Parent's Review of The Lucy School in Middletown,

What is the name of your child's school? (Please report on one school per survey.)

The Lucy School

In what town or city is this school located?

Middletown

How would you describe this school? (i.e. American, British, International, Local, etc.)

American - Arts based

What grade levels are represented at this school?

pre-K - 2nd Grade

How do most children get to school everyday? (bus, train, walk, etc.)

Parents either carpool (US term for lift club) or take their kids by car.

How would you describe the facilities at this school? What extra-curricular activities are available?

The School Mission is to provide a child-centered and individualized arts enriched program (including drama, creative movement, dance, music and visual arts) to stimulate, nurture and enhance the intellectual, emotional, physical, social, aesthetic and creative development of young children, ages three through second grade.

The school is based on a 17-acre farm which the teachers and children to integrate the elements and aesthetics of nature into the learning process.

There is a gorgeous converted barn for the pre-schoolers, which has a huge central area for drama, meetings and play, and classes of it. The new kindergarten-2nd grade building is a completely environmentally friendly building, which was completed this year. There is also a pond, a forest and a planting garden in addition to the two playgrounds. They offer after and pre-school activities, including music and singing, and soccer in the spring.

Lucy School's Curriculum is guided by the Maryland Content Standards component of the Maryland Voluntary State Curriculum that specifies what students should know and be able to do in four core content areas: English language arts, math, science, and social studies. These standards provide a framework to help us identify teaching and learning priorities and guide the design of our emergent curriculum and related assessments. These learning goals, as well as student interests, influence our project choices and learning experiences. The arts are at the core of the Lucy School Curriculum, not separate subjects, but integral to students' entire academic and creative evolution. Maryland Content Standards are met and exceeded through this approach (last year each member of our second grade class graduated with a fifth grade reading level and above).

Facilities;

The school was built in 2002 Recently completed a Green Classroom Building that houses our Primary Program K-2 and new music/dance space and art studio. This is a LEED Platinum project. Gymnasium and physical education facilities: Lucy School is set on a 17-acre property with pond, waterfall, wildflowers, organic garden, learning trails through the woods, hills to climb and fields to run. We have two fenced in natural playgrounds.

What has this school done to help your child transition from the curriculum in your home country into the curriculum in your new country? Are there programs to prepare your child for repatriation?

The school encourages parents to come and share experiences with the other children about their home country, and frequently these are done as part of plays in which the children 'travel' to the country and find out all about it, and then create stories about the country.

The curriculum is guided by the Maryland Content Standards component of the Maryland Voluntary State Curriculum that specifies what students should know and be able to do in four core content areas: English language arts, math, science, and social studies. These standards provide a framework to help the teachers to identify priorities and guide the design of the curriculum and related assessments. Due to the small class sizes, the children are frequently encouraged and supported to develop beyond their 'Grade level', and the teachers are open to discussing particular needs for individual children, and building those into their educational planning for that particular child.

How would you describe the social activities available for parents through this school? Are there parent-teacher organizations?

Parents are encouraged to play an active role in Lucy School life. There are frequent social activities, eg. barndances, musical concerts, picnics, planting days, clean ups, valentine celebrations etc. and the parent and children group tend to be a good mix of local and international, and very open to new experiences and approaches.

What advice would you give to someone considering enrolling their child in this school?

Be sure to join one of the many clubs open to parents to participate in the school. The teachers keep up a regular correspondence with parents as to what the weekly curriculum will cover, and how their child is performing. The arts-based approach is quite amazing and the results are very evident from the second grade graduates of the school who are all performing at higher grade levels in both reading and math.

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William Russell

William Russell's private medical insurance will cover you and your family wherever you may be. Whether you need primary care or complex surgery, you'll have access to the best hospitals & doctors available. Unlike some insurers, we also include medical evacuation and mental health cover in our plans (except SilverLite). Get a quote from our partner, William Russell.
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