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  • Stay in Touch!

    Prospective Parents: If your child will be entering Kindergarten through 4th grade for the 2016-17 school year, please register below to receive more information regarding your neighborhood Success Academies.

  • Register

    Prospective Parents: Register below to be notified when the application for the 2017-18 school year becomes available and to receive more information about Success Academy Charter Schools.

Start stronger. Go further.

From the moment scholars join Success Academy in elementary school, we are committed to their success in college and in life.  Our schools function as one system, and as scholars advance, teachers and school leaders collaborate on each child’s academic and social-emotional welfare to ensure scholars transition smoothly.  We tailor our engaging and rigorous approach across each school level to teach core knowledge and critical thinking and then develop the independence and self-advocacy skills scholars will need to excel.

Elementary School

Our elementary school curriculum is designed to help children fall in love with learning through reading fiction and nonfiction, conceptually solving math problems, understanding scientific inquiry, finding their own voice to respond to questions, collaborating on class projects, planning a checkmate, and discovering artistic talents. Scholars gain a strong foundation of core knowledge and critical thinking skills. Our robust field studies program connects classroom curriculum to real world experiences, infusing additional joy into the school day, and exposing students to cultural experiences that they may not otherwise access.

DAY IN THE LIFE

  • Good Morning, Scholars!

    The principal greets each scholar with a handshake and warm “hello,” starting every morning off on the right foot.

  • Literacy

    Imaginations ignite with guided reading, and scholars become compelling authors during writing workshops.

  • Block Play

    Scholars build a world of possibilities. Blocks time fosters creativity, critical problem solving, and social growth.

  • Science

    Curious scholars participate in hands-on science labs five days a week. Each day brings the joy of a new discovery.

  • Lunch

    Children need fuel to learn. Our scholars take a midday break for a FREE meal.

  • Recess & Sports

    Our scholars enjoy recess every day and fall in love with sports, such as soccer, kickball, and tennis.

  • Math

    Every problem has a solution, but as independent and critical thinkers, our scholars are encouraged to take different paths to get there. We don’t believe in just memorizing skills. Scholars develop a deep conceptual understanding of numbers and become terrific problem-solvers.

  • Arts

    Art class gives scholars the chance to express themselves through a variety of media, which our creative scholars love!

  • Chess

    Scholars sharpen their analytical and problem-solving skills as well as gain confidence - all while having a lot of fun!

  • Dismissal

    Each day ends on a positive note as parents and teachers shake hands before scholars head safely home.

Approach To Learning

We believe deeply that doing is at the core of learning. Therefore, scholars receive only 80 minutes of direct instruction (teacher up front) every day. Our school leaders and teachers work tirelessly to make each of these minutes count. The rest of the day is devoted to small group instruction and hands on learning.

 

Throughout the entire day we emphasize letting kids do the thinking work! Giving scholars the opportunity to do the intellectual heavy lifting makes learning not only engaging and fun, but also deep and lasting.

 

At Success Academy, we constantly ask ourselves the question, “Would our scholars come to school if they didn’t have to?” Our formula for a resounding “Yes!” is setting the bar high (rigor) and ensuring school is filled with opportunities for discovery, inquiry, off-the-charts engagement, and of course, humor (joy). We believe each child has limitless potential to think and achieve at high levels. We also believe in making achieving exhilarating and fun!

  • Science
  • Project Based
    Learning
  • Field Studies
  • Art
  • Reading &
    Writing
  • Sports
  • Math
  • Chess
  • Science

    Success Academy has a science program like none other in the country. Beginning in kindergarten, scholars receive hands-on, inquiry-based science five days a week with a dedicated science teacher. Success Academy scientists conduct experiments and discuss observations, data, and results in the same way true scientists do. Our method of science instruction not only ignites a passion for science early in life, but it also provides scholars with the critical thinking skills necessary to tackle any problem.

     

    At Success Academy we incorporate the three main disciplines of science – Life, Physical and Earth – into each year’s curriculum. On any given day, a scholar might dissect a squid, program a robot, or conduct scratch tests to identify minerals!

  • Project Based
    Learning

    Project Based Learning is an intensive, multidisciplinary study of one topic – exploring a topic in such depth brings history to life and allows scholars to develop their own deep insights. During our Brooklyn Bridge study, 2nd grade scholars conduct experiments to learn the engineering principles behind bridge construction, read about how Emily Roebling became the project’s chief engineer, and visit the bridge to record their own observations and interview pedestrians.

  • Field Studies

    Through frequent field studies, scholars discover New York City and experience all this great city has to offer! Recent field studies have included the American Museum of Natural History, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Queens County Farm Museum, and the Big Apple Circus.

     

    And not all field studies take place outside our schools! During the 2012-2013 school year, Chess Grandmaster Garry Kasparov visited our schools and scholars enjoyed assemblies featuring jugglers, dancers, musicians, and more.

