Since the beginning of the school year, Julie Seyfert-Lillis’s 4th graders have been studying U.S. government. How does a teacher keep young people engaged with “civics lessons” for months on end? Well, it helps that Julie is a lawmaker herself, a member of the Town Board of New Paltz, where she focuses on issues of conservation, … Read More
We’ve been telling you about our “new” nursery program for a few months now. In truth, though, our Nursery School classroom, which opened last week, represents the a reinvigoration of a program original to High Meadow, and at the heart of the school’s founding. One of HMS’s overall goals, says Jen Bousilman, Director of Admissions, “is to … Read More
Next week, we’ll host a Parent Gathering devoted to Safety at High Meadow, details below. In advance, we’d like to bring you up to date on some of the ways we work to keep our students — your children — safe. We aim for all our staff members to be prepared to respond to any scenario. … Read More
As their families have already heard, it’s time again for Upper Schoolers to choose their Elective classes for the spring. We’ve already shared with you some of the choices students can make to shape their arts education at HMS, but did you know we also offer Academic Electives? These focused, weekly classes allow us to extend our core curriculum … Read More
Last semester, we introduced Voice + Choice, a series highlighting the ways High Meadow provides students opportunities to direct their own learning and development. A perfect example: this week, our 2nd graders celebrated completion of their illustrated, personal narratives with a “publishing party” to share their work with peers and guests. All year, 2nd Grade has been exploring the power of … Read More
Dear High Meadow Community, In my long career in education, I’ve tried many approaches to making a difference for children. I’ve worked in public school administration, served as a school improvement specialist for the state of New Jersey, started a school, taught aspiring leaders at a university, and had a private practice. I’ve experienced successes … Read More
Reading and writing are woven through our curriculum, beginning in preschool. This invites all students into our campus-wide culture of literacy, while also encouraging skill development. To explore what that looks like across grade levels, we sat down with Noam Yaffe (1st grade lead teacher) and Rachel Van Carpels (7th/8th grade literature). Noam’s 1st graders began … Read More
As you’ve heard throughout the fall semester, our teachers and administrators work across our programs to provide students with opportunities to direct their own learning, and to draw on their own ideas and experiences in their work in all subject areas. In the coming months, we’ll explore this collective effort to empower our students both within … Read More
