"Probably the only noteworthy school in District 6" – Time Out New York Kids, May 2007
Hamilton Heights School--formerly Hamilton Heights Academy--is a public elementary school of choice, serving
K-5 children and families in West Harlem/Washington Heights in Northern Manhattan.
Our mission is to provide an academically rigorous education to a diverse
population of students in an atmosphere that is nurturing, supportive, and
respectful. We are committed to providing the best aspects of progressive
education - every day filled with exploration and discovery - with a
commitment to student achievement. Family involvement is at the heart of our
program, and making home-school connections is critical to our mission. We
celebrate the range of backgrounds and cultures among our population of
families and in the community at large.
Initially conceived in 2000 by a group of West Harlem parents and brought to fruition with the support of District 6 administrators, Hamilton Heights School is designed as a small school, with two classes per grade. We opened our doors to our first Kindergarten class in 2002, and grew by a grade each year. In January 2007 we were granted full school status by The Office of New Schools, a division of the New York City Department of Education. September 2007 began our first year as a fully independent public school, and this June we will graduate our first class of 5th graders.
Hamilton Heights School, also known as M368, is located at 508 W. 153rd Street, between Amsterdam Avenue and Broadway. HHS also occupies space at PS 28 two blocks away at 155th Street.
ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
STRONG PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT
CLOSE-KNIT COMMUNITY
VIBRANT LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
BACKGROUND OF HAMILTON HEIGHTS SCHOOL: A Community of Learners
Hamilton Heights School began as Hamilton Heights Academy (HHA), a public elementary school program. HHA was initially conceived in 2000 by a group of West Harlem parents who worked closely with the former superintendent of Community School District 6, Jorge Izquierdo, to create a neighborhood elementary school that was intimate, nurturing, and academically rigorous, serving a diverse community population, and modeled on some of the most successful alternative schools in the city. The steering committee and teachers of HHA founded the school on the belief that small, nurturing learning communities are important for children; that children learn best in an environment of active learning and purposeful investigation; that children thrive in an environment where family adults (parents and other caregivers) are involved in their educational lives; and where children are encouraged to inquire, to contemplate, to record, and to reflect in all they do both at school and at home.
HHA was conceived as a small school, with two classes per grade that would
eventually grow to a kindergarten through 8th grade school, a model
preferred by Schools Chancellor Joel Klein.
For over five years, Hamilton Heights Academy provided a crucial option for families in District 6, which is burdened with overcrowded schools and very limited school choice, and where 95% of the children are eligible for free lunch.
In September 2006 Hamilton Heights Academy was invited by the Office of New Schools, a division of the Department of Education, to undergo the grueling yet defining process of applying for school status. Full school status was granted at the end of January. By granting school status to Hamilton Heights Academy, the Department of Education endorsed the program’s founding mission as well as its record of success.
We opened the school year in our new location in September 2007.
STUDENT POPULATION AND ADMISSIONS
HHS is a racially and economically diverse program that draws families from throughout Community School District 6 (135th St. to 218th St, Edgecombe Avenue. to Riverside Drive.) Admission is open to all students residing in District 6. Our admissions process strives to find diverse families whose educational vision matches that of HHS. Suitable families are then chosen by lottery.
EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY AND CURRICULUM
The educational philosophy of HHS emphasizes hands-on learning, multi-disciplinary thematic units, and supporting children as individuals with varied needs and varied learning styles. Students at all grade levels are filled with a sense of purposeful investigation and active learning. An emphasis is placed on inquiry, critical thinking, and problem solving.
HHS follows the New York City department of education's curriculum in English Language Arts (Literacy) and Mathematics. Our Literacy program is based on the Teachers College/Columbia University Readers/Writers Project model. Students are engaged actively as readers and writers, in a variety of genres and with a great deal of student choice, and their work enhances both their skills and their pleasure in reading and writing. Our mathematics program is the TERC Investigations curriculum, which supports students' development of rich mathematical thinking while enabling them to refine their skills. Teachers supplement the literacy and math curricula with carefully planned thematic units that integrate social studies, science, and the arts into each day's work. Past examples of thematic topics include "Work," "What can one little person do?" and "Neighborhoods."
At Hamilton Heights School the class is part of the curriculum. Learning about their diverse community of classmates enhances all students. Family adults can often be seen in classrooms contributing their own experiences to thematic units.
In addition to integrated work with their classroom teacher, students engage in studies with specialist teachers in science, art, and physical education and movement.
PARTNERSHIPS AND ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS
HHS has developed partnerships with several programs that provide enrichment
both within and outside the classroom setting. They include the following:
- Midori and Friends music program places professional musicians in
the classroom.
- Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center's "Chamber Music:
Beginnings" sends instructors into the classrooms to teach elements of music
and performance and schedules trips for classes to visit Lincoln Center,
watch performances and interact with musicians and performers and discuss
their work.
-City Parks Foundation which provides science instruction both in
the classroom and at a nearby learning garden.
-Mott Hall Service Learning Program provides teachers with middle
school students from prestigious Mott Hall to work with students in the
classroom.
-Student teachers. HHA teachers host student teachers from the City
College Graduate School of Education and from Bank Street Teachers College.
OUR STAFF
Principal Alva Buxenbaum is an experienced administrator with a long history as a progressive educator.
Teachers at HHS are selected by a committee consisting of our new principal, experienced educators, and parents. Our teachers are academically strong, community-minded, progressive in their
teaching philosophy, collaborative, and committed to working in a small,
diverse, growing school program. The high caliber of our teaching staff is
one of our most treasured assets.
All of our staff, including not only teachers but also office staff, safety officers, food service personnel, and other support staff, are part of our community, and share in our vision.
OUR BUILDINGS
Hamilton Heights School moved into its own building in September 2007: the building that once housed Saint Catherine of Genoa School. A charming brick building that graces a lovely block of 153rd Street, this building currently houses our Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades, as well as our administrative offices. Classrooms are large and light-filled, and look out on green and historic Trinity Cemetery or a bright back-yard. Our 4th and 5th grades are housed a block away, within PS 28 on Amsterdam and 155th Street.
THE HHS FAMILY COMMUNITY
Families are at the heart of the HHS mission and form the core of the school
community. Family adults are encouraged, first and foremost, to be active
participants in their child's education. They have daily communication with
their child's teacher and are encouraged to continue classroom studies at
home. They assist in classroom learning when possible, accompany classes on
field trips, attend monthly meetings, and participate on committees.
HHS remains true to its mission as a small school with just two
classes per grade. We believe that small learning communities are better for
children and encourage more support from family adults. At HHS, family
adults walk their children into the classroom and greet the teacher each
day. Family adults work together to help plan and support the classroom
learning. Most importantly, children feel the support of not only their own
family adults, but those of their classmates as well. Our teachers stress
learning not only in school, but learning in life.
LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE
Hamilton Heights School is governed by the principal and assistant principal, supported by a very active School Leadership Team of teachers and parents, which helps make governance decisions for the school.
The Parents Association organizes the parent community, provides community activities such as family sing-alongs, and is directly involved in providing extra enrichment programs to the school and organizing our After School program. Another parent group is the 501(c) 3 fundraising organization Friends of Hamilton Heights Academy, which provides funds for enrichment programs.
The Parents Association also organizes the efforts of several critical committees, including Newsletter and Admissions.
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