Admissions Brochure

the difference is extraordinary!t h e l a b s c h o o l o f w a s h i n g t o n

LSW-2014Admissions_Brochure.indd 1 12/22/14 11:43 AM

For almost 50 years, the Lab School of Washington has been providing an exceptional academic experience for bright students with specific learning differences. The first school of its type in the nation, The Lab School now enjoys a worldwide reputation for transforming lives and launching students on the path toward success. In fact, our program is one of the most-studied, most imitated instructional approaches in the field.

Founded in 1967 by Sally L. Smith, The Lab School offers children with learning differences an innovative, arts-infused education that recognizes its students’ talents, capitalizes on their strengths, and shows them how their non-traditional approach to problem-solving and achievement is uniquely suited to 21st-century success. Students undertake a college preparatory curriculum that incorporates multi-sensory, project-based learning, and they thrive in small classroom settings with highly trained faculty.

We invite you to take a look at this brochure and to look beyond it, too, by going to our website — www.labschool.org — and by touring either of our campuses. We believe you’ll be impressed by what you see … and hear … and feel.

We’re transformational

Innovative


At The Lab School, we know that every child can learn. The key is to discover how your child learns best, and to adjust our teaching accordingly. Unlike other schools that adhere to one particular teaching method, The Lab School believes, “if one method doesn’t work, try another.” Our commitment to recognize your child as a unique individual, and to adapt our instruction to his or her needs, is a hallmark of The Lab School.

We’re f lexible

Ingenious


The Lab School is a pioneer when it comes to marrying arts and academics. We employ art in all of its many engaging forms to help students manage their learning differences. The Lab School’s many arts offerings increase your child’s attention, build organization skills and competencies, lead to language enhancement, and bolster your child’s sense of self-worth … all essential components of academic success. Proven to be uniquely effective in the development of vital brain functions, the arts are used at The Lab School as a gateway for teaching academics.

We’re creative

“… the arts are used at The Lab School as a gateway for teaching academics.”


“Being in ‘Club’… it’s not like reading the book, it’s like being the book.”


Unique to Lab School are our Academic Clubs, where Elementary and Intermediate students have the unprecedented opportunity to immerse themselves in the humanities. Following one multi-dimensional theme throughout the year, young learners enjoy a hands-on exploration of history, geography, literature, science, sociology, archaeology and — of course — art. The dynamic, small-group Academic Club experiences are rich and varied. Students will:

• Explore the natural world in our Discovery Club • Examine the mythologies of ancient world cultures in the Gods Club • Venture through feudal society in the Medieval Knights and Ladies Club • Re-live the spirit of our founding fathers in the American Revolution Club • Experience the rebirth of philosophy, art, and literature in the Renaissance Club • Curate collections of art and artifacts in the Museum Club • Develop entrepreneurial insights in the Industrialists Club

We’re inventive

Imaginative


“The Lab School is a place where kids with learning differences forget they’re in school and get on with the love of learning.”


Bright, motivated, and invested in their education, Lab School students are uniquely poised to tackle the challenges of their learning differences. With an average or higher IQ and emotional and behavioral stability, these young learners are receptive and responsive. They work hard, rejoice in their progress, and enjoy the confidence that comes from mastering the challenging Lab School curriculum.

Every Lab School child is exceptional, with intelligence that is recognized, appreciated, and tapped. In every classroom throughout the school, you’ll find a wide variety of learning styles — and an equally varied number of teaching approaches to those styles. We value the individual, and we’re intent on helping all individuals value themselves as well.

We’re one-of-a-kind

Intelligent


The Lab School student body is diverse in its strengths and talent. It’s also culturally, socially, and economically diverse. Our students are actively taught to embrace inclusivity and value their differences. Our school attracts students from throughout the Washington metropolitan region; in fact, students have been known to move to the area from other states and countries in order to benefit from a Lab School education.

InclusiveIntegrated Clinical Services

Related service providers consult, collaborate, and provide professional development for faculty in order to enhance the educational experience for all students. In addition, supplemental individual and group therapy services are available in pull-out sessions during the day for an additional fee in our Speech/Language, Occupational Therapy, and Psychological Services departments.


Inspired

Flexible Committed Creative Supportive Inspiring

Ask families to describe The Lab School faculty and you’ll hear superlatives. And with good reason! We’re proud of our outstanding faculty. Most of our teachers have their masters degrees. The Lab School makes an effort to attract and retain talented and experienced teachers and staff — professionals who are highly trained in diagnostic-prescriptive teaching and intensive academic remediation.

Our team doesn’t just pay lip-service to thinking outside the box. You’ll find that our faculty will go to great lengths to imagine … and implement … an effective strategy to unlock your child’s academic potential. The energy, vision, and dedication of The Lab School’s teachers are valued qualities that distinguish our school.


Innovative

At Lab, we pride ourselves on our innovative teaching methods and recognize that new advancements in technology can be instrumental in unlocking how our students absorb and share knowledge. At all levels, iPads have transformed the way that students approach research and information sharing in science, math, and reading classes. These students can get information through multi-sensory, interactive methods that help them develop conceptual understanding and increase their engagement with the material. In the older grades, each student and teacher is given an iPad on a one-to-one basis, providing portability, easy access to the internet, interactive textbooks, and a plethora of educational and organizational apps. And while these tools are improving how students learn, they’re also providing invaluable insight and support for teachers.

We’re invested


From first grade through high school, The Lab School provides a dynamic, stimulating environment, one that captures the imagination, fuels curiosity, and feeds the quest for knowledge. Our novel, award-winning curriculum is multisensory, arts-based, experiential, and rigorous. It’s also proven to be measurably successful.

Students benefit from The Lab School’s small class sizes and our exceptionally low teacher/student ratios — in many instances as low as 1:4. Teachers get to know your child quickly and insightfully. Individual attention, recognition, and reinforcement