This review is based on the open house I attended last fall for Nursery (Pre-K 3)…read more The open house was very well organized. Several students took us around and showed us all the classrooms including Nursery (full day and half day - 2 separate classes). We were able to ask questions directly to the students, speak with the teachers and see the teacher interact with children. At the end of the open house, the Principal shared the school's vision, mission and goals. She also mentioned to us that several 8th graders were accepted at top high schools in New York including Townsend Harris High School and Stuyvesant High School. This school has up to 20 students per class. They have an early drop off and late pick up program, but they do not offer lunch. Parents can sign up children to take different classes (tennis, hockey, etc) during the after school program.

Our three boys currently attend SSCA (21/22 school year), under the effective leadership of…read moreprincipal Sue Walsh.  Oldest (7th Grade) has been a student since nursery! The teachers are very well-qualified, responsive to the children (they "meet the kids where they are") and assign an appropriate / varying levels of homework.  The small size of the very diverse student body (less than 400 kids from early childhood (3 years old) to eighth grade allows each student to know one another and to be known by the teachers/administrators.  There are never any "back to school nerves" at our house!  Excellent music program, afterschool enrichment classes + afterschool care available.  Though we have very good public schools in the area, there is no comparison to the quality of what SSCA provides.  Easy to access on F, G train (lots of kids travel on public transportation/school bus).  Kids have time outside either in an "open streets" access or via a short walk to Prospect Park.  Very devoted parents/alumni.  Current 8th grade class has received a small fortune in scholarships to top Catholic + specialized high schools.  A gem of a school.  Check it out!

My son came to QAS in kindergarten. His experience in the school was good until 2 years ago when…read morethe old principal retired and was replaced by a gentleman who had no place as a school administrator. Discipline and academic rigor was completely lost in a short time.......instruction and safety suffered. There is never enough staff to supervise during lunch periods and bullying and commotion abounds ! They also have basement bathrooms that children have to go to alone which are isolated and unsafe. The school secretary is barely civil or just rude. Another principal was hired and she has improved conditions from last year, but there is still no real communication or cohesion. Teachers often don't respond to parents attempts to communicate and the PTA is not unified or welcoming. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS SCHOOL

This school has informed me they have a new principal who coincidentally is a past teacher of my…read moreson. I know her to be professional and very dedicated to her profession. The teacher I was referring to is no longer at the school thank god. This school may now be worth considering.

Rabbi Ron Broden performed the graveside ceremony when my husband passed away and will perform the…read moreunveiling ceremony. The Rabbi helped me and my family feel comfortable and is very down to earth and easy to work with.

absolutely the most fantastic and incredible experience we could have ever asked for…read more Rabbi Broden married my husband and I and also performed my sons Bar Mitzvah. Rabbi Broden's energy was fresh, joyous, fun and profound. He was flexible and had a great attitude the entire way. He prepared my son and did a few remote skype sessions and made sure he was confident with the prayer. I have already recommended him to my mom friends at my sons school. I can't thank you enough. You made our night!!!!

My daughter Lulu is a 7th grader here…read more WMS was founded last year, and it's a sliding-scale private school dedicated to social and economic diversity. There are no textbooks, and in fact, true to the name, most of the learning is workshopped, meaning students learn through real world application, building and creating things. Earlier this year my daughter learned slopes, geometry and trig concepts through building a skateboard and skate ramp. She's created plays, movies, podcasts, books, VR applications, digital games, a zillion woodshop projects (she is very confident with all hardware equipment now).  Her classes have had a 6:1 student to teacher ratio (there are about 15 kids in her grade). This will grow, but won't exceed 10:1 I believe. Each kid gets a new macbook pro and the school uses modern tech - slack, google apps, etc - to communicate with students and families. When the pandemic hit, they smoothly and gracefully transitioned into digital learning, providing live learning all day every day. In the fall, they learned in prospect park all day, and will return there this spring. They have rotated weekly with the 6th grade for in person learning through winter. Each day begins with meditation. They have advisory every day and prioritize social-emotional skills; kindness is a necessary quality to get into the school. They have on-site covid testing and are extremely cautious about covid. True to the promise, the student body is a mix of students from all walks of life, and the tuition ranges from ~$500/year to ~30k/year - I believe there are 5 levels of tuition, although I have no idea who is in what level. The parents are tight and supportive of the staff. As they're a startup, they've been through some teachers as they learn the best fit, which is expected. But the core teachers are enormously talented, enthusiastic, incredible teachers who have a solid and positive rapport with the kids. The school was started by Andrew Ravin, who was a teacher at MS51 for some time. His stem teacher has a PhD in Math from Colombia and still teaches there. They are an impressive group. Above all, the reason I wanted to write this is because my daughter is thriving. She LOVES school. She hates summer camp but when the idea was floated for possible camp with this group, she squealed with excitement at the idea of it. She was a strong student when she started and she has some aptitude in certain areas, so the teachers feed her harder challenges in those areas to maximize her potential, as i'm sure they do with other children who display a capacity for more. There isn't any "mean kid" crap, all the kids have a great relationship with each other and a mutual respect. My daughter's sense of community and confidence has only strengthened through covid. Currently, the school is building out their forever home which will be just on the other side of Prospect Park, 10k sqft of maker and performance space in Prospect Lefferts Gardens. They seem to get a lot of interest from affluent park slope families, but are actively seeking families from less privileged areas.  If you're considering Middle School do yourselves a favor and check it out. Also, if you know kind kids with potential who just need the opportunity to fly, please reach out and let them know about this.Best, Michelle Zassenhaus, Mom to Lulu Galea, grade 7 (formerly at PS 321)

My son attends Workshop Middle School (7th grade), he has built boxes, benches, a skateboard and a…read moreskate ramp as well as written plays, coded games, made movies and podcasts. Choosing, researching, planning and designing they learn math (geometry and trigonometry concepts), for example, needed to complete their projects. The teachers are enormously talented. Ms. Denisse, the humanities teacher, has more than 20 years experience in instruction and is an incredibly sensible person. My son is learning to love school, mostly because there is always someone in the school community who can listen to him, understand him and will not give up on him. My son went through three different elementary schools and never truly engaged or loved school until now. All the kids have a great relationship with each other and a mutual respect. Prospect Lefferts Gardens will be the new WMS home come Sept. 2021. They are currently building at 495 Flatbush Ave. (between Empire and Lefferts), a 10k sq ft of maker and performance space in a middle school. They are actively seeking diverse families from PLG and surrounding neighborhoods. It is not too late to apply... the next free virtual open house is on Feb 28th at 3pm. Marixsa Rodriguez, Mom to Tenoch Saldaña, grade 7