ACADEMICS

GHS boasts a diverse student body, dynamic faculty and low student-to-teacher ratio. Add to these the school's personalized curriculum, unique range of elective offerings, service learning opportunities, growing sports programs and fundamental commitment to the individual student and you begin to see what makes Gifft Hill so special.

During the course of the year, two Parent Teacher Conferences are scheduled, and additional meeting times are available on request. Effective communication between the parent and the school is a priority at Gifft Hill School. In Preschool through 5th grade, the Classroom Teacher is the primary contact for the parent to discuss a child’s educational, social, developmental progress. In Grades 6-12, each student is assigned an Advisor who serves the same role as that of the lower school homeroom teacher described above.

GHS's celebrated Early Learning Center is a great place to start your child's education. With a low student-to-teacher ratio (1:8 or better) students sing, dance, draw, listen to stories, paint, work on puzzles, build with blocks, partake in math and literacy activities, create, and most importantly play and have fun. We believe strongly that children learn through active play. Our program follows the Creative Curriculum, a national curriculum endorsed by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Here is some information regarding the Creative Curriculum: http://www.teachingstrategies.com/page/creative-curriculum-for-preschool.cfm In addition, the Preschool and Pre-Kindergarten classrooms use the Handwriting Without Tears program: http://www.hwtears.com/hwt/why-it-works.

The GHS curriculum in grades K-12 is based on the National Core Standards. Information about the curriculum is available in the offices as well as at our yearly Back-to-School Night for Parents.

Elementary: In Grades 1-5, students build a solid foundation in the core subject areas of Language Arts, Math, Social Studies and Science. In addition, students spend time each week with specialist teachers in extra-curricular fields including Physical Education, Art, Technology, Library, Spanish and Character Development. Additional performing arts classes are offered during the school day through a partnership with St. John School of the Arts.

Middle School: Interdisciplinary, field-based learning is a large part of the middle school experience. During Grades 6-8, students study five main subject areas: Language Arts, Math, Social Studies, Science and Spanish. Particular emphasis is put on writing and math skills, with special multi-age academic labs offered, designed to provide differentiated instruction for students based on their individual areas of strength and weakness. A range of electives is introduced in the middle school including Health, PE, Art, Music, Gardening, Study Skills, and Technology.

High School: There is a wide range of offerings in the five core subjects. With an average class size of 14 students, subjects are covered in depth, incorporating a high level of discussion, debate and hands-on application. Various electives allow students to pursue interests in Technology, Visual and Performing Arts , PE, Fitness, Food Production (EARTH) and more. Independent Study provides the opportunity to earn credit through research and presentation of a topic of personal interest. Our "mini-mester" program offers the chance to concentrate on one area of interest for students in subjects such as theater, pottery, sea navigation, wood-working, and more. Students can further challenge themselves with Honors courses offered in core subject areas. Faculty will also facilitate a student’s pursuit of college credit through the Advanced Placement Examination Program. All high school students receive individualized attention throughout the college application preparation and process from our school counselor. More information about the college application process can be found on the Couseling page.

English:Multi-cultural Lit (9), American Lit (10), American Lit (11), Philosophical Lit (12)
Math: Geometry, Algebra II, Business Math, Pre-Calculus, Calculus
Science: Conceptual Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Marine Biology/Oceanography, Paleontology
History:World History, US History, Caribbean and VI History, Government/Economics, Philosophy
World Language: Spanish I-IV
Electives: Electives change periodically, but our offerings include Culinary Arts, Photography, Video Production, Studio Arts, Journalism, Music, Film, Fitness, Computer and more.