Fisher Island Day School

Every independent school has a mission statement, or a vision, of what that particular institution believes about education, about children, and about learning. What a privilege it is, therefore, to lead a school which began with a strong vision preparing children for the 21st century through

• Daily Mandarin Chinese and Spanish, integrated with history, geography, social studies, art and music
• Computer and internet literacy lessons
• Daily physical education to promote leadership and team responsibility, as well as develop gross and fine motor skills
• Activity-based instruction rather than solely rote memorization and drill
• Cross-curricular, theme-based teaching methods to explore, understand, and reinforce topics across multiple subjects -- literature, mathematics, art, history, science and social studies
• Active participation in a small community allowing opportunities to explore, create and reward behavior that demonstrates kindness, caring, responsibility, leadership, and enthusiasm throughout each day

The curriculum at Fisher Island Day School has been designed to give students the skills and knowledge they need to be

• successful, life-long learners
• responsible citizens of the global community and
• individuals with strong, positive personal values

What we Learn

Reading materials and writing opportunities are presented in developmentally appropriate ways at all levels in the school. Students are encouraged to express themselves in writing and in oral presentations to help develop clear thinking skills. A wide variety of materials are available at every level to challenge each student to develop a love of reading as well as to learn the skills needed for successful comprehension.

Mathematics is taught with an emphasis on hands-on learning and the concepts behind the problems presented. Students as young as two begin learning to sort and count and work with math manipulatives to create a strong foundation for later concepts.

Science concepts are taught in a hands-on, experimental manner as well. Preschool students begin to understand the scientific method as they observe the properties of the world around them. Students in upper grades create their own experiments in what happens when you introduce a physical change in the environment. A special emphasis is placed upon ecology and the importance of preserving natural habitats.

To be successful citizens of our global community, students need to understand and accept other cultures. This learning takes place in a variety of disciplines.

• In social studies, students learn about various countries, types of communities, political structures and physical environments. The focus is on how human and environmental factors affect the building and changing of communities. By looking at ancient and modern indigenous cultures, students are able to understand human links to time, place and value structures.
• The study of languages also provides glimpses into other cultures. Our Spanish and Mandarin Chinese classes include cultural events and ideas, traditional stories and beliefs so that children are encouraged to compare and contrast ways of living in addition to ways of speaking.

Because we want our students to be well rounded, music and art are integral parts of our curriculum as well. All students produce works of art to be displayed in our gallery in the entryway to the school. Music classes include singing and performing songs for an audience as well as exploring styles of music such as bluegrass and exposure to classical composers.