Traditional Subjects, Innovative Approaches
Green Vale is known first and foremost for an academic program that is unsurpassed for these grade levels on Long Island. At a younger age than is common in most schools, Green Vale students experience a classic liberal arts education. With an emphasis on context and the ways in which classroom content is applicable to real-world fields of work, study, and life-long interest, Green Vale’s approach lets students experience school and learning as a fluid, ongoing process that doesn’t end with the school day.
By virtue of small class sizes, experienced teachers, and our culture of knowing every child, we are able to instill critical knowledge and building-block-skills (“traditional” mastery), while still having time and space for in-depth discussion, exploration of side topics, and innovative assignments.
Green Vale takes seriously its membership in NYSAIS, leveraging best practices and evolving thought leadership in dynamic collaboration with peer schools on Long Island and in New York City. Significant shifts in curriculum are undertaken only after thorough vetting, research, and guidance from a sub-committee of Board Members. A recent example of such an evolution is a shift to the highly regarded “Singapore Math” curriculum beginning in Kindergarten, shepherding students through concrete, pictorial, and abstract problem solving.
Academic success requires emotional support.
Academic progress and social/personal development go hand in hand. We challenge our students to be their best through a period in their life when they go through tremendous physical and emotional growth. The faculty understands these changes and realize that emotional well being through these tumultuous times is as important as academic achievement. Our students are challenged by a rigorous curriculum that helps them see what they are capable of accomplishing when they set ambitious goals for themselves. As they progress into the upper grade levels, students are exposed a growing range of academic and extracurricular opportunities that help them gain a better understanding of who they are.