Info/FAQ
Info/FAQ
The New School of Monmouth County is a small, private, ungraded elementary school in Holmdel, New Jersey. It is a family school with innovative teachers and much parent involvement. Approximately 18 students are enrolled in each of three "family" age groups: with sometimes a 4 year age range. The emphasis is on each child as an individual learning how to learn, and how to be a responsible member of the group in an informal, non-competitive atmosphere.
Learning is approached as an integrated experience, incorporating reading, writing, math, science, geography, history, music and art in special projects. Teachers provide the support and structure to allow each child to plan and carry out his/her projects. Students at The New School develop self confidence and retain the love of learning and self-motivation common in young children, which is often diminished in students attending more traditional schools.
Since it's formation in 1969, The New School has graduated over 200 students with a wide range of talents, goals, and life-styles. Each of the graduates have as a common denominator a good self-esteem - a strong knowledge of their personal assets and needs, and a real understanding of how to learn, how to enjoy fulfilling lives, and how to be flexible problem solvers.
Many of the latest ideas recently hailed as breakthroughs for educational problems are in fact only very old, tried and true practices that have been quietly implemented at The New School since its inception. A few of these ideas include:
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Cooperation nurtures more learning than does competition. |
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Education is a process, not an event. |
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Mixed-age group of children work well together and learn from each other. |
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Good self-esteem is essential to learning. |
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Children learn what they do. |
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Learning to problem-solve makes the most insightful students, and better global citizens. |
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A whole language approach is a richer way to learn the communication skills necessary for today's students. |
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Decision making is a process learned by having the opportunity to make decisions. |
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Control is a major issue - but need not be. |
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Values are lived, not lectured. |
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Parents, teachers and children working together enrich the educational process. |
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Equality issues and attitudes related to race, sex, religion, economic status, etc. are pertinent in all levels of education. |
The children reply:
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The New School provides alternative education for children from kindergarten through eighth grade.
The classes are divided into three separate groups - the younger class, the middle class and the older class. The groups overlap - age-wise to allow maximum flexibility. The older children in a glass are encouraged to help the newest arrivals with their work and projects. As the older children move into a higher group, they in turn become the newest members and are encouraged and helped by the older members of that class.
The curriculum of The New School is planned with and around the children to meet their needs and interests.
The children arrive at 9:00am and the day starts at 9:20. The day ends at 3:20, except Wednesday when it ends at 12:20. (Wednesday afternoons are used for teacher planning). Organization of the day will vary; however a certain basic structure exists which includes "book corner" at the beginning of the morning and afternoon and sometimes at the end of the day. These sessions are a time for planning, talking and working out problems, reading together and sharing accomplishments.
There is a mid-morning break when the children have a snack, and a lunch-break, each followed by playtime outside. Snacks and lunches are brought from home.
Work times encompass every type of organization and group participation - from individuals working alone to the whole school working together. Clean-up sessions take place before lunch and at the end of the day.
Twice a week an alumnus qualified in fitness training works with each class on a wide variety of physical activities. These include: cooperative games, walking & running at the neighboring park, whole school kickball games, etc. In addition, other class or school physical activities are planned throughout the year, including: swimming, roller skating, bowling, miniature golf and yoga. This is in addition to the physical activity that the children initiate in their daily outside play.
Music activities take place on Wednesday & Thursdays. Children from the middle and older classes learn to play the recorder in small groups. All children work in groups with a wide variety of percussion instruments, singing, folk dancing and doing creative movement. The "Orff" method of music used at The New School provides a wonderfully creative approach to learning music.
Physical Education and Music are also integrated into many of our class and school projects as a part of our "integrated curriculum" approach to teaching.
While we do address Reading, 'Riting and 'Rithmetic, we find Relationships, Responsibility and Realistic Problem Solving just as important and essential as a basis for any type of meaningful learning.
Trips range from a spontaneous trip to the park next door for a school scavenger hunt, to trips to other countries. We feel these trips are an important part of your child's education. Trips may be for one or more groups, and some times different groups make the same trip on subsequent days.
A trip may spring from one child's interest, a project planned by a group, or an upcoming holiday. It may be a follow-through activity or a starting-off point planned by a teacher as a focus for work. It might be just for fun, to enjoy seasonal happenings. Whatever the trip, it provides opportunities for learning, both academic and social, in an informal atmosphere.
