Academics
Students
Currently there are 21 students at the New School. They come from many different school districts. The majority of our students are Syracuse city residents but we also have students from the Fayetteville-Manlius, Jamesville-Dewitt, Westhill, and North Syracuse areas.
Our students are responsible for the "Once Upon a Crunch, Crunch" title for our highlights, happenings and kid picks portion of the homepage. Their ideas, work, and explorations are throughout the site, however, they are most prevalent in that portion.
A Day In The Life of a New School Student
Following is a general outline of what a New School student's day might look like:
Greeting: The Morning Greeter waits outside with the children to welcome others as they arrive. Weather permitting, they play outdoors until it is time to come upstairs.
Morning Meeting/Individual Work/Teacher-Student Conferences: Each morning starts with a greeting to make each child feel welcome. Students decipher their "contract" (an interactive chart which includes the day's schedule) and join a morning meeting, work individually or conference with a teacher as indicated.
Sustained Silent Reading and/or Reading Groups: This is an important time to experience the value of reading for pleasure. Children choose their own books and find a comfortable spot. Younger readers are paired with an adult or older child who reads to them, asking for some participation. Book clubs based on skill level, or a specific topic meet at this time as well.
Snack and Group Meeting: While enjoying our snack (simple, nutritious, and provided by the school) in varying groups, we introduce new centers, discuss topics, read a book, read students' stories or plays and/or facilitate student presentations.
Individual Time: This period includes Writing Workshop, art, social studies and math. A contract listing classes, activities, didactic games, and other academic content the child needs to accomplish on a given day specifies games, workbook pages, centers or classes for that day, and indicates other students with whom a child is paired or grouped for particular activities.
Journaling: Children work individually to create, write/type in their journals. Writing is a progressive process. Some students may start out by dictating something to a teacher who writes leaving space below for the child to copy part or all of the text. As younger children become more confident with letter shapes and sounds, they may help the teacher spell words, or ask a teacher to spell to them as they write, or begin to spell for themselves. We encourage invented spellings by beginners and do not correct their spellings. Some children like to draw a picture to use as a basis for their writing or dictation. Older children write independently; topics are typically chosen by the students. Some journal stories are revisited by students and teachers, edited, and presented in group settings.
Gym: Games and activities are planned for the gym and/or the schoolyard. This time is spent in high-energy physical education in which students learn cooperatively to play safe, play fair, and play hard.
Lunch: Students bring their own lunches and a drink everyday. This time is spent re-energizing while sitting socially with peers and adults in the cafeteria. Students are responsible for cleaning up their lunch spots and putting up their chairs when they finish.
Individual Time: This time involves learning centers, individual work, paired work and informal groupings engaging in academic games and reading for content.
Investigations: Children choose from a variety of activities including projects, which integrate science and art, as well as individual investigations (e.g., a child-designed Discovery Plan). Science classes are also held intermittently at this time.
Clean up: Children have specific responsibilities, which are assigned for a week at a time. They are expected to organize their own area and complete their assigned "job" such as sharpening pencils, re-shelving books, and returning art supplies.
Read Aloud: At the end of the day, students enjoy a story read aloud. Sometimes the same book is read to all groups; often the book relates to our Social Studies or Science units. Students may be divided into primary and intermediate groups in order to read specific books appropriate for each level.
Dismissal: Teachers accompany the children to their bus, vehicle, or to the After School gathering place; classroom or outdoor play area (weather permitting) respectfully.