De La Salle Academy

Lower School teachers have been thinking together about the goals we set for social studies, in particular the conceptual goals that underlie our projects, trips and written tasks. As much as in literacy or math, we design a program to reflect students’ developmental orientation. We meet them where they are, tapping into their interests and curiosity within the framework of their realm of understanding. For example, we know that the younger child learns through concrete, personal experience – a trip or interview is a springboard for extended learning as your child reflects, questions, draws and writes about an exciting experience, turning it into new and deeper understanding. As the student matures and her worldview broadens, she extracts more and more information from books and symbolic communication, linking this to direct, interactive experience. Eventually, around Third Grade, students are ready to leave what we call the ”here and now” and enter the world of “long ago and far away;” to study those things that cannot be visited directly, tasted or touched. Thanks to the experiential foundation of their earlier years, eight and nine year olds are prepared to appreciate the flow and evolution of history and to conceptualize a timeline leading from then to now.

Dedicated to fostering independent thinking and hands-on learning, this Montessori middle school in Madison Square follows a teaching philosophy that has shaped young minds for decades. Students here develop self-direction and critical thinking through carefully designed classrooms that encourage exploration and discovery at their own pace. Founded on principles of respect for the child, the school represents a thoughtful alternative to traditional education.

The Horace Mann School was founded in 1887 as a coeducational experimental and developmental unit of Teachers College at Columbia University. The Horace Mann School for Boys moved to Riverdale in 1912, and during the 1940’s, severed formal ties with Teachers College and became Horace Mann School. The HM School for Girls remained at Teachers College through the 1940’s. Since the 1970’s we have educated boys and girls in Nursery through Twelfth Grade. Our main campus, home to the Lower, Middle and Upper Divisions, is located on 18 acres in Riverdale. The Nursery Division is located in Manhattan. The John Dorr Nature Laboratory, our pioneering outdoor education center, is located on 100 acres in Washington, Connecticut. Since its founding, Horace Mann has changed in many ways but remains steadfastly dedicated to five core values: The Life of the Mind, Mature Behavior, Mutual Respect, A Secure and Healthful Environment, and A Balance between Individual Achievement and a Caring Community.

K-12. Trinity's mission, stated in carefully considered terms, is essentially to provide its students with a setting—intellectual, moral, and physical—in which they can pursue the elements of a liberal education. We understand the idea of liberal education in different ways, all of us, but I'm pretty sure we could agree on a small number of things that are necessary to it: reading and writing accurately and truthfully; being curious and critical-minded; opening our minds to the ideas of others; questioning authority; maintaining self-respect and respect for the other. It is an endless project. Its ideals are woven through the ideals of democracy. I've come to think that, beyond the ideal of learning for its own sake, for the love of it, a liberal education serves politics. The political question is something like, "What is one to do with one's power?" How Trinity goes about the business of a liberal education is our way of answering that question.

K-12<br> The United Nations International School (UNIS) was founded in 1947 by United Nations affiliated families. UNIS has a multi-national staff from 70 countries and over 1,450 students from 115 countries. The main language of instruction is English and all students study French or Spanish, beginning in the elementary school; Arabic, Chinese, German, Italian, Japanese and Russian are also taught beginning in the seventh grade; additional mother tongues may be studied after school.

The Ethical Culture Fieldston School provides children with a rigorous and humanistic education as preparation for becoming thinking, responsible, caring adults. We actively engage a diverse and pluralistic student body in a rich and challenging academic, moral and aesthetic education. We integrate classroom work with hands-on experience and offer a developmentally appropriate curriculum for both mind and body. We encourage our students to become independent thinkers, lifetime learners, and active participants in a democratic society.

N-8. School motto, Gaudeant Discentes, means “let there be joy in learning,” and this, in essence, is the defining orientation of our school. While we know that learning – if properly done – is not always easy, it should always be joyful. Why? The most powerful learning transforms a person. When a student finally understands a difficult math problem, feels the power of a poem, or first grasps the vastness of our universe, a life is enlarged and the transformative power of learning is realized. This is an inherently joyful process, and it is what The Town School fosters.

6-12<br> York Preparatory School is a fully accredited co-educational college preparatory day school located at 40 West 68th Street in the Lincoln Center area of New York City. One hundred per cent of the graduating class is accepted to college, with over 85% of students getting into their top two choices. Our goal is to help students achieve success while upholding academic excellence. The Honors and Jump Start programs ensure that all students are appropriately challenged and supported. Technology is integrated in every aspect of learning. York Prep offers a wide variety of sports and clubs and is a playing member of the ISAL and GISAL leagues in soccer, basketball, volleyball, softball, tennis, golf, track and field, and cross country. Other sports include roller hockey, fencing, horseback riding, and swimming. York Prep is approved by the New York State Board of Regents and accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.

A tight-knit learning community that welcomes students in grades 4 through 12 who are pursuing serious paths in performance, visual arts, modeling, or athletics. The school designs its curriculum around the reality that some young people need scheduling flexibility and a supportive structure that understands their unique commitments. Winter months here feel particularly purposeful—rehearsal spaces glow warmly while snow falls outside, and the campus maintains its creative momentum even as the darker days set in. Whether you're balancing intensive training schedules or developing artistic skills alongside academics, the program adapts to your rhythm rather than forcing you into a standard mold. Families appreciate the independence students gain while still having strong mentorship and rigorous coursework supporting their growth.