We charge for trips only if there is a substantial cost involved. Because we take a lot of trips, we do not allow students to bring spending money except to places where there might be special souvenirs, and then we set a limit. This eases the money burden and takes the focus off spending as the main purpose of the trip.
Some examples of trips include:
| Local Parks
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| Local Plays and Movies | ||||||||||
| Post Office | ||||||||||
| Police Station | ||||||||||
| Library | ||||||||||
| Monmouth Museum | ||||||||||
| Katerie Environmental Center in Monmouth County | ||||||||||
| Pumpkin picking at Halloween | ||||||||||
| Liberty Science Center | ||||||||||
| New Jersey State Aquarium | ||||||||||
| New York City or Philadelphia theaters and museums | ||||||||||
| Middle / Older Class Spring Camping for 2-5 days in cabins / tents at Bass River in South Jersey. | ||||||||||
| Yearly Older
Class week long spring trip to:
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| About every 4 years, an optional Older Class / Graduate trip to England is planned for 3 weeks in the summer. |
We evaluate the children and have parent conferences. Our evaluation is based on the individual's progress, and from our close knowledge of the child - through working with him/her on a one-to-one basis. Parent conferences are held three times a year, in October, February, and May. Twice a year the students write self-evaluations that are included in the parent conference. At mid-year the students have their own conference with their teacher and a written report is given to the parents prior to their conference. Children develop a "portfolio" of their work. which is shared at the May conference.
Comparison with a general standard of what is appropriate for a particular age level is a consideration, but is not the main focus for the evaluation. We feel that children should start from where they are and progress from there. Of course parents are free to call with a question, problem or with information concerning family matters that might affect a child at school. Often parents will call to share something wonderful that they've noticed in their child's development.
Parents are encouraged to spend at least one day a year in the classroom. This also helps both parents and teachers evaluate a student's progress.
We are very proud of our graduates and try to do everything possible to see that their transition to a new school is smooth. In their last year at The New School we write a detailed report for the high school and schedule a visit for the children, parents and teacher to meet the new counselor.
Graduates frequently return to visit and share their experiences with us. An annual Graduate Evening is held for recent graduates to answer parents' and students' questions.
The New School is a non-profit corporation, administered by the Director with a finance committee comprised of a board of directors who are elected yearly by the parents. Any parents in good standing who regularly attend the monthly meetings are eligible to be voted onto the finance committee. All money received by the school is put back into the operation of the school. The yearly running of the school is financed through tuition, set by the finance committee.
Every effort is made to keep the tuition as low as possible. There are reductions for families with more than one child enrolled in The New School. Despite limited funding there are a few full or partial scholarships, including parent work scholarships, which are generally given to families already enrolled with us. Tuition must cover salaries, mortgage, utilities, building maintenance, equipment, insurance, etc.
The tuition for the 2004-2005 school year is $9085 for the first child and $6355 each additional child.
In addition to tuition, each family is expected to donate at least 16 hours to help with building maintenance at various workshops. A $500 work bond is posted when a family joins The New School. If the family does not complete its time commitment by the end of the school year the money is used to defray maintenance costs and the family is re-billed for the bond the next year. For families that meet their workshop commitment the bond is rolled over until it is returned when their children have left The New School. Workshops are scheduled monthly on Saturdays or Sundays. If a parent's schedule doesn't fit our many workshops, other projects can be assigned.
Other sources of funds include:
| Bonds for building and bus purchases, |
| Fund raising for many extras not affordable in the regular budget (e.g. new carpeting, paving, deposits for buses, scholarships, etc.) and reviewed at the first business meeting of the year, |
| Grants for a variety of specific uses, ranging from our addition of the solar room, purchasing equipment such as computers, reroofing and establishing an Internet presence for the school. |
Since the new school is so different from traditional schools, visiting is essential for all prospective parents. Students and parents are encouraged to visit us before deciding.
Once a month, on a Wednesday morning the educational director schedules a visiting day. A tour of the school given by students is followed by a discussion with the educational director and an opportunity to ask questions. Each visiting parent then meets briefly with the director and visits classes in progress. New school parents are frequently available for discussion on Wednesday mornings and a list of others to contact for their perspective is made available.
