Eileen Baker
Head of School
I have enjoyed the great privilege of being the founding Head of School at Pine Street School, a truly unique school with offerings unlike any seen elsewhere in Manhattan and across much of the world. In 2014, we opened our doors with our youngest students and a passionate commitment to multilingualism, student agency, and future-oriented education.
Our aim as a faculty and as a community is to create a secure, caring environment in which students optimize their development intellectually, physically, socially, and emotionally. Students are encouraged to inquire, think critically, work collaboratively, and to construct meaning, reflect and take action, all the while having their natural curiosity in the world around them stimulated.
We seek to give all our students the opportunity to experience a unique international education and to acquire the personal attributes, outlook and knowledge that will equip them to play an active part in the construction of tomorrow’s world. We encourage open communication among students, parents and teachers in a school climate that fosters international understanding. We value parents as key players in this rigorous and inspiring learning experience.
I look forward to sharing the Pine Street School experience with you and your children, and welcome you to discover the brilliant and forward-thinking benefits of the International Baccalaureate approach.
Students can choose between English/Spanish or English/Mandarin Chinese programs.
We have organised the information available for this school into 10 sections and 40 questions. Click or tap on the name of each section to read more.
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Number of students
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200
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Number of nationalities represented in the school
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40
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Most common nationality
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American
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Ratio of local students to international students
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1:1
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Native English, Chinese, and Spanish speaking teachers
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Yes
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Language support for students not fluent in English, Chinese, and Spanish
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In Spanish or Mandarin, the early childhood program offers daily immersion and the elementary program offers daily instruction in a tiered format offering beginner, intermediate and advanced levels for all students and grades.
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Additional language classes offered by the school
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None
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Max. number of students per class
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18
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Average number of students per class
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12
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Does the school employ teaching assistants?
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Yes for certain grade levels
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Use of technology in the classroom
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The use of technology in grades JK and higher provides opportunities for the transformation of teaching and learning and enables students to investigate, create, communicate, collaborate, organize and be responsible for their own learning and actions. It allows students to make connections and reach a deeper understanding of its relevance and applicability to their everyday lives. Learners develop and apply strategies for critical and creative thinking, engage in inquiry, make connections, and apply new understandings and skills in different contexts.
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Is the school ready to use virtual classrooms when needed? (e.g. teaching lessons online if the school is closed, e.g. during COVID-19 closures)
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We are ready to use, virtual classroom technologies in times of emergencies like the recent COVID-19 quarantines. We are very proud to be one of the first schools in NYC to seamlessly pivot to online learning and wonderfully revert back to in school learning since September 2020. We had zero school closures due to the pandemic!
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Do students practice religion at the school? What religion?
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No
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External examinations or assessments available
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ISEE, SSAT, and SHSAT exams
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Results in these examinations
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All of our exmitting students do very well on their emissions exams.
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Do teachers assign homework to their students?
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Extended learning is assigned on a weekly basis, distinct from traditional homework, our students are actively engaged in their daily learning and so the work that is taken home is an extension of what is taught in class, which is meant to support or reinforce their lines of inquiry.
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Approximate hours of homework given
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The suggested amount of time really depends on the grade level. Extended learning in Kindergarten is distinct from extended learning in 5th grade. To quantify extended learning, it can be anywhere from 45 minutes to 90 minutes on a daily basis.
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Percentage of students who pursue further education post-graduation
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100%
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Dedicated staff/programs for students with special learning needs
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No
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The school supports gifted, able and talented students
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Personalized learning pathways enable us to meet each student where they are and support them in getting to their next level. At Pine Street School, inquiry is nurtured from age 2 and cultivated into increasingly advanced processes year by year. Typically by 1st or 2nd Grade, our students are self-sufficient in developing their own complex inquiries and demonstrating impressive skills in self-management and critical thinking.
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Student access to education psychologist
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We do not have an educational psychologist on staff at this time.
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Entry evaluation for students
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For Grades Kindergarten and higher, there is an admissions assessment that is required as part of Pine Street Schools Admissions Steps.
