Academics at Grace
Grace has a long tradition of high academic expectations, which prepare students to excel in future academic pursuits. Side-by-side with developing the skills of intellectual excellence, we are committed to helping students cultivate and practice the habits of ethical virtue. We believe these are not just twin goods, but that they are mutually dependent, relying on one another to find their fullest expression in good lives, well lived.
A Pedagogy of Joy
Students need to have a sense of fulfillment, in that what they do is meaningful to them and to others.
News from the Classroom
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The Vital Role of Associate Teachers at Grace
Leah Silver, Advisor to the Associate Teachers, sat down with us recently to discuss the associate teaching program and its integral role at Grace. -
Teacher Spotlight: Mike Raposo
For JK–8 Performing Arts Chair Mike Raposo, his role as teacher and performer aren’t separate from one another. “It's never been an option for me to not teach, just like it's never been an option for me to not perform. I think, in many ways, as a musician, the skills you develop teaching make you a better performer, and the skills you develop performing make you a better teacher. What and how I teach my students is heavily influenced by my experiences as a performer.” -
Grace to Host ResearchEd
The following is a letter from Head of School Robbie Pennoyer
My favorite educational conference is also the cheapest. A hazard of being a head of school is an expectation that, every year, you’ll attend an alphabet soup’s worth of conferences. There is value to attending these acronymed affairs, but there is also a hefty cost—particularly in terms of the time they require you to spend away from school. -
"We Really Mean It"
On the morning of September 6, new junior kindergarten through eighth grade parents and parental figures gathered in Tuttle Hall for a welcome and orientation to kick off their first school year at Grace. As part of the formal program, Head of School Robbie Pennoyer greeted families and described his hopes for the partnership that will develop between them and the school in the years to come, a message he also shared with new high school families earlier that week. -
Students Test Their Scientific Prowess
The morning of the science fair, seventh and eighth grade students arrived early. The gym, usually occupied by children deftly weaving through obstacle courses and dodging balls, was filled with the sights and sounds of middle schoolers excitedly putting finishing touches on their project displays–the culmination of months of asking questions, conducting research, forming hypotheses, observing results, and drawing conclusions–before their families and classmates arrived. -
IP10: The Value of Independent Study
As Grace’s newly-minted sophomores sat in their first grade-level meeting of the school year, Dean Hickerson and Mr. Todd officially introduced them to the Independent Project curriculum, beginning with a single question: “If you could choose any subject to explore, what would you choose?” The vastness of the question, reflected in the wide-eyed expressions of the students, is one of the reasons that IP10 (or March Madness as it’s known colloquially) has become an academic right of passage at Grace. -
Vasant Valley Visits Grace
In 1992, Grace Church School had its first cultural exchange with a cohort of middle schools in Yukuhashi, Japan. Over two decades later, Grace continues the tradition, exercising its mission through collaborations with schools across the globe. -
Footsteps of History: Learning with Virtual Reality
The following is an interview with Emily Cruz, Tech & Design Integrator, who spoke about incorporating virtual reality technology from Footsteps of History into the fourth grade curriculum earlier this spring. -
100 Days of Joyful Math Learning
“When we play games, it makes learning math fun,” says kindergartener Michaela B. “And,” she adds, referring to the game Spill Ten Beans, “I like that the beans look like jelly beans.”
On Friday, February 24, kindergarten students hosted their parents for an event celebrating 100 days of joyful math learning. -
Junior Kindergarten Students Explore The Natural World One Page at a Time
This year, Dean of Faculty Kim Chaloner has enjoyed sharing her love of science with the junior kindergarten every week during Science Story Time. The selected books explore how scientists work, the unusual senses of other species, and the splendor of nature. -
30th Annual MLK Celebrations
“I dream a world where all / Will know sweet freedom's way, / Where greed no longer saps the soul / Nor avarice blights our day.” So reads an excerpt from Langston Hughes’s poem, “I Dream a World,” which fifth grader Grace M. chose to recite last Friday as part of a student-directed presentation of music, dance, and spoken word performances honoring Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and fellow social justice leaders. -
T is for Thank You: 4-B Expresses Gratitude with Acrostic Poetry
“Dang! So good at teaching reading groups!”“Never doubts kids.”
So begins and ends an acrostic poem written to thank JK-8 Learning Specialist Sheila Rigby Dolan. Students in Mx. Brody Ramirez’s fourth grade class presented this poem and others, a collection of pieces extolling the virtues of Grace’s “specials” teachers, during the Lower School Chapel Service on December 6. -
Seventh Graders Illuminate US Historical Figures
Walk down the South Hall of 86 Fourth Avenue these days, and you’re likely to feel as though you’re visiting the National Portrait Gallery. Drawings of United States historical figures adorn the walls, courtesy of art teacher Hilary Harnischfeger’s seventh grade students and a multidisciplinary collaboration between the Visual Art and History Departments. -
A More Perfect Union: Students Examine the Constitution
Popular sovereignty. Self-determination. People power. No matter the label, it’s one of the primary reasons that the U.S. Constitution has survived since its ratification in 1788, according to JK-8 History Department Chair Mark Weinsier. -
Young Students Ponder a Future in Science
“If you were to choose a career in science, what kind of scientist would you be?” That’s the question science teacher Nicholas Frankfurt recently asked his fourth and fifth grade students, many of whom were pleasantly surprised to learn just how numerous the options are. -
Lower School Math
Look into the classroom during a math lesson, and you’re sure to see excitement as the students play math games and eagerly raise their hands to share an idea about the calendar pattern. Math classes in the Lower School have started with a review of last year’s lessons, and students are building their algebraic thinking each day with new challenges. -
Middle School Athletics Program Grows
Following the last class of the day, the hallways of Grace Church School are invariably bustling as students put away their books and calculators and head to their after-school activities. For many, this means embracing their inner Griffin and stepping (or, more aptly, running) onto the field. -
Early Childhood Chapel Prayers
“We hope people are kind to each other.”“We are thankful for the teachers being our teachers.”“We hope nobody loses their home.”“We are thankful for sharks because the ocean will stay healthy.” -
High School Clubs Kick Off
The room was buzzing last week as students packed the high school gym for the High School Club Fair. Students unfurled banners and gingerly arranged posters and props, excitedly preparing to share their expertise with their classmates–and, with any luck, recruit a few new club members in the process.
© 2022 Grace Church School
Grace Church School is a co-educational independent school in downtown Manhattan, New York City providing instruction for nearly 800 students in Junior Kindergarten through Grade 12.
