, when a conditional use permit was denied by the Dane County Zoning and Natural Resources Committee, the school rented quarters in a former schoolhouse in the town of Martinsville. Twenty-two students enrolled in 1997 for pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and Grades 1–3. Additional grades were added one at a time. The school later moved to 76 acres (307,561.4 m²) of land near Waunakee
. A $3 million renovation project in 2001 converted sleeping rooms of the former Yahara Center into classrooms. An upper school was formed when ninth grade was added in 2003. The first senior class graduated in the spring of 2007.
method, using the Orton phonograms. The Writing Workshop
developed by Lucy Calkins is used throughout the lower school to teach writing. The only foreign language taught in the lower school is Spanish, which starts in Pre-k, and with daily classes for the older students. The music program has several components in the lower school; including weekly semi-private piano lessons, choir, and separate music theory classes for all students. One goal of the Lower school music system is to prepare the students to take the ABRSM practical and theory tests. Other classes include Science, Art, History, Geography, Physical Education, and Language Arts.
texts. Spanish classes continue for all Middle school students, and Japanese is available as an elective. Students may also elect to continue their piano studies, or switch to a woodwind or stringed instrument in Middle school.
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Dane County, Wisconsin
As of the census of 2000, there were 426,526 people, 173,484 households, and 100,794 families residing in the county. The population density was 355 people per square mile . There were 180,398 housing units at an average density of 150 per square mile...
for grades PreK through 12. It is the only non-religious private high school in Dane County, and has an enrollment of around 275 students. The school is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS), and is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools
National Association of Independent Schools
The National Association of Independent Schools is a U.S.-based membership organization for private, nonprofit, K-12 schools. Founded in 1963, NAIS represents independent schools and associations in the United States, including day, boarding, and day/boarding schools; elementary and secondary...
(NAIS). It is an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School, and offers the IB Diploma Program
IB Diploma Programme
The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme is a two-year educational programme for students aged 16–19that provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry into higher education, and is recognised by universities worldwide. It was developed in the early to mid-1960s in Geneva by...
to high school students. Madison Country Day School is informally known as "MCDS", and "Country Day".
History
The school was originally planned for a 46 acres (186,155.6 m²) site in the Town of WestportWestport, Wisconsin
Westport is a town in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States and a suburb of Madison. The population was 3,586 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 27.2 square miles , of which, 22.2 square miles of it is land and...
donated by PDQ convenience store founder Sam Jacobsen, with buildings to be designed by Robert A. M. Stern Architects
Robert A. M. Stern
Robert Arthur Morton Stern, usually credited as Robert A. M. Stern, is an American architect and Dean of the Yale University School of Architecture....
. However, when a conditional use permit was denied by the Dane County Zoning and Natural Resources Committee, the school rented quarters in a former schoolhouse in the town of Martinsville. Twenty-two students enrolled in 1997 for pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and Grades 1–3. Additional grades were added one at a time. The school later moved to 76 acres (307,561.4 m²) of land near Waunakee
Waunakee, Wisconsin
Waunakee is a village in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States . The population was 12,097 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area. Waunakee bills itself as "The Only Waunakee in the World." The village was named as #78 in CNN Money's "Top 100 Best Places to...
. A $3 million renovation project in 2001 converted sleeping rooms of the former Yahara Center into classrooms. An upper school was formed when ninth grade was added in 2003. The first senior class graduated in the spring of 2007.
Curriculum
MCDS enrolls students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. The school is divided into three parts: The Lower school covers pre-kindergarten through fourth grade. The Middle school contains fifth through eighth, and the High school ninth through twelfth grade. The Pre-K and Kindergarten classes are occasionally referred to as the Early Childhood Program (ECP). As a private school, MCDS is free to choose curricula. Generally, the administration, with the guidance of educational experts from the nearby University of Wisconsin - Madison, try to select curricula from world-wide sources with documented success.Lower School Curriculum
The math program used at MCDS is the Singapore Math program, which starts in First grade, and continues through the Sixth. MCDS was one of the first schools in the United States to use this program. Reading is taught starting in the Pre-Kindergarten with direct instruction using the Riggs phonicsPhonics
Phonics refers to a method for teaching speakers of English to read and write that language. Phonics involves teaching how to connect the sounds of spoken English with letters or groups of letters and teaching them to blend the sounds of letters together to produce approximate pronunciations...
method, using the Orton phonograms. The Writing Workshop
Writing Workshop
Writing Workshop is a method of writing instruction developed by Lucy Calkins and educators involved in the Reading and Writing Project at Columbia University in New York City, New York. . This method of instruction focuses on the goal of fostering lifelong writers...
developed by Lucy Calkins is used throughout the lower school to teach writing. The only foreign language taught in the lower school is Spanish, which starts in Pre-k, and with daily classes for the older students. The music program has several components in the lower school; including weekly semi-private piano lessons, choir, and separate music theory classes for all students. One goal of the Lower school music system is to prepare the students to take the ABRSM practical and theory tests. Other classes include Science, Art, History, Geography, Physical Education, and Language Arts.
Middle School Curriculum
The Middle school math curriculum continues with the Singapore Math. English is primarily devoted to literature and writing, it also emphasizes grammar and public speaking. The Science classes are lab and experiment based, using a curriculum from Japan. History and Geography are taught using a Core Knowledge FoundationCore Knowledge Foundation
The Core Knowledge Foundation is an independent, non-profit, non-partisan educational foundation founded in 1986 by E. D. Hirsch, Jr. The Foundation is dedicated to excellence and fairness in early education.-Ideals of Core Knowledge:...
texts. Spanish classes continue for all Middle school students, and Japanese is available as an elective. Students may also elect to continue their piano studies, or switch to a woodwind or stringed instrument in Middle school.
International Baccalaureate
The IB Programme preserves a number of important features of the current MCDS High School curriculum and adds depth to our offerings through the diploma requirements listed below. Through a prescribed book list which mirrors our own, students in English will continue to develop a personal appreciation of literature and their oral and written communication skills. Students will also continue to study a foreign language, using literature to seek a native fluency in a given language, per the MCDS founding ideal. Likewise in Science, students will continue to learn the essential topics in a given subject and further develop their understanding of the scientific method through the IB emphasis upon laboratory work. Like MCDS, the IB Programme emphasizes an intellectual approach to academics: the IB math curriculum prepares students for further studies and careers but also aims to develop an appreciation of the intrinsic beauty of mathematics. One other feature of the IB Programme is that it is proven to develop an analytical ability and habit of reflection in students that matches MCDS’ liberal-arts ideal. In History, for example, students move beyond the AP model of exhaustive details to carefully studying a number of periods and areas in greater depth. Likewise in Art, students are evaluated on both their studio work and research workbook that ensures that their own work reflects and builds upon a solid grounding in the history of art. The Music curriculum is flexible enough to allow MCDS students to continue their pursuit of ABRSM standards if so desired.----