Gatherings

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Each week, elementary and middle school children come together for a group experience that leads to a deeper understanding of what cooperation with others can ultimately achieve. All areas of the curriculum are incorporated into projects that blend the entire range of

their skills and knowledge, as each child’s individual personality and style contributes

to the creation of original group work.

Kitchen Science

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Our Kitchen Science Program was featured on ABC’s nationwide broadcast of The Chew.

In this innovative class that incorporates science, social studies, geography, history, art, reading, and mathematics, students learn culinary arts, along with nutrition, the cultural origins of dishes, how foods are grown, how to convert measurements in recipes, and the chemical reactions that alter the properties of food. Preparing and serving lunch, as well as cleaning up afterward, are important services to the school community.

Literary Discovery

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In this weekly class, elementary school students explore a variety of genres, including poetry, short story, fable, mythology, and fantasy. They develop thinking skills, discuss ideas, and help one another to communicate more effectively. Using observations, memories, feelings, and thoughts, their own literary style emerges to create powerful written pieces.

Morning Group

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All elementary and middle school students

meet and talk together each morning to share their thoughts and feelings with their classmates, exploring ideas, conflicts, and desires. As each person makes his or her contribution to the group, others listen; in this way students learn about themselves as both speakers and listeners. In turn, their classmates listen and respond to what they hear. Our approach to both the group and the individual reveals itself most vividly in this class.

One World

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One World class integrates the sciences and social sciences, blending together life, earth, and physical science with history, civics, and geography. Studying the subjects in tandem allows elementary and middle school students to make insightful and original connections between the disciplines. The core concepts of the curriculum are structure, growth, systems, cycles, transformation, and interdependence.

Topics and concepts are revisited as

students’ thinking matures over the years.

Reach Out

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In Reach Out class, elementary and middle school students develop an understanding of how to interact with others in the school community, in the neighborhood, and in the world. They respond to people’s needs by engaging in projects that promote change in society and are beneficial to others. Past projects have included singing at a senior residence, reading to children in a homeless shelter, working in and donating to a soup kitchen, and participating in a bird population study with the New York Audubon Society.

Studio Players

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Middle school students work on memorization, recitation, and elocution as they read aloud from a variety of texts, including poetry, monologues, dialogues, speeches, and classic full-length plays during their weekly Studio Players class. Reading an entire Shakespearean play is a highlight, as is writing, producing, and performing a full-length original musical for the entire community.

Thinking and Writing

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Elementary school students work in pairs with a teacher to explore their own minds, discover their unique voices, apply newly acquired writing skills, and express what they want to say, while experimenting with various ways to write what they think. Initially, beginning writers use the perspective, composition, and tone of drawings to shape their writing. Later, they seek new ways to express their ideas thereby forming a deeper study of the craft of writing, all of which is facilitated by the teacher’s questions and responses to their work.

Tutorial

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Through talking and weekly assignments, elementary and middle school students come to understand and accept the myriad ways to perceive the world and one’s role in it, and to love learning for its own sake. The class addresses the importance of character, as well as intellect, and sharpens students’ critical, analytical, and abstract thinking. One’s individual responsibility to be an informed, compassionate, and active participant in

today’s society is explored fully, with the goal

of becoming the authority of oneself.

Work Period and Assignments

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Work Period and Assignments class is a foundation for learning how to work: to have one’s vision and carry it through to completion, with problem-solving, thinking, creating, and persisting all being called into play along the way. Open-ended materials are offered that encompass all curricula and subject matter. Each student generates an idea, plans and gathers materials, and brings his or her idea to fruition. Bringing their inner vision to completion promotes both their cognitive development and emotional growth. Additionally, it paves the way for students to complete assignments and homework independently.