We have an informal atmosphere centering on the children. This is frequently a noisy, messy place designed as a working environment for the children; it is seldom a showplace. Like any family we have our big clean-ups, but are not afraid of mess and noise when it is part of the learning process. When you visit, focus on the individuals and small groups. Ask questions of the students and parents about how they spend their time. Talk with them about the materials being used or how the various projects developed. Feel free to join in whatever is going on when you visit. A further visit can be scheduled for parents to spend more time in a specific class and then their child/ren will visit for 2-3 days in the appropriate class before being enrolled.
Both parents are required to visit the school and meet with the director before registration takes place. If your schedule does not permit a Wednesday morning visit, another time can be arranged.
We welcome professional visitors also, but we ask these visitors to donate $20 toward our scholarship fund.
We are located at 301 Middle Road, Holmdel NJ 07733.
Please call us at (732)787-7900, fax us at (732)787-1165, e-mail us, or sign in our guest book. We can send you a New School Parents' package including
| The New School Handbook (covered in our History, Philosophy pages, and our FAQs), |
| The New School of Monmouth County Pamphlet (covered in our FAQs), |
| The New School - An "Old" Educational Concept - article by Susan Chilvers, Ed. D.(covered in our FAQs), |
| Two River Times, March 13, 1991 Article "Alternative Education - Family is the Key at the New School" |
| Asbury Park Press, May 3, 1995 Article "School of thought - New School fetes 25 years of alternative education" |
| Thursday Bulletin Number 450 March 23, 1995 - Excerpt on Graduate Night Discussions |
| Directions to the New School Of Monmouth County |
| Current Fee Schedule |
We can have our education director, Susan Chilvers, Ed D., answer any other questions.
Where
is The New School of Monmouth County?
301 Middle Rd, Holmdel, NJ 07733
TEL: 732-787-7900 FAX: 732-787-1165
From the North:
Take the Garden State Parkway to Exit 117 and take Rt. 36 East
toward Sandy Hook. On Rt. 36 go to the 3rd traffic light -- a Kentucky
Fried Chicken & Airport Plaza will be on your right. Turn
right onto Middle Rd. Go through 3 lights (Poole Av., Union Av.,
Laurel Av.). The New School is on the right just past the third
light.
From the South:
Take the Garden State Parkway to exit 114. Turn right at the
light at the end of the off ramp. At the next traffic light turn
left onto Van Schoick Rd (Dwight Rd goes off to the right) and
continue to the fourth light at Middle Rd (cross Holland Rd.
[where Van Schoick becomes Laurel Av.] & Rt. 35, and past the
Holmdel Shopping Plaza). Turn right onto Middle Rd. The New
School is on your right.
Map to The New School (mapquest)
From Rt. 35 South:
Watch for Laurel Av. sign (on your right). You will see an Exxon
Station. Take the Laurel Av. jug-handle. Go across Rt. 35 to the
second light (past the Holmdel Shopping Plaza). Turn right onto
Middle Rd. The New School is on your right.
From
Rt. 35 North:
Watch for Laurel Av. sign (on your right). Go to the second light
(past the Holmdel Shopping Plaza). Turn right onto Middle Rd. The
New School is on your right.
or
Watch for Palmer Av. sign (on your right). You will see the
Middletown Movie Theater. Turn right onto Palmer Av. Go to the
first light. Turn left onto Middle Road. Stay on Middle Rd, go
round a bend, Allocco Park will be on your left. Directly after
the park on the left is The New School.
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Where can I get information about moving to The New School's area?
The New School of Monmouth County is not associated with any Public School District. We have recently had students attend from as far north as Cranford NJ (Union County), and as far south as Allenwood NJ (Ocean County). Some of our students get learning support through the Monmouth - Ocean Educational Services Commission.
We can't recommend any particular Real Estate agencies. You can however check lists of NJ realtors at INJersey or Yahoo.
Yahoo also has listing of apartment and condominium complexes near Holmdel NJ.
Back to more info about The New School
Students can bring in food to be heated on the stove or in the microwave (any day except Wednesday). On Fridays, children can order pizza or subs for lunch, with children in each class handling the orders and collecting the money. During January and February, Mondays are "Potato Days" when we bake potatoes for everyone, and Thursdays are "Soup Days" when parents take turns to come in and make soup with the children to be served for lunch.
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| Copyright � 2002 The New School of Monmouth County All rights reserved Last Update: 11/08/04 09:26 PM TEL: 732-787-7900 |
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