Student Life
The Ella Baker School provides students from Pre-K to 8th grades with a rich and varied experience aimed at inspiring a life-long love of learning, the confidence to ask questions and take risks, the creativity to imagine and solve increasingly complex problems, and the social consciousness to be a leader and team-player in a global community. At EBS we combind classrooms, Pre-K & Kindergarten, First & Second grades, etc through-out middle school grades to promote meaningful collaboration, so our students learn more about themselves and their role as members of a larger community.
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We invite you to explore our curricular and co-curricular programs, and the many support resources we provide for our students.
PreK & Kindergarten
In Pre-kindergarten and Kindergarten, students are encouraged to become contributing members of a cluster, the school community and the broader society. Children are taught how to listen, to show respect for others, to try to understand others’ needs, to offer compassion and to cooperate with their peers. Teachers function as guides, facilitators and role models within a learning environment that is safe, loving, inspiring and rich in content.
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The Pre-K/K program exemplifies the school's mission statement. The curriculum is designed to assure the lively engagement of each student in the learning process through active experience that takes into account multiple intelligences, individual interests and learning styles. Class sizes are kept small to ensure that teachers have ample time to cater to the individual social/emotional and academic needs of each child. The curriculum also places great value on self-discovery and creative expression. This is why teachers place much emphasis on helping the children make use of the open-ended activities and materials that each classroom offers.
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REGISTER
The Ella Baker School offers Pre-Kindergarten is part of the Department of Education (DOE), seats are offered directly from the DOE through an online lottery during the spring of every year. To learn more visit here.
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Kindergarten students newly entering EBS and/or transitioning from our Pre-K program, please note you must fill out an online application through the Department of Education (DOE). The application period begins on December 6th and ends on January 15th of every year. Specific registration dates may vary from year to year to learn more visit here.
Elementary School
Young children are naturally enthusiastic and curious. Our approach to learning in the Lower School begins with meeting children where they are and allowing them to develop at their own pace, by nurturing their sense of inquiry, joy and confidence. We want children to love to come to school, so our goal is to instill a love of learning from the very beginning.
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The Ella Baker School is an intellectually stimulating environment because of the wide diversity of children and adults in our classrooms. Our teachers bring their own passions and expertise to their classes, and in our warm, joyful environment, children and adults work closely with each other, sharing excitement for whatever they are learning together. Young children need flexibility, safety and routine, and Elementary school teachers consciously create that nurturing space that allows children to be actively engaged in the learning process.
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In The Ella Baker School Elementary School, children are given the time and space to be young children. They have the freedom to grow at a developmentally appropriate pace into their own unique characters. In doing so, EBS students develop strong basic learning skills, social confidence, intelligence, motivation and a positive attitude about school and their own education.
Middle School
The Middle School thrives with the EBS joyful spirit. Our students are mathematicians tackling algebraic puzzles; anthropologists re-creating ancient Egyptian tombs and medieval Islamic Suq markets; scientists become aquaponic farmers, students analyzing issues of race, identity and social justice through literature, history and art; and writers publishing their own literary magazine. Their work is investigative, collaborative and meaningful, and by doing it they learn more about themselves and their role as members of a larger community.
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The interdisciplinary curriculum engages pre-adolescent and adolescent students in an examination of this connection between the self and society. In seventh grade, for example, the study of geographical and cultural history and the study of DNA are made more meaningful by rich co-curricular connections. Course work is multicultural, project-oriented, and designed to stretch students’ thinking from the concrete to the abstract.
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We attend to the developmental needs specific to each student by addressing and supporting the need for good organization, routine study skills, responsibility for one's work and mature social behavior. Every student has an individual, weekly conference with a faculty advisor, to discuss topics as diverse as course work, study habits and relevant social issues.
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While building upon the exciting, solid foundation of the Middle School, EBS continues to engage and ignite curiosity. Students are guided toward independence as they develop their own distinct voices, taking ownership of who they are as individual thinkers while celebrating the diversity within the EBS community.
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Students' interests guide each teachers' unique approach to content development, which is infused with Interdisciplinary studies, current events and project-based learning. Teachers are also encouraged to let their own passions play a part in their planning, making the Middle School at EBS an exciting place to learn and grow.
After School Program
Our after-school program is offered by Manhattan Youth After-School Program housed within the Julia Richman Educational Complex, providing Pre-K through 8th grades comprehensive programs.
To learn more click here.