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Language
Arts | Math | Reading
| Science |
Social Studies | Speech
& Language | Enrichment
The School
The Mary McDowell Center for Learning is a Quaker school for children
with learning disabilities. Students range in age from five to twelve
years of age.
The Classroom
Classes are multi-aged consisting of ten or eleven students and
two teachers (a head teacher and assistant teacher or two co-head
teachers). The class for the youngest children has only eight or
nine students. Classrooms are essentially self-contained. Students
remain within their classrooms for language
arts, math and social
studies. During the daily reading
period, students are cross-grouped with children of similar ability
from other classes. Students remain with their classmates for lunch
and special activities.
Beyond the Classroom
In addition to classroom and special activities, classes study science
in the science lab, visit the Center library, develop computer skills
in the computer lab, and go to the gym for physical education and
the speech lab for whole-class discourse group. The Center also
offers enrichment experiences in
art, chorus, dance,
movement, theater
arts, and music. All classes use the outdoor play yard to enjoy
free time playing tag, tossing a Frisbee, climbing on the play structure,
and sliding on the slide.
Students bring their own lunches and eat in the lunchroom which
allows socializing among classes. Older students enjoy the privilege
of going out with their teachers once a week to take advantage of
the culinary treasures found on Smith and Court Streets. These lunch
groups return to the school to eat picnic-style on the fourth floor.
The Center has developed relationships with mainstream schools
in the Brooklyn Heights and Cobble Hill areas of Brooklyn. Students
have attended art and music classes at Brooklyn Friends and Brooklyn
Heights Montessori. Students at the Center also utilize the after
school programs at these schools as well as the Gil Sports program
in Manhattan.
Language/Speech and Occupational Therapy
Early in the school year each student receives an informal evaluation
from the school's speech and language
therapists and occupational therapists. These informal evaluations,
in conjunction with previous evaluations, will determine whether
a child receives speech and language therapy and/or occupational
therapy. Students who need speech and language therapy attend small
group sessions twice a week. Students who need occupational therapy
attend small group sessions once a week. In addition, the occupational
therapist makes recommendations about adaptive devices and techniques
that may be helpful for individual children to use in their classrooms
(chair cushions, pencil grips, slant boards, etc.) as does the speech
and language specialists (FM systems, seating placement, etc.) The
structure of the program allows for ongoing consultation between
therapists and teachers.
All-School Activities
All-school activities are an important part of the Center life.
They foster community among the students, faculty, specialists,
and administration. One consistently important all-school activity
is the bi-weekly Quaker Meeting for Worship.
During Meeting for Worship, a query is given which is followed
by silence as the community reflects on the question or statement.
After silent reflection, individuals may share their thoughts in
response to the query. In addition to Meeting for Worship, the entire
school participates in Halloween activities, field day, the annual
ice skating trip, and performances before the winter holidays and
at the end of year.
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Mary
McDowell Center for Learning
