About OGS
Welcome to Old Greenwich School. Students, faculty, parents, and community members take great pride in Old Greenwich School, which has been a landmark in this shoreline community since 1902. Over 90% of the current student-body walk to school, which is located in the heart of the community’s small business district. Old Greenwich School has over 400 students in grades pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, with 100% of incoming kindergarten students having had preschool experience. The community of Old Greenwich attracts an international population due to its reputation for academic excellence and proximity to New York City. Of the children who transferred to Old Greenwich School this year, more than a third relocated from abroad, arriving from Europe, South America, and Asia. We are proud of our quaint community feel with respect for our traditions, cultures, and academics.
The school’s mission is to empower each child to maximize his or her potential, find their passions, and to develop a love of learning. The curriculum is carefully planned and modified to meet each child’s needs, particularly in the areas of language arts and mathematics. In 2015-2016 we went one-to-one, with each child and staff member receiving an iPad. This tool is allowing us to provide a more personalized learning experience in all academic areas. The children’s progress is closely monitored with a variety of formal and informal assessments, which are continuously used and analyzed to inform instruction. Furthermore, Old Greenwich provides an accelerated and enriched curriculum for reading and mathematics through the Advanced Learning Program in grades two through five.
The school’s language arts, social studies, music, and art curricula emphasize the development of an understanding and empathy for people of all ethnicities. Formal and informal traditions celebrating diversity are conducted throughout the year as these curricula are taught, including a third grade Native American Day and a second grade International Festival. Additionally, the school’s Student Ambassadors conduct a number of community outreach activities, including canned food drives, a winter clothing drive and student fundraiser to raise money to support various charitable organizations chosen by students. The Parent Teacher Association (PTA) is also committed to exposing students to a variety of experiences to promote an understanding and appreciation of different cultures. All students in K-5 learn the Circus Arts and their respective cultural traditions each June.
Specialist support staff is provided for General Music, Instrumental Music, Art, Physical Education, Reading, English as a Second Language (ESL), Spanish, Psychology, Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and the Learning Commons. The Learning Commons exceeds the state average with over 40 volumes per student and one computer for every three students. It is also home to our innovation lab where students can play and foster their curiosity about a variety of topics in the state of the art computer lab. All of the classrooms are outfitted with Smart Boards.
Old Greenwich School is a place where students and staff work together to learn how to explore ideas, ask questions, express ourselves, solve problems, build our community and appreciate our world. Together we continue to build a respectful community in which we all practice kindness, responsibility, citizenship and honesty. We adhere to the district norms of Be Here, Be Safe, Be Honest, Care for Self and Others, Let Go and Move On to foster this learning community.