Ivy League School At A Glance
CLASS SIZE
Ivy League maintains one of the lowest student-to-staff ratios in Suffolk County. Small classes allow a high level of active engagement between teacher and child ensuring attention to individual learning styles, needs and interests. Students are taught at a pace which matches their learning rate. Too much stimulation may cause a child to feel overwhelmed; too little may cause a child to become bored and restless. What we can guarantee is that your child will never go unchallenged or feel lost in the crowd.
PERFORMANCE
Ivy League School is well known for its academic rigor. There are high expectations for student achievement and behavior. Students participate in New York State‘s Testing Program and generally score within the 90th percentile. Grade appropriate progress reports are issued three times a year. Formal conferences are scheduled twice a year and on an as requested basis.
CURRICULUM
Ivy League‘s program includes foreign languages and information technologies within its core curriculum. Courses of study are designed to adapt to the changes we are seeing in the world today. Both traditional and contemporary methods are used to teach subject matter and fundamental skills. A spiraling curriculum continually introduces new material while simultaneously reinforcing previously introduced content and skills. From Kindergarten on, teachers stress higher order thinking skills and
“habits of mind” that are the foundation of abstract thinking, imagination and judgment. Our goal is to help students acquire the tools, organizational skills and study habits necessary for academic achievement, social growth and independent thinking, while being challenged to excel.
Language Arts and Literacy
Beginning in Kindergarten, reading, writing, speaking and listening are seamlessly integrated into all activities and subject matter. A literature-based, phonics supported program provides the foundation for the lower grades. To generate excitement and foster success, the learning environment is filled with an array of good fiction and nonfiction material at a variety of reading levels and interests. In the upper grades, students build on a wide range of strategies and continue to receive direct and continuous instruction in comprehension and thinking skills, narrative structure and vocabulary. They read both classic and contemporary works for personal fulfillment and to acquire information for their studies. Exposure to a vast range of good literature throughout the grades provides students with excellent models and inspiration for their own writing. To create a common vision of what good writing looks like, all grades use the 6+1 Writing Program. This framework defines the essential components of writing (organization, voice, sentence, fluency, word choice, spelling and grammar and presentation), and pinpoints students‘ strengths and weaknesses as they write for pleasure or to convey information. Each year, Living Literature presentations and a PARP (Parents as Reading Partners) program provide opportunities for children to share their literary prowess with family and friends.
Mathematics
The mathematics curriculum is structured across four well-balanced building blocks which form the foundation of mathematics across the grades. Basic computational skills, fundamental procedural skills, and conceptual skills for mathematical reasoning at a variety of levels of difficulty, are the focus of learning in the early grades. Students are grouped for instruction, and those with exceptional talent or interest are provided with additional challenges. In the upper grades, students acquire a deep understanding of big ideas within numbers, algebra, geometry, probability and statistics. They use a variety of strategies, tools and technology sources to solve problems and apply their skills and understandings to resolve perplexing challenges.
Science
With young children, understanding the processes of scientific inquiry is as important as knowing the subject matter. In the early grades, science is integrated into the life of the classroom. Teachers make use of special mini-labs, the internet and nonfiction texts, as children learn to observe, describe and discriminate by examining properties of living and non-living objects and organisms. They explore cause and effect relationships and relationships between form and function. As children progress through the grades, more abstract concepts such as matter, energy, motion, time, space and forces are given broad coverage. The development of problem-solving and reasoning skills, such as hypothesizing, collecting, organizing, and analyzing data about the topic under study, empower students to participate in an ever increasing scientific and technological world. At this level, students are expected to communicate results through written reports or multimedia presentations. Personal investigations and group projects are honored at the school’s Science Fair and through participation in a regional competition sponsored by Brookhaven Laboratory.
Social Studies
Social studies empowers students to understand and appreciate the values and principles of a democracy and their rights, responsibilities and roles as citizens of this nation and the world. The comprehensive curriculum moves children from the familiar to the new, from local governments and environments to long ago and faraway places, and from the concrete to the abstract. Embedded in this interdisciplinary subject are important concepts taken from archeology, geography, history, government, sociology and the arts. In the early grades, children learn about people, places and events by reading nonfiction texts, attending field trips, and utilizing the internet. They express what they are learning through building models, creating individual and group projects, writing, and dramatic reenactments. Beginning in grade 3, there is increased emphasis on inquiry and communication skills as students make use of our state of the art technology center to collect and organize information, and share their knowledge through written reports and multimedia presentations.
PARENT INVOLVEMENT
We are proud of our reputation as a warm, welcoming, and safe learning community. Studies have shown that being involved in your child’s education can help him/her do better in and out of school. We encourage parents to participate in activities ranging from one-time experiences like accompanying your child’s class on a field trip, volunteering your expertise or knowledge in a given curriculum area, participating in class projects, to being a member of our very active PTO.
EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
Children can expand their minds and talents by choosing to participate in a variety of clubs and activities offered both before and after school. From karate to homework help, there is something for everyone. Before and after school care is always available.
HOMEWORK
Ivy League has developed homework expectations, which are sensitive to students‘ maturity level, helpful to promoting student academic success, and designed to strengthen good work habits. We ask that parents provide an appropriate quite space and time to do homework. We understand that it is not the parent‘s responsibility to re-teach concepts or check the homework. If your child does not understand a concept, or is confused about an assignment, the teacher can be informed by phone or e-mail.
FACULTY
Ivy League employs highly experienced personnel all of whom are qualified to teach in their respective fields. Throughout the year, faculty members are offered opportunities to learn about innovations in teaching and learning. They attend conferences and seminars, participate in staff development or learn through self-study. A high degree of mutual respect, openness and sharing exists among faculty, enabling new programs and good ideas to be quickly disseminated throughout the school. Teacher assistants are trained to work with students individually and in small groups. Specialists in art, music, physical education, language and information technology provide an added dimension to the instructional program.
DRESS CODE
Students demonstrate better behavior and pay more attention to school work when they are neatly dressed and nicely groomed. While Ivy League does not require uniforms, we require that children come to school neatly dressed in shirts, tops and blouses which cover the chest and stomach and in slacks, shorts, or skirts which are appropriate in length.
TRANSPORTATION
The school district in which you reside is required by state law to provide transportation to Ivy League for school aged children that meet their district‘s cut-off, within a given radius. For most districts, this Private & Parochial Transportation Request Form must be received by the beginning of April. Call your school district‘s transportation department for more details. For other transportation inquiries, please feel free to call our office.