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Brief description of entry evaluation required
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The MAP assessment is administered during the admissions process. It is an untimed assessment that usually takes around 90 minutes to complete (45 minutes for Mathematics and 45 minutes for English Language Usage), we encourage students to take their time with each question as it is an adaptive test (the more they answer correctly, then the questions get harder, and the opposite with every question answered incorrectly).
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Waiting list
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It depends on the grade level, contact admissions@greenivy.com for more information.
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Deadline for registration (new academic year)
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We offer rolling admissions which means we roll until we are full in each grade level.
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Students can join after academic year begins
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Yes
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School start time
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Classes start at 8:30AM
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School finish time
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School ends at 3:15PM
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Supervised care before/after school
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Yes! We offer before-care starting as early as 7:30 AM and after-care as late as 6:00 PM.
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School bus service available
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No
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School provided lunches
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Yes, Lunch is included in tuition.
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Food alternatives for special dietary needs (ie. vegan, kosher, halal etc)
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Yes
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Uniform required
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No
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Facilities at the school
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Our theatre is called the colonial room as it shares a wall with Federal Hall and we have music, art, technology, and language labs on campus as well.
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Sports facilities at the school
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We have two movement rooms on campus and students go offsite for swimming and other sports activities.
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Qualities and characteristics best defining the school
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Pine Street School is New York's only IB World School offering Spanish and Mandarin Immersion, Nursery(2s) to 8th Grade.
In dual language immersion, native Spanish or Mandarin Chinese speakers and native English speakers maintain and develop their first language while acquiring native-like communication and literacy skills in a second language. Students have two teachers in the classroom, each working in English or Spanish/Mandarin Chinese in small groups, all day long. Academic content is taught and assessed in two languages over an extended period of time.
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Teaching approach of the school
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PSS' aim is to create a secure, caring environment in which students optimize their development intellectually, physically, socially, and emotionally. Students are encouraged to inquire, think critically, work collaboratively, and to construct meaning, reflect and take action, all the while having their natural curiosity in the world around them stimulated.
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Early Childhood
Pine Street School believes that every child is born a perfect learner. With enthusiastic curiosity, a tireless desire to problem solve, and a fearless interest in new experiences.
Our job as a school is to nourish those innate qualities and encourage that instinctive desire to understand, grow, and contribute.
It is also our responsibility as a school to look around and ahead so that we are always aware of what the world will ask of our learners, what opportunities they are likely to find for expressing their particular interests and strengths, and what challenges they will face.
Our academic program is designed around these understandings and the fervent belief that learners should have a voice in their learning and be invited and expected to reflect on their growth and increasingly make thoughtful decisions about their direction and priorities.
Elementary School
The Elementary curriculum encourages both emotional and academic achievement, challenging students to excel in their learning and in their personal development. We offer a technology-enabled, project-based problem-solving setting that nurtures passion with a purpose.
Our Elementary curriculum provides a holistic program that balances the development of concepts, skills and character. Our approach focuses on the total growth of the developing child addressing social, physical, emotional and cultural needs in addition to academic welfare.
Our program focuses on guided inquiry, collaboration and communication as approaches to teaching and learning to provide an environment that fosters the development of problem solving and critical thinking as well as subject competencies.
Middle School
Opening in September 2023, beginning with 6th Grade and growing each year through 8th Grade.
Our boutique middle school will be small by design to serve Grades 6 to 8, starting with the 2023-2024 school year. A Pine Street, we believe that small class sizes during these crucial Middle Years create the space for exceptional educational support, which will yield exponential growth and success through personalized learning pathways.
Facilities
Beautiful. That is usually the first word we hear from a new visitor. Our interior space is modern, but organic, with a light spacious open feeling. Everywhere you look there are elegant arches and rounded columns, accents of spring green against warm tones of pine and spruce.
Our space has life and clarity, a fresh elegance and inviting warmth. Natural light pours in from the enormous windows that look out onto the plaza and its famous Jean Dubuffet sculpture, "Group of Four Trees."
Pine Street School was lovingly and meticulously designed by founder Dr. Jennifer Jones, who was inspired by the schools of Northern Europe, where natural light abounds and environments are homey and soothing.
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