  • Art

    We believe the arts are an integral part of educating the whole child and a critical part of the school day. Our creative scholars have the opportunity to explore and create through visual arts and at select schools, dance and music.

     

    During Visual Arts, scholars investigate drawing, painting, printmaking, and more! These explorations allow scholars to channel their imaginations, communities and the world.

     

    We also introduce Contemporary and Traditional Art History concepts, which provide a richer understanding and appreciation of art as well as inspiration for our scholars.

  • Reading &
    Writing

    Our approach to teaching literacy stems from our belief that if a child loves reading and reads exceptionally well, she can teach herself anything! Throughout all aspects of our THINK Literacy curriculum we introduce scholars to great literature and emphasize critical thinking and the thoughtful discussion of ideas.

     

    THINK Literacy prepares scholars for any reading or writing challenge they will encounter throughout their education.

     

  • Sports

    We introduce a variety of sports so scholars can find the sport they will fall in love with! Through sports such as basketball, soccer, and baseball, scholars connect not only with their teammates but also with their communities.

     

    We believe in getting up and moving throughout the day so scholars have sports and recess daily. Sports focuses on skill development and learning the rules of the game, and each class concludes with a fun and competitive mini-match.

     

    Success Academy 3rd and 4th grade scholars have the opportunity to try out for our after-school sports teams. Throughout each season, scholars play against other Success Academy teams and gain competitive experience that will serve them during college admissions and beyond.

  • Math

    At Success Academy, we blend conceptual understanding with a push for precision and accuracy. The math program is centered on activity-based investigations, which encourage scholars to think creatively and develop their own approaches to problem-solving and work cooperatively.

  • Chess

    Learning and playing chess sharpens scholars’ analytical and competitive instincts. Chess allows scholars to think strategically while having fun! Our expert chess teachers explain the basic moves and rules of the game, and after learning these mechanics, scholars quickly develop the strategies needed to checkmate their opponent.

Virtual School

Learn about our revolutionary elementary school design.

Start Now

Prospective Parents can find tours and other opportunities to visit the schools in person at:

https://www.sucessacademies.org/events

Parent Involvement

We Promise To:
  • Surround scholars with a community of leaders, teachers and parents who share a vision of academic achievement.
  • Include you in family academic events and field trips so you can see the incredible growth and development of your child.
  • Encourage a real-time, two-way communication policy that includes:
    • Frequent updates about your child’s progress and what the school is doing to help your child flourish and grow.
    • The cell phone number and email address of every teacher and leader in the building so you can contact us.
    • A communication policy that guarantees any questions are answered within 24 hours.
    • Maintaining an open-door policy, which allows you to visit and observe your child’s class.
We Expect You To:
  • Be actively involved in your child’s learning, including reading a book a night with your child.
  • Make sure all homework is completed every night.
  • Bring your scholar to school in uniform on time daily.
  • Celebrate your scholar’s success at family meetings and academic events.
  • Model the Success Academy ACTION values at home.
  • Be an active member of the school community – we have many opportunities to get involved:
    • Parent Council
    • Class Parents
    • Field Study Chaperones
    • In-Class (Chess/Sports/Specials) Chaperones
    • Advocacy
    • Community Outreach

Special Education at Success Academy

Success Academy has a strong commitment to serving children with disabilities, and our schools have an exceptional track record of helping children with special needs achieve at a high level.

 

At the heart of our approach to special education is the belief that a disability is not an inability; we hold all scholars to the same high bar and ensure that those with special needs receive the additional support necessary to reach it.

 

 

Related Services:
  • All of our schools have school psychologists who conduct educational evaluations and provide counseling to scholars who need it.
  • We also work with the New York City Department of Education to ensure speech, occupational, and physical therapists are available for our scholars with Related Service needs.
Special Education Programming:
  • Currently, our special education programming varies by grade and across schools, so it is best to reach out to our Enrollment team if you have questions.
  • Typically, our schools provide a combination of Special Education Teacher Support Services (SETSS) and/or Integrated Co-Teaching (ICT).
  • Where space is available, we aim to provide special education classrooms with reduced student/teacher ratios (12:1).

The vast majority of kids (98%) can be served in our setting with these dedicated structures and resources. Just like with district schools, we occasionally find even this high level of service is insufficient for some students; like zoned district schools, we find for approximately 1-2% of our students who have unique learning needs, we must draw upon special schools (in New York City called District 75 or Non-Public School placements).

 

Academic Achievements

On the 2017 state exams, 82% of our students with disabilities passed math and 60% passed English, compared with 12% and 11% citywide. Read more about our results.

  • Stay in Touch!

    Prospective Parents: If your child will be entering Kindergarten through 4th grade for the 2016-17 school year, please register below to receive more information regarding your neighborhood Success Academies.

  • Register

    Prospective Parents: Register below to be notified when the application for the 2017-18 school year becomes available and to receive more information about Success Academy Charter Schools.