My Spectrum School, a gifted and talented early childhood education school, opened in Port Washington in October. The school also offers gifted and talented after-school programs and a gifted and talented summer camp.
 Children at My Spectrum School do hands-on activities such as science experiments to develop intelligences. |
A Gifted and Talented school for preschoolers through first-graders, My Spectrum School opened in Port Washington in October. The school, which has a charter through the New York State Department of Education, also offers after-school programs and a summer camp.
The school’s curriculum is based on Howard Gardner, Ph.D.’s, Theory of Multiple Intelligences—language, movement, math, art, social, science, and music—and the Harvard University Project Spectrum research to assess children and develop an individualized curriculum for each student. Project Spectrum believes that the intelligences each child has are not fixed; they can be enhanced by educational opportunities. My Spectrum School’s assessment, including observations and surveys, finds each student’s strengths in intelligences and builds a curriculum that fosters the strengthening of their weaknesses.
The after-school program for ages 3-10 is geared toward children not already in gifted and talented programs. “They’re not getting the advanced classes [in school] at that age, so it’s a good opportunity for them to excel in academics,” says Linda D’Agostino Ed. D., founder.
The summer camp for ages 3-10 combines academic, social, cultural, and recreational activities for a summer of learning. Lessons also take place in the outdoor classroom that features outdoor easels, a garden, and sensory tables.
In both the after-school and summer camp programs, children select topics of interest from the seven domains of intelligence and pursue an in-depth study, such as Greek mythology, technology programming, writing, and visual arts. Children also participate in workshops including writing, STEM projects, and digital music.
The school is currently accepting applications for the after-school program, summer camp, and 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 school years.
