News
IDEAL in the News
Head of School Janet Wolfe was interviewed for a CNBC.com article published on May 7, 2021, titled, "During Covid, more families switch to private school from public education," by Jessica Dickler.
Read and share the article here.
Snapshots: Student G.A.L.A. Video Invitations
Middle School drama students invite friends and families to the 16th Annual IDEAL G.A.L.A. in this video. IDEAL kindergarten students invite you to the G.A.L.A. in this video. Join the festivities on Thursday, May 13, from 5:30 to 7:30 PM. Support IDEAL with your donations or by purchasing raffle tickets.
Snapshots: Celebrating Earth Day
Lower School students paid tribute to the Earth in a number of ways leading up to April 22. Kindergarten, first, and second grade students planted flowers in pots they made in art class or decorated as service learning. In social studies, kindergarteners have been learning about community helpers at IDEAL. For their Earth Day service-learning project, the students decorated pots and planted marigolds to deliver to our IDEAL community helpers. First grade shared a series of videos they made in which they talk about the ways they will help protect the Earth. Third grade read the book Here Comes the Garbage Barge, by Jonah Winter. They learned the real-life history of a barge from Long Island carrying 3,168 tons of trash over 6,000 miles in 1987 and discussed ways to create less trash. Fourth graders created posters in art class. In lieu of our traditional, outdoor, Lower School assembly with a reading of The Great Kapok Tree, fifth grade students worked with Mr. Lomas to illustrate and narrate a reading for our families to watch at home.
Also on Earth Day, Ms. Wolfe surprised the Lower School with a lunchtime sweet treat! Ms. Wolfe wheeled a selection of popsicles to each classroom and introduced the students to Ms. Melendez, her new assistant. See photos in this Facebook album.
The IDEAL Scholarship
April 9, 2021
Dear Friends:
As you know, since the founding of our school in 2005, IDEAL has been dedicated to creating a student body that reflects the exceptional and dynamic diversity of New York City. Not only did our visionary founders create a school that expands the definition of diversity to include ability, but they also formed an educational community that opens doors to an independent school education and its hallmarks--small class size, low student-teacher ratio, excellent academics, an emphasis on the arts, and a student-centered approach to teaching and learning--to families who would not otherwise be able to afford these opportunities.
Today, we are pleased to introduce The IDEAL Scholarship, a new, merit-based, scholarship opportunity created to expand the socioeconomic diversity of our school’s K-8 applicant pool by making it easier for families from across a broad spectrum of income levels to afford an inclusive IDEAL education. Recipients of The IDEAL Scholarship and their families will demonstrate a deep connection and commitment to our school’s mission and core values of Inclusion, Diversity, Excellence, Acceptance, and Leadership.
The scholarship award for 2021-22 will be 75% of the Standard Program tuition, and the scholarship will renew annually until the recipient graduates from Grade 8, as long as they remain in good academic and community standing. This year, the school will award up to five IDEAL Scholarships for new applicants to the Standard Program in our Lower (Grades K-5) and Middle Schools (Grades 6-8), up to ten scholarships in all.
We are seeking your help in identifying families whose children would benefit from IDEAL’s nurturing and joyful atmosphere and from our inclusive educational program, inspiring academic and personal excellence. To learn more about The IDEAL Scholarship, please join us for our Professional Open House on Wednesday, May 5, at 9 AM.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Joanna Melendez, Assistant to the Head of School, at jmelendez@theidealschool.org.
Thank you,
Janet Wolfe
Head of School
The IDEAL School of Manhattan
Notes from the Head of School
April 7, 2021
Dear IDEAL Families:
I hope that your Spring Break was restful, and you feel recharged and ready for the final months of school. I want to welcome our students back and share with you some dates and news for the coming months.
As we do at this time of year, I want to call attention to the many accomplishments of our 13 IDEAL seniors. New additions this year to the list of colleges and postsecondary programs to which our seniors and alumni have been accepted include American University, Colgate University, Drexel University, George Mason University: The Mason Life Program, George Washington University, Mount Holyoke College, The New School, Savannah College of Art and Design, Syracuse University: Inclusive U, and the University of Denver. Please see our website for the complete list. The strength and variety of this list underscore the tremendous achievements of each member of the senior class and the power of an inclusive education for all students.
Over the course of this year, IDEAL seniors have participated in a variety of elective courses that also reflect their depth and leadership skills. Several students have pursued independent study courses through our membership in One Schoolhouse, a supplemental educational organization that provides courses and programs for students and adult learners. This year’s seniors are studying American Sign Language, French 1, Global Health and Research, and Engineering and Design Seminar, as well as designing their own independent study courses such as History of Black Music and Mental Health of Children During the Pandemic. Two seniors also participated in the Journalism Skills and Culinary Skills courses offered by our Next Steps Transition Program. Seniors will present their work to Upper School peers and families during the two final Pioneer Period assemblies on May 28 and June 4. We welcome Upper School families to join those presentations by Zoom.
I am pleased to announce that we will celebrate the accomplishments of our senior class in person this year. We have scheduled an outdoor graduation ceremony for the Class of 2021 on Thursday, June 10, at 10:30 AM. The senior class and their families, as well as our High School students and faculty, will gather together at a socially distanced ceremony on 91st Street. The outdoor Senior Dinner will precede the ceremony on Thursday, June 3, at 6:30 PM. Please see the attached document listing these and other important spring dates, including the Fifth Grade Moving Up Assembly, the Eighth Grade Dinner, and the schoolwide Moving Up Ceremony. Senior families, please stay tuned for more information about graduation--we will be sending an update and invitations and scheduling a meeting for those who have volunteered for the decorating committee later this week.
Thank you,
Janet Wolfe
Head of School
The IDEAL School of Manhattan