On Tuesday, Jan. 25, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., learn about The Chicago Grammar School and its mission to create relevant knowledge and understanding through the child's creativity and interests. The Chicago Grammar School, 1320 W. Fulton St., is now accepting applications for prospective Preschool, Kindergarten and First Grade students.
For information, call (312) 433-0033 or email info@chicagogrammar.org. Visit chicagogrammar.org.
The Chicago Grammar School is a new private school with an innovative application of neuroscience to the learning environment for grades preschool through eighth grade. The educational program is designed to foster life-long learners by developing academic skill and proficiency, intellectual curiosity, personal wisdom and virtue, and responsible participation in society.
The school's philosophy is to educate for understanding, flexibility of thought, and the ability to act on one's talents. This is achieved by implementing the latest cognitive neuroscience developments, which supports an experiential learning environment. CGS integrates symbolic language directly into the academic program with two on-staff artists and a musician rounding out a stellar teaching staff. With a ratio of five to seven students per each instructor, the staffing enables the child to receive the attention, assessment, and interaction necessary for a positive and successful learning experience.
The school's preschool and kindergarten program is inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach to early education. This approach draws upon the child's interests and natural curiosity as the means to develop motor skills, vocabulary, language, math, music and emotional control, a foundation necessary for academic and athletic success.
The Chicago Grammar School will use stories from history in the development of vocabulary and language (the precursors to reading). The children will hear and retell stories and learn Spanish through songs and art to increase their receptive and expressive language, participate in keyboard classes with a musician to develop spatial-temporal functions, work with clay or build models with the artists to develop fine motor skills, and play counting and alphabet games using musical rhythms to enhance sequential perception. The goal of the preschool and kindergarten program is to promote intellectual development in an environment rich with experience and, more importantly, a successful bridge from the preschool to the scholastic elementary school experience.
First Grade students will learn writing, math, science, art and music from an innovative curriculum that incorporates stories from Ancient cultures. Within this framework, students are given the opportunity to play act, draw, sculpt and build architectural models. For reading/spelling, writing and math, teaching is provided in groups of four to seven students based on skill level and propensity, allowing for the appropriate instruction to the typical developing as well as to the accelerated student. Spanish, physical education, and keyboard instruction complete the student's program. Latin will be introduced in the third grade for English vocabulary enhancement.
Phillip D. Jackson II, founder and Executive Director of The Chicago Grammar School, has been working with parents, children and teachers since 1988 at The Cove School, most recently, as Executive Director. Earlier in his career, he was Dean of Students and teacher of history at Hardey Preparatory School for Boys in Chicago from 1981-86. Over the years, he has also tutored numerous students in math, writing and history. Academically, Mr. Jackson has a B.A. in Music Theory from DePaul University and a Masters in the Art of Teaching from The University of Illinois at Chicago; and he has also completed numerous courses in accounting, audit, taxation and business law from Loyola University in Chicago. |
