The Hutch School probably doesn't resemble most of our students' home schools, but in general, our students love going to this school and are able to make an easy transition back to their home schools. It is not uncommon for our students to actually be ahead of their classmates at home in some of their classes.

As high school teachers, our goals are to keep students current with their home classes, to expose students to learning opportunities and methods they may not have previously experienced, and to support them emotionally during a tough time.

Your home school:
We will contact home schools and make certain that we are taking care of your student's required course. Generally speaking, we prefer to negotiate with the home school in general subject areas like History and Language Arts. We believe students learn more when they learn together. We would rather all our students were reading the same novel and having group discussions and assignments, rather than each student reading a different book.

There will undoubtedly be some subjects (like Math) where it is important that the student be doing the same work as the home school students. In these cases, we ask the counselors or home teachers to provide a detailed outline with dates to accompany completion.

Grades
We give grades. We know what work the students have achieved, what discussions they have participated in, and what learning they have accomplished. If the home school insists on giving grades (extremely rare) they can. We're flexible!

Finals
If students have been away from their home schools for a considerable amount of time, we will recommend to the home school that students be excused from final exams.

Other tests
We can arrange SATs, Regents, Driver's Ed, Welding Classes, etc. Just ask.

Homework
There will be homework, but we try to keep it to a minimum. Evenings should be a time when students can visit parents in the hospital and be with their families. We will, however, assign reading on a daily basis.

Field Trips
These are part of our curriculum and high school students are expected to attend. A big part of this program is about introducing students to Seattle and its many cultural rewards.

Please feel free to call us about any concerns you may have. We are happy to conference with parents and will come to the hospital to do this.

Margaret Flatness & Maggie Chambers
High School Teachers