N-4<br> Corlears School achieves intellectual, social, emotional, and physical development of its students through its adherence to the principles of progressive education. In line with progressive educational practice, curriculum in each classroom provides opportunities to work with tangible materials, explore the world through trips and to engage in active investigations. Children discover patterns, rules and concepts through the investigations in which they are involved. This mode of learning provides the foundation for mastering skills and fostering inquiry and problem solving. It supports and reinforces the curiosity necessary to be active, engaged, lifetime learners and to develop an increasing understanding of how the surrounding world functions.

K-12. Within a warm façade that blends into the museums and townhouses of Manhattan's Upper East Side, the young women of The Hewitt School are the center of an educational program that encourages independent thought and creativity. Athletics to arts, languages to laboratories, music to math: a balanced, healthy, and comprehensive environment.

K-12<br> The Nightingale-Bamford School has provided a rigorous college preparatory education for girls and young women since 1920. Today there are approximately 530 students enrolled at Nightingale from grades K-12. Our commitment to a strong foundation in the traditional academic disciplines; the close feeling of community among students, their families and teachers in a small school setting; and the many opportunities our students have to develop confidence in their abilities and an understanding of themselves create the special quality of a Nightingale education.

From kindergarten through senior year, roughly 670 students flow through these halls, each bringing their own perspectives and stories from across the greater New York area. The primary building stretches twelve stories along East 83rd Street with views toward the East River, creating an urban campus atmosphere that feels particularly intimate during winter months when the river takes on a quieter character. Just a few blocks north on East 87th Street, the Field House opens up space for a full slate of athletic pursuits—basketball, volleyball, soccer, swimming, squash, track, field hockey, and lacrosse all find homes here, with the facility providing a welcome refuge for winter sports and indoor training when the season turns cold.

Nestled on the Upper East Side, this independent high school reimagines education through the Waldorf methodology—blending intellectual rigor with hands-on creativity and artistic expression. Students engage deeply with traditional academics while developing critical thinking skills and emotional intelligence in a close-knit community that treats learning as both science and art. The approach prepares students for success in selective colleges while nurturing the curiosity and imagination that define thoughtful, well-rounded learners.

N-8 <br> • New Dorp Christian Academy is a fully accredited, New York City certified private school.<br> • The A-Beka Curriculum is used at New Dorp Christian Academy. This course of study exceeds the requirements set by the New York State Department of Education for elementary and secondary schools.<br> • We offer Nursery through Eighth Grade.<br> • The Nursery school program offers a variety of sessions (half day morning, afternoon, and full day programs).<br> • We offer a full day Kindergarten program.

St. Joseph Hill Academy is a K-12 Catholic school operated by the Congregation of the Daughters of Divine Charity. It is located on a fourteen acre, park-like campus in the Arrochar section of Staten Island, New York. The elementary school provides co-education for grades K-8. The high school enrolls approximately 400 young women.

Currently, we are building a high school addition. As a result of the steady high enrollment over the past decade, SJVA was pressed to develop a strategic campus facility plan that would renovate existing buildings and increase the amount of space in our high school. Specifically, several of the oldest buildings on campus are unable to meet the space and program needs of our faculty and students. In order to maintain programs and to expand other areas of the curriculum, SJVA proposed a $5 million renovation and construction project. This will primarily consolidate the high school's academic space into a central location by enlarging and renovating the existing high school facility. A three-story wing is being built and connected to the current two-story high school. All new classrooms will be provided with "T1" Internet access lines. The project broke ground in December 2004 and is anticipated to be completed by September 2005. Of this $5 million renovation and construction project, $1 million must be raised from a capital campaign. Because St. John Villa is a private Catholic school, we do not receive public funds or money from the Archdiocese for capital projects and therefore, must seek private donations to accomplish this greatly needed project.

The Berkeley Carroll School's college-preparatory academic program emphasizes critical thinking, informed decision-making, and life-long learning. Under the guidance of dynamic and energetic teachers, students are challenged to stretch their imaginations, discover creative resources, and strive to fulfill their intellectual promise. Teachers demand an active approach to the learning process and support their students in an atmosphere of respect, personal attention, and care. <br> The school has four educational divisions - the Child Care Center, Lower School, Middle School, and Upper School.

N-12. In keeping with Dr. Allen's vision, the mission of Poly Prep Country Day School is to prepare students for college and for life by fostering learning, health, leadership, community responsibility, and, above all, character. A day-long program of academics, physical education and athletics, arts, and extracurricular activities is guided by a strong, committed faculty, in a diverse school community, on campuses with outstanding facilities.

N-8<br> Brooklyn Heights Montessori School is a dynamic and progressive independent day school for children two years old through grade eight, including a program for preschool children with special learning needs. <br> We are a close-knit, vibrant school community guided by the philosophy and principles of Dr. Maria Montessori. The development of each child as a unique social, emotional, physical, and intellectual being is our aim. At every educational level, our curriculum is philosophically consistent and grounded in a set of human values, which will serve our students for life. <br> Learning is a pleasure at Brooklyn Heights Montessori School. Children are well cared for. Friendliness, warmth, honesty, and respect are inextricably woven into the fabric of our educational philosophy - and students, parents, faculty, and staff are happily engaged and connected to one another.