About Us

"To understand is to discover, or reconstruct by rediscovery, and such conditions must be complied with if in the future individuals are to be formed who are capable of production and creativity and not simply repetition." - Jean Piaget

(Click on any photo to see it full sized!)
Village Elementary School was founded in 1995 in the semi-rural community of Fallbrook, California, a town ethnically and economically diverse. With the vision of creating a uniquely effective place of joyful learning and achievement for all children, VES has been innovative in its embrace of both historic and progressive educational theory. At VES, we know that the highest of academic standards are within the reach of students whose individual learning styles are honored and whose enthusiasm for learning is nurtured.


At VES classes are multi-age and learning is collaborative. The school's philosophy and curriculum assume each child possesses an innate desire to learn -- and the talent to participate in directing his or her own growth and development.


Learning is pursued in whole class, small group, partner, one-on-one and individual activities, and through numerous field studies in the community, at cultural institutions and at specialized educational centers.

VES Principles

VES assumes that significant responsibility for learning lies in the hands of the students themselves. They are nurtured and guided to participate in setting their own goals, to evaluate their progress and to make full use of their senses, emotions and intellects in the educational process.
VES students are individuals first and members of a particular grade level second. The challenging curriculum, high standards, eclectic teaching methods and widely varied experiences at the school and in the community reflect the characteristics that breed personal growth and serendipitous moments of newfound insight: creativity, flexibility and sensitivity to the uniqueness of each child.
VES honors the role of parent as educator, incorporating parents into daily and special activities, and considering their insights and values in the development of their children’s goals and objectives. VES’ success depends on the involvement of parents and the community.
VES knows that in education smaller is better. The school maintains a student-to-teacher ratio of 10:1 or better. This ratio allows for the teacher-student bonding and exceptionally high level of individual attention that most effectively support children’s growth.


The Staff

Susie Engle
Director & Teacher

Susie Engle has been a member of the VES Staff since its inception in 1995. She has joyfully used discovery-based teaching techniques with children from first through sixth grade. Susie has developed the curriculum for all of the grade levels at VES. She has encouraged age-appropriate discoveries combined with hands-on-learning where newly discovered principles are applied to tangible projects.

Prior to joining VES, Susie completed student teacher training and was a long-standing substitute teacher for kindergarten through eight grades.


Amy Wilbur
Teacher

Amy Wilbur graduated from Northern Arizona University with a degree in Elementary Education, and an emphasis in Art and Spanish. She holds a California teaching credential. She completed six months of student teaching at a NATO base in Belgium. Amy has also completed a yearlong teacher-training program, the Sedona Partnership with an emphasis on teaching through Multiple Intelligence. She was a member of AmeriCorps, where she worked in elementary schools developing summer enrichment programs. She has traveled throughout Europe, Mexico, the West Indies and Central America.

Amy is very enthusiastic about her new position at the Village Elementary School. She sees this as a unique opportunity to teach in an environment that is very thoughtful and focused on the individual student. She is anxious to begin working with the children this Fall. She already recognizes the tremendous energy and support of the families for the education the students receive at VES.


Barbara Martin
Music Teacher

Barbara Martin is an enthusiastic musician and teacher who eagerly shares her sense that music should be fun with students of all ages. Barbara has been teaching music at Village Elementary School to kindergarten through sixth graders for three years.

Barbara earned a B.M.Ed. from Heidelberg College and an M.M. in Violoncello from Kent State University. She has post-graduate training in string pedagogy from the University of Texas, Austin. Barbara taught orchestra for grades 5 through 12 in Edinburg, Texas, and private students from ages 3 to adult in Southern California. She is currently a member of the Redlands Symphony, and most recently has been a Violin Instructor at La Paloma Elementary School. She will be teaching recorder in the Live Oak Elementary School After-School Program. She is the director of the North County Recorder group, a chapter of the American Recorder Society. Ms. Martin is a member of American String Teachers Association, Suzuki Association of the Americas and the American Recorder Society.



"Village Elementary encourages my daughter to engage actively in her learning - and the staff encourages her to use her creativity in her work. From the moment I walked into the school, I knew that this was the place for my daughter." - Tammy Russell, parent

"Three years here are just not going to be enough!" - David, 4th grade

"John is in a safe and supportive environment that allows him to explore and expand new ideas creatively. His expressive nature as a writer has been revealed and nurtured." - Valerie Fullbright, parent