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Primary School

Overview

The elementary and middle grades at the Laurel Hill School offer a comprehensive student plan that correlates individual potential and readiness with clearly stated personal, social and academic goals. From kindergarten through eighth grade, the core of the student plan remains focused on the developing child as a valued, responsible and productive person capable of appreciating the complexity of the world and adding to its richness. Each child progresses at his/her own pace in order to achieve both personal and academic success. The curriculum is responsive to different levels of development in basic skills and to different student learning styles. A rich variety of teaching methods, techniques and resources are utilized.

Curriculum

LITERACY

The early grades focus on phonemic awareness, phonics and word knowledge as well as a strong emphasis on comprehension and inquiry skills. The reading program spirals to a full English program as study advances in the later grades. All grades enjoy a literature-rich environment that creates opportunities for the critical analysis of literature and its vital contribution to understanding human nature and society. We encourage a lifelong love of books – student participation in the Headmaster’s Book Club and the Classic Classics literature program aids the achievement of this goal.

WRITING

The writing process is emphasized at the Laurel Hill School. Integrated with the reading curriculum, students experience writing as a craft and as an art. Boys and girls learn to compose, edit, revise and publish. Students are introduced to all forms of creative writing, poetry, non-fiction, and specialized writing styles for social studies and science. Students keep journals and anthologies and submit personal writing for school publication.

MATHEMATICS

LHS moves beyond basic arithmetic as it nurtures critical thinking, applications, mental computation skills, and connections to other subject areas. The program incorporates real-world everyday problem solving, cooperative learning experiences, and continuous exploration through hands-on activities. Mathematics is approached as a natural language for describing objects, events, ideas and action planning. Math is a fun and fascinating “I-can-do-it!” happening that adapts to the individual needs of our students.

SCIENCE

Science has multifaceted goals at Laurel Hill. Boys and girls experience science as a method of investigating the world, interacting with the environment, and acquiring knowledge. Students test new ideas and apply their learning in an environmentally and socially responsible way. Our annual Science Fair and yearly participation in the Brookhaven National Laboratory Science Fair provide stimulating settings to pursue full-scale research. Hands-on lab experiments, enrichment projects, field trips, visiting scientists and naturalists, and more complement the science curriculum.

SOCIAL STUDIES

Social Studies is a rich journey through time, place and culture. The program is designed to help the children better understand themselves and local and world communities. Culture, government, economics, and the rights and duties of citizenship are studied. Geography is intensively studied as an indispensable companion to the social studies program. Changing historical values and ethics are also discussed. Many projects, trips and special events accompany the social studies curriculum.

GLOBAL LANGUAGES

Spanish & Latin. Students acquire an early working knowledge of world languages to encourage continued study, and to enhance the appreciation of cultural diversity. Spanish begins in kindergarten and Latin is added to the language program in the sixth grade. Inviting and active speaking and listening learning are part of the fun-filled methods used throughout.

Congratulations To Our Walt Whitman Poetry Contest Winners!

 

                

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LHS is a recognized New York State private school, located in Suffolk County, Long Island.

 

 


 

 

Parent Bravos

Here is a small sample of some of the  beautiful comments from our Parents

From a 6th Grade Parent:

Dear Mr and Mrs Stark,
And all our wonderful LHS teachers! We want to support all parents in sending our deepest gratitude for giving our kids some sense of normalcy during these very challenging times.
It’s very important for us to know that while my husband, as many other ICU doctors and nurses, are fighting every day with this vicious disease, our children can still follow their routine, learn, and communicate with their teachers and friends. It helps us, parents, and it definitely helps kids to continue their growth as individuals.
I see excitement in (our daughter’s) eyes when she is getting ready for school in the morning, when she is running to the printer to get an assignment, or just talking to her friends during breaks.
Thank you so much to every single one of you!
 
 

From a 3YR Old Parent:

“We wanted to say thank you for accommodating the preschool families with the tuition suspension during this time.
We are also amazed (and truly grateful) that the zoom on- line learning format is continuing despite the circumstances.
I know this is not an easy time for businesses, organizations etc. If there is anything at all we can do to help the school during this time or once we return, please let us know. Maybe a fundraiser or maybe there is something we can do for our individual teachers. Just brainstorming…
Finally, some thoughts as we’ve entered week 3 of zoom/on-line learning. It’s been such a wonderful experience participating in our kids’ learning! Yes managing working from home and helping with homeschool can be exciting… but I’ve enjoyed seeing firsthand how dedicated our teachers are to not only teaching and providing additional resources to enhance learning, but also doing it with such great enthusiasm.
 There’s a great sense of community and collaboration between administration, teachers and parents, and it is evident that our main goal is how to make this experience the best it can possibly be.
How lucky are we to have such amazingly dedicated teachers in our kids’ lives! How blessed are we to be part of the
Laurel Hill family!
In the midst of chaos you have given us a sense of normalcy and we are genuinely appreciative of all your efforts.
 
 

 

 
 
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As Charles Dickens famously observed…
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times . . .
it was the season of darkness,
it was the spring of hope . . .
We at Laurel Hill live “the best of times” every day because we are blessed by the beauty, by the serene innocence, and by the precocity of our boys and girls.
We at Laurel Hill live “the best of times” every day for the blessing of totally dedicated teachers and support staff who clearly know why they selected to do what they do in career and in life and give, and give, and give tirelessly to fulfill their greatest ambitions for their children’s growth and well being.
We at Laurel Hill live “the best of times” because we are blessed to have families joined with us to support and to build – partners in turning great ideas into great accomplishments, partners ready to share their skills and to help in the work that needs to be done.
 
IN THEIR OWN WORDS
 
FROM A TEACHER….
Ms. Bond’s Zoom Classroom
Never in my teaching career would I have thought that I would need to teach elementary class via online classes. Yet, here we are in uncertain times, teaching in a media platform that is geared towards the children of this generation.
As apprehensive as I was before the first day of Zoom (I woke up a number of times during the night like it was my first day of school!), I now feel energized and excited about what we are able to do with the Zoom program. I’ve found that I’ve been able to keep most of my teaching the same as when it is a live class! In Reading, we’ve done an author study and vocabulary work in just three days! I am so proud of how much hard work my students continue to do while they are at home!
FROM A PARENT…..
I hope this email finds you well and safe. I have been thinking about you & Mr. Stark often and must first apologize for the time lapse in reaching out to express my deepest gratitude. I can’t believe that we have just completed 3 weeks of successful and engaging remote learning. Your steadfast leadership at the onset of this crisis was inspiring. As this crisis turned into a nationwide tragic pandemic, your engaging and detailed remote learning program did not waiver. In fact, it strengthened! Our children were the lucky ones to maintain a sense of normalcy with their routine schedule and engaging “live” classes with all of their treasured teachers and classmate friends.