Public Prep Network is a nonprofit organization that develops single-sex elementary and middle public schools that pursue excellence through continuous learning and data-driven instruction. Our model is designed to empower each student to build strong character, demonstrate critical thinking, possess a core body of knowledge, and be on a predictive path to earn a degree from a four-year university.

The Girls Prep community lives by four core values: scholarship, merit, sisterhood, and responsibility.

School Culture

Girls Prep Lower East Side Middle School core values encourage and acknowledge the integrity and reflective decision making with our girls that build independent leaders.  The girls at Girls Prep Lower East Side Middle School learn to embody the values of scholarship, merit, sisterhood and responsibility and understand these values will support their success in high school, college and life. 

Our girls attend music, art and physical education and embody our school values of culture, service and community. Staff members treat students with compassion and fairness and help students to use the same behavior with their peers.

Our girls demonstrate the importance of caring for one another in and out of school, the enthusiasm to learn, the focus to achieve their goals, and the self-control to complete their tasks.  We believe at Girls Prep that with these qualities our girls will graduate being active citizens and healthy, balanced young women.

High Expectations for Behavior

• We teach them to support and help each other, solve their problems together and take responsibility for their mistakes. These qualities build a stronger understanding of sisterhood within our girls and allow them to develop into caring young woman.
• We have a school-wide choice and consequence discipline system. Girls are given a clear understanding of the expectations at Girls Prep. We expect our students to follow the rules and regulation in school, trips and events. We encourage our girls to make good choices through positive feedback and incentives. In all cases, students are required to reflect on their choices and make a plan of action that will lead to better decisions in the future.
• Students are recognized for exceptional behavior and character as well. Through unity meetings and quarterly character awards, students are honored for their personal progress and hard work.

Unity Meetings

Bi-Weekly Unity meetings bring together the entire Girls Prep community.  Unity Meetings are led by the Director of Student Family Affairs, Family Coordinator and teachers and help focus on school community and our awards ceremony.

Service Projects

Service learning projects help students develop into active citizens in our community.  Each grade will identify a service area of interest, research the topic, and volunteer to learn more directly about the work. We believe this exposure and involvement supports children in becoming agents of change.

Academics

Girls Prep’s mission is to prepare girls to enter and succeed in the academically competitive high school of their choice. We do this by providing a rigorous education that nurtures the gifts of each girl in a single-sex environment.

To ensure scholars at Girls Prep Middle School have a coherent and rigorous academic experience, the Girls Prep teaching team plans their curriculum using Understanding by Design (UbD). This is a model that uses backwards planning, so curriculum is designed with the end of unit assessment and selected standards in mind. The curriculum units are planned backwards from the assessments to clearly identify the content and skills that are needed for scholars to demonstrate mastery in a content area. All of our curriculum materials and plans are hosted on a web-based tool to support teachers making cross-disciplinary connections.

Teachers engage in an ongoing data cycle to review scholars’ work and differentiate instruction to meet the needs of all learners. This educational approach allows educators to plan thoughtfully and strategically throughout the year to ensure scholars get the instruction and academic support needed to succeed in all subject areas.

This year, the curricular focus is on integration of the Common Core State Standards. These new standards ensure students are reading informational (non-fiction) and complex texts, developing critical thinking skills, writing arguments, gathering and synthesizing research, substantiating a claim with textual evidence, developing cross-disciplinary literacy, cultivating deep conceptual knowledge of mathematics and building mathematical practices as outlined in the CCSS. In addition, scholars graduate with career and college readiness attributes, such as being an independent learner who has the technological and communication skills needed to thrive in a digital and global environment and market.

English Language Arts

The English language arts (Ela) program uses a reading and writing workshop model to develop and extend foundational literacy skills. Ela classes are a daily ninety minute block to target skill development and provide enrichment. In class, teachers provide a mini-lesson, guided reading groups, vocabulary development, and independent reading and writing. All scholars will read shared texts from the Girls Prep Reading Repertoire and conduct nightly independent reading.

To monitor students’ progress, we additionally use Fountas & Pinnell reading comprehension assessments to ensure students are moving along the literacy continuum. Students also all have a writer’s notebook where they write a reflection or targeted response based on their nightly independent reading. Each student will complete the school year with a writing portfolio that consists of written claims, research and reaction papers, and personal statements.

Math

Mathematical courses are a daily ninety-minute block that are focused on developing students’ deep conceptual knowledge and using multiple solution-pathways in solving problems. In classrooms, teachers provide instruction and follow-up with prompts to measure and push students’ thinking. 

Students spend time in work stations, where they explore different problems provided the same content. Performance-based assessments are used to measure students’ ability to transfer their knowledge provided a new context. The curricular supports used to develop the instructional materials are a combination of envision, investigations, and connected mathematics.

Social Studies and Science

Social Studies are taught to develop students’ analytical skills in looking at different regions and time periods across the globe. In the earlier years, students learn about the Eastern and Western Hemisphere through an investigative lens to learn about the climate, culture, government structures, economics, history, and present day. As they enter seventh and eighth grade, they focus on the government structures and history of the United States. All students study the relevant geography for the region of study, and create maps and historical displays to demonstrate a deeper understanding of the world and politics around them.

Science

In science, students read interactive science texts to learn about the different areas of study, including the human body, forces and energy, diversity of life, and the environment. Students use a process of observation, inference, prediction, classification, evaluation, and making models to develop a deep understanding of the scientific method. In the course, students have regular labs that help them see chemical reactions and practice their skills in making observations, making predictions and creating lab reports. The girls also create charts to demonstrate the concepts they have learned to apply this learning in a culminating project.

Foreign Language

All students will graduate proficient in at least one foreign language. Students select to study Spanish, French, or Mandarin for the year. Instruction is provided by Berlitz language school and provides rich opportunities for students to converse in their new language. Students also have the opportunity to learn about the culture of these regions on the world.

Arts

The arts program provides an array of opportunities for students to learn about the history of art and to create their own work to display for the school. The students explore topics from European to Modern Art and create their own pieces using digital photography, paint, and collages. Scholars will also have the opportunity to visit museums around the city to apply their critical thinking skills and develop appreciation for the arts.

Physical Education and Health

The P.E. program provides a rich sequence of collaborative team challenges, daily exercise routines, and healthy living both in diet and life choices. Students also have the opportunity to explore fencing, dance, and Capoeira to extend their experiences with exercise, culture, and movement.

College Knowledge

At Girls Prep, we want to set our students up for success and prepare them for what lies ahead. The College Knowledge course is designed to cover three areas that are critical to developing college-ready women capable of leading the world. By developing students’ depth of knowledge and skills in the areas of college knowledge, character education, and community leadership, Girls Prep Middle School strives to ensure that all students know what it takes to be successful in high school, college, and beyond.  At each grade level students will study each area in the context of soft skills needed to be successful in life: goal-setting, communication, decision-making, study skills and time management, and leadership development.

Study Skills

Every day, all students attend Study Skills, which is a prime opportunity for students to receive differentiated attention. Some students may utilize this period to begin homework, organize binders, or read silently. Other students may work in small groups with core content teachers to practice specific skills or review content from recent lessons.  Students who seek more challenging work can coordinate literacy circles to extend knowledge, as well.

Assessment

To monitor and evaluate the progress of our students, there are a series of assessment processes that Girls Prep Middle School uses to measure the girls’ content knowledge and skills. As a data-driven school, we use students’ work, test scores, and assessments to inform instruction on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. In each class, students begin with a “Do-Now” to initiate their thinking and finish class with an exit ticket to gauge how well they learned the new material. These strategies are one way for us to regularly monitor students’ progress and below we have listed the more formal assessments provided at Girls Prep:

 

Assessment

Purpose

Frequency

Fountas & Pinnell	To measure students’ reading level and to inform teachers’ instruction.	Three times a year to measure the progress made over the course of the year.
Achievement Network Interim Assessments	To measure the students’ level of mastery of the state standards covered in that term.	Four times a year.
Performance-based Assessments	To prepare students for the expectations of the Common Core Standards and develop a deep conceptual understanding of content.	Throughout every unit that usually run 4-6 weeks, students will engage in a PBA to demonstrate their progress in learning new content and skills.
Terra  Nova	Measures students across all content areas and compares their scores to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) to determine how they are progressing in their grade level content areas.	Twice a year to inform instructional decisions and modifications as needed.
New York State Tests	Measures the culmination of content and skills developed over the course of the year in their grade-level in Ela and math.	Once a year to inform instruction, remediation, and promotional decisions.

 

Teachers

We value and appreciate the hard-work and dedication of all our teachers! The teachers at Girls Prep bring with them an array of talents, experience, and training that contribute to a rich-learning environment for the girls. Teachers are supported on a weekly basis through observation and feedback cycles using the Charlotte Danielson framework to individualize professional development goals and provide teachers with actionable data to inform their practice.

Teachers are also provided with an annual professional development stipend to support their growth and teachers are encouraged to take on leadership roles and support the overall functioning of the school.

Family-School Partnership

The relationship between home and school is central to each child’s success.  At Girls Prep Middle School, we partner with families to provide maximum support to our students.

• Every year begins with a home visit by the student’s teachers.  This initial visit allows families and teachers to establish a relationship before the school year begins.
• Our full-time Director of Student and Family Affairs and Family Coordinators dedicate their time to answering family questions or concerns.
• Girls Prep encourages family involvement.  Families are welcome to visit or volunteer any time.  We aim to have an active PTA, and each classroom will have a family representative.
• Each month we hold 3C’s nights on Common Core, College Completion and Character. 
• Every month teachers provide parent with a syllabus that provides parents with an over view of what will be taught every month and give guidance on homework help studying for tests.
• Girls Prep Middle School hosts a variety of school-wide family events such as picnics, movie nights, and breakfasts.  We also host informational workshops for parents.
• Each girl receives a campus card every Friday.  This Campus Card allows families and teachers to communicate about their daughter’s progress.
• All families have cell phone number of the school principal and teachers return phone calls within 36 hours and usually much faster.