Inclusivity, Creativity, And

VISION

MSC is a caring, collaborative community where joy, inclusivity, creativity, independence, and a love of learning are some of our greatest values. Children and adults are encouraged to embrace and celebrate each other's unique voices, cultural backgrounds, and abilities, while developing critical thinking skills, empathy, and a social conscience.

OUR MISSION

Our student-centered, project-based pedagogical focus and instructional program is unique and grounded in the philosophy of a “community of learners.” We believe that all children are gifted in multiple ways, and we organize the curriculum thematically using an open-ended, interdisciplinary project-based approach that allows students to demonstrate their talents while learning from each other. In this way, we respond to each child’s unique developmental needs while encouraging a meaningful learning process.

OUR PROGRESSIVE PILLARS

Children learn by doing
Children learn at different rates, using different strengths and different learning styles
Children learn about the world in an integrated way
Children learn when they feel good about themselves
Children learn when their parents are active participants in their school

Teaching and Collaboration for Differentiated Instruction

Over the years MSC teachers came to realize that our children have many different educational backgrounds and learning styles. Our teachers strive to provide a rich environment where children can be actively involved in their learning and in learning by doing. In addition to explicitly teaching mathematical concepts and number facts, we involve children in hands-on and cooperative problem solving. Likewise, our literacy curriculum, involves students in real, purposeful reading and writing.

OUR HISTORY

MSC is a progressive school founded in the early 1990s through a cooperative effort of parents, teachers and staff members of NYC’s Community School District 3. We are a school of choice, open to children who are zoned for District 3. Since that time, MSC’s educators and parents have worked to build and maintain a progressive school community in which students of different racial/ethnic, socio-economic, as well as physical and academic abilities, come together to celebrate multiple ways of knowing the world and each other.

RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITIES

We teach respect and responsibility at each grade level in age appropriate ways. Social and personal responsibilities are taught in classroom morning meetings. These values are also integrated into core curriculum study at each grade level. To us, childhood is something to be enjoyed and savored, not simply passed through on the way to adulthood.

CODE OF CONDUCT

The code of conduct at MSC is based on three core principles: 1. Respect for Self; 2. Respect for Others; and, 3. Respect for One’s Actions. These principles support and maintain a learning community wherein students’ rights, listed below, are balanced by expectations of respect and responsibility.

Students have the right to work and learn.
Students have the right to feel safe and to be glad that they are in school.
Students have the right to be treated fairly and respectfully by adults and by their peer

OUR PARTNERS

We collaborate with a diverse network of partners who share our commitment to progressive education and meaningful collaboration. Click on an icon to visit our partners' websites for additional information.