Academics
Gantry View School’s philosophy and approach are predicated on the idea that students learn best when they are actively engaged and advancing along their learning paths at their own best pace. Our low student-teacher ratio, experienced and forward-thinking staff, and ongoing pursuit of the most effective resources and activities are critical to making this happen. GVS’s Learning Managers are aware of each student’s stage of progress at any given time. They are skilled in supporting learning processes and strive to seize the learning opportunity inherent in any expression of interest.
Our academic standards exceed what is found in most schools because we integrate thinking and inquiry skills into all subject areas. At the core of Gantry View’s curriculum is the well-established fact that, in order to be retained and applied, all knowledge and skill must be integrated conceptually and fluently accessible.
English Language Arts
Gantry View School’s English Language Arts program is designed to strengthen communication skills and forge students’ budding sense of the world and their place within it. By reading literature they learn how others experience the world, and reflect on how they, too, experience it. They are introduced to communities, places, and lives different from their own, and asked to discern the commonalities that span all people. Through informational texts, they learn about the intersection of time and place, opinions that differ from their own, and practical skills and knowledge. And through writing, they learn to share their stories and knowledge and to communicate their own ideas.
Math
Gantry View School uses Singapore Math and Eureka Math as primary resources, supplemented by manipulatives, math-based games, and individualized fluency practice. Our total math program helps students develop firm computational and problem-solving ability, and spatial, logical, and algebraic reasoning skills
Science
GVS’s science curriculum covers the life sciences, the physical sciences, and earth/space science, along with practical applications of this knowledge in engineering. A distinct aspect of Gantry View’s curriculum is its focus on the methods of science as the primary means to find things out, put questions to nature, and make sense of the answers. Students gain science-minded ways of thinking through discussion, independent research, hands-on experiments, and demonstrations, as well as projects they originate on topics that interest them.
Social Studies
Gantry View Social Studies trains students in inquiry skills that enable them to make sense of new places, diverse cultures, and world geography. They explore regions, religions, conflicts, and migrations, each time challenged to make comparisons and connections between past and present events and among scientific and artistic endeavors. Every year adds another layer to our students’ foundational understanding, with emphasis on research and presentation skills through creative projects to which students apply their forming writing and critical thinking skills.
Other Subjects
Gantry View School’s daily schedule includes classes in subjects that round out our students’ education and impart joy. These classes, though non-core subject areas, are constructed and implemented with the same degree of thought and detail found in the major components of our program. They are opportunities for students to learn new and enriching content and to apply their growing body of skills from other areas.