The Josiah Haynes School is an extraordinary school community. Community and excellence are the hallmarks of our school. The students are kind to one another, well behaved, independent, responsible, and able to enjoy considerable amounts of freedom in the building. They are constantly seen moving about on their own, having quickly internalized the expectations of the larger school environment. They easily rise to these expectations and thrive as trusted, capable, valued members of our community. Staff and parents work closely, sincerely respecting and acknowledging each others’ contributions and achievements. Haynes enjoys tremendous parental support and involvement throughout the school. In addition, adults model the social behaviors that are the foundation of the Haynes school culture through example, which are then mirrored by the children.
Since community is the essence of the Haynes spirit, we continually work to nurture and support this value. The school begins and ends each week with school meetings, opportunities to gather and share achievements of individuals, classes, and small groups. The meetings are one of the major external signs of our good health as a successful school. Each classroom also begins each day with a gathering of students and their teacher(s). In summary, our educational journey is supported through the power and support of our community.
Vision Statement
The Josiah Haynes School, through the combined efforts of children, teachers, and parents, is a community of learners that promotes continuous intellectual, social, emotional, physical and aesthetic growth for all. Children come to school ready and eager to learn, open to trying new ideas, respectful of each other, responsive to adults and prepared to work hard each day to meet these goals.
Teachers come to school enthusiastic about teaching, motivated to take risks with new instructional practices, committed to continuous personal and professional growth, willing to work cooperatively with fellow teachers and parents, convinced that children learn best in a nurturing environment, and prepared to make positive contributions to the quality of life at Haynes.
Parents, as full partners and participants in the culture of the school, encourage children to do their best, transmit family values and expectations regarding the importance of learning and the need to work hard in school, share regularly their hopes and aspirations with teachers, support the efforts of teachers, and work to expand the resources and opportunities for learning available to all at Haynes.
Core Values
Teaching and learning, community, communication, respect, and responsibility are the core values at Haynes. Children are encouraged to explore, ask questions, and search for solutions. They are affirmed that perseverance, mistakes, and struggle are essential ingredients of true learning. Children are not judged on their learning; rather they are assessed on their progress toward becoming successful and independent learners.
Haynes is firmly committed to teaching excellence. The staff is constantly engaged in reflection, lifelong learning, and their own individual journeys as effective educators. As a teaching community, we embrace the most current and accepted approaches that assure viable and dynamic learning opportunities for our students, and seek to find new and better ways of meeting the needs of each child.
History of Josiah Haynes
Deacon Josiah Haynes, for whom the Sudbury School Committee named this school, was born June 4, 1696, a descendent of Walter Haynes, one of the original settlers of Sudbury. He was a farmer, a deacon of the church and and ardent patriot.
On that fateful morning of April 19, 1775, Deacon Haynes, although approaching his eightieth year, hearing the alarm, dressed quickly, bade his family a hasty good-bye and marched to Concord with Captain Aaron Haynes and his company of Militia. Upon approaching the South Bridge, where a British guard was known to be, the Deacon urged an attack upon the enemy to drive them from the area. However, the Company was under orders not to commence an attack and proceeded around the village to the North Bridge where the first shots of the Battle of Concord had just been fired.
In spite of his nearly four scores, Deacon Haynes still retained somuch energy and patriotism that he joined the pursuit of the retreating enemy until he was killed by a British musket ball when nearing Lexington. His gravestone inthe Old Cemetery in Sudbury Center bears this epitaph: