Caedmon School
Encyclopedia
The Caedmon School is an independent coeducational elementary school located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City. The school, which employs a modified Montessori curriculum, was the first Montessori school established in New York City and the second in the United States.
Founded in 1962, the school currently has approximately 255 students enrolled from Nursery through the Fifth grade.
and York Avenue
on the Upper East Side
. The school employs a curriculum based on four foundational concepts: community, diversity, Montessori and academic excellence. With a faculty of over 40, the student to teacher ratio is approximately 6:1 overall. Class sizes range from 16-20 students and with two teachers per class in early grades.
The Caedmon School operates mixed aged classes from children as young as 3 through the fifth grade. Certain transitional years (Kindergarten and Fifth Grade) are dedicated to a single age group. Following graduation from Caedmon, the school's fifth grade students attend some of New York's best college preparatory schools. The following are Caedmon's six programs:
Tuition at Caedmon for the 2009 school year ranged, based on age, from $12,479 per year for the youngest Beginner class to $25,087 per year for the elementary school.
Each summer, the school also hosts the Caedmon Discovery Camp. The six-week program provides an educational summer experience built on the same core principles as the schools academic program.
in Greenwich, Connecticut
, which became the flagship school of the American Montessori. In 1960, Rambusch founded the American Montessori Society
(AMS).
By the fall of 1961, a group of ten families in New York City who had attended Rambusch's talks began planning a school. Like Whitby in Connecticut, Caedmon was conceived as a lay Catholic school, but a school that would also be attractive to a diverse community of differing religions. Certain of the families had conflicting goals on certain issues, including the location for the school and the inclusion of religious instruction. A number of these families decided to separate to found their own school, which would later become the West Side Montessori School. The families that remained were to become Caedmon's founding trustees: Marilou and William Doyle; Elizabeth and Vincent Connelly; Joyce and Daniel Flynn; Nellie and Thomas Mahoney; and Robert Hurley. The Caedmon School would be the first Montessori school established in New York City. At that time, Caedmon was the second Montessori school in the United States.
In 1969, Josephine Hartog, assumed the position of head of school which she held until 1974. She was succeeded by Nancy Rambusch who led the school throughout the late 1970s. Rambusch who had been instrumental in the reintroduction of Montessori schools in the US by adapting the program to better fit American educational culture, had a strong influence on the development of Caedmon. Also in the 1970s, Caedmon created what was, at the time, the first extended-day activities program among independent schools in Manhattan. Carol Gose DeVine was who had joined Caedmon in 1970 was named the Head of School in 1979. She held that position until 2007, making her one of the longest-serving heads of an independent school in the New York area.
In the fall of 1994, Caedmon approached interested families for help in establishing a fund to support diversity at the school.
In 2002, the National Association of Independent Schools
' Leading Edge Recognition program recognized Caedmon with its Curriculum Innovation award. In 2005, the school opened a new gymnasium and science facility.
At each stage, the curriculum and instruction takes into account the preparation for the next stage in the children’s education. In the Elementary Program, students have exposure to the major curricular areas: language arts
(i.e., reading, writing, spelling, handwriting), math and social studies.
Caedmon's curriculum is expanded and enriched by regular instruction in art, computer, foreign language, library, music, science, and physical education (including yoga), which are taught by specialists outside the classroom.
, the earliest of all recorded English poets. The founders of Caedmon decided to select a name that paid tribute to The Whitby School, the first Montessori school in the US, which had served as an inspiration for the Caedmon School. The poet Cædmon
was well known to have been buried in the English town of Whitby
, after which the Whitby School had itself been named.
Founded in 1962, the school currently has approximately 255 students enrolled from Nursery through the Fifth grade.
The school
The school is located in a large townhouse on East 80th Street between First AvenueFirst Avenue (Manhattan)
First Avenue is a north-south thoroughfare on the East Side of the New York City borough of Manhattan, running from Houston Street northbound for over 125 blocks before terminating at the Willis Avenue Bridge into The Bronx at the Harlem River near East 127th Street. South of Houston Street, the...
and York Avenue
York Avenue
York Avenue is a short north-south thoroughfare on the East Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It runs from 59th Street north to 91st Street on the Upper East Side. It is known for its upscale apartments, much like the rest of the Upper East Side...
on the Upper East Side
Upper East Side
The Upper East Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, between Central Park and the East River. The Upper East Side lies within an area bounded by 59th Street to 96th Street, and the East River to Fifth Avenue-Central Park...
. The school employs a curriculum based on four foundational concepts: community, diversity, Montessori and academic excellence. With a faculty of over 40, the student to teacher ratio is approximately 6:1 overall. Class sizes range from 16-20 students and with two teachers per class in early grades.
The Caedmon School operates mixed aged classes from children as young as 3 through the fifth grade. Certain transitional years (Kindergarten and Fifth Grade) are dedicated to a single age group. Following graduation from Caedmon, the school's fifth grade students attend some of New York's best college preparatory schools. The following are Caedmon's six programs:
- Beginners (younger than 3)
- Early Program (age 3-4)
- Kindergarten
- Lower Level (First and Second Grades)
- Middle Level (Third and Fourth Grades)
- Upper Level (Fifth Grade)
Tuition at Caedmon for the 2009 school year ranged, based on age, from $12,479 per year for the youngest Beginner class to $25,087 per year for the elementary school.
Other programs
In addition to its core academic activities, also provides a number of additional programs including Special Club Activities, Afterschool activities Childminding and a well regarded Music Program.Each summer, the school also hosts the Caedmon Discovery Camp. The six-week program provides an educational summer experience built on the same core principles as the schools academic program.
History
At the time that The Caedmon School was founded in 1962, Montessori education was undergoing its second rise in popularity in the United States. In the late 1950s Nancy Rambusch, who had undergone Montessori training in London, returned to the US with the idea of reviving Montessori education. Rambusch first founded the Whitby SchoolWhitby School
Whitby School is a private day-school located in Greenwich, Connecticut, United States. The school starts at Primary and includes a Lower School and a Middle School . The Head of School is Douglas Fainelli. The school was founded in 1958 as the first American Montessori School...
in Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 61,171. It is home to many hedge funds and other financial service companies. Greenwich is the southernmost and westernmost municipality in Connecticut and is 38+ minutes ...
, which became the flagship school of the American Montessori. In 1960, Rambusch founded the American Montessori Society
American Montessori Society
The American Montessori Society is a non-profit, member supported, organization which promotes the use of the Montessori teaching approach in private and public schools.-History:...
(AMS).
By the fall of 1961, a group of ten families in New York City who had attended Rambusch's talks began planning a school. Like Whitby in Connecticut, Caedmon was conceived as a lay Catholic school, but a school that would also be attractive to a diverse community of differing religions. Certain of the families had conflicting goals on certain issues, including the location for the school and the inclusion of religious instruction. A number of these families decided to separate to found their own school, which would later become the West Side Montessori School. The families that remained were to become Caedmon's founding trustees: Marilou and William Doyle; Elizabeth and Vincent Connelly; Joyce and Daniel Flynn; Nellie and Thomas Mahoney; and Robert Hurley. The Caedmon School would be the first Montessori school established in New York City. At that time, Caedmon was the second Montessori school in the United States.
In 1969, Josephine Hartog, assumed the position of head of school which she held until 1974. She was succeeded by Nancy Rambusch who led the school throughout the late 1970s. Rambusch who had been instrumental in the reintroduction of Montessori schools in the US by adapting the program to better fit American educational culture, had a strong influence on the development of Caedmon. Also in the 1970s, Caedmon created what was, at the time, the first extended-day activities program among independent schools in Manhattan. Carol Gose DeVine was who had joined Caedmon in 1970 was named the Head of School in 1979. She held that position until 2007, making her one of the longest-serving heads of an independent school in the New York area.
In the fall of 1994, Caedmon approached interested families for help in establishing a fund to support diversity at the school.
In 2002, the National Association of Independent Schools
National Association of Independent Schools
The National Association of Independent Schools is a U.S.-based membership organization for private, nonprofit, K-12 schools. Founded in 1963, NAIS represents independent schools and associations in the United States, including day, boarding, and day/boarding schools; elementary and secondary...
' Leading Edge Recognition program recognized Caedmon with its Curriculum Innovation award. In 2005, the school opened a new gymnasium and science facility.
Curriculum
Caedmon's curriculum utilizes a modified Montessori approach and reflects the highest standards of the most competitive independent schools. A key components of the Montessori method is the classroom environment, which is highly prepared and allows for self-directed, independent learning. Students learn effective work-study skills in an environment that encourages independence, self-guided learning and responsibility.At each stage, the curriculum and instruction takes into account the preparation for the next stage in the children’s education. In the Elementary Program, students have exposure to the major curricular areas: language arts
Language arts
Traditionally, the primary divisions in the language arts are Literature and Language, where language in this case refers to both linguistics, and specific languages....
(i.e., reading, writing, spelling, handwriting), math and social studies.
Caedmon's curriculum is expanded and enriched by regular instruction in art, computer, foreign language, library, music, science, and physical education (including yoga), which are taught by specialists outside the classroom.
Derivation of "Caedmon"
The school was named after CædmonCædmon
Cædmon is the earliest English poet whose name is known. An Anglo-Saxon who cared for the animals and was attached to the double monastery of Streonæshalch during the abbacy of St. Hilda , he was originally ignorant of "the art of song" but learned to compose one night in the course of a dream,...
, the earliest of all recorded English poets. The founders of Caedmon decided to select a name that paid tribute to The Whitby School, the first Montessori school in the US, which had served as an inspiration for the Caedmon School. The poet Cædmon
Cædmon
Cædmon is the earliest English poet whose name is known. An Anglo-Saxon who cared for the animals and was attached to the double monastery of Streonæshalch during the abbacy of St. Hilda , he was originally ignorant of "the art of song" but learned to compose one night in the course of a dream,...
was well known to have been buried in the English town of Whitby
Whitby
Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in the Scarborough borough of North Yorkshire, England. Situated on the east coast of Yorkshire at the mouth of the River Esk, Whitby has a combined maritime, mineral and tourist heritage, and is home to the ruins of Whitby Abbey where Caedmon, the...
, after which the Whitby School had itself been named.
External links
- The Caedmon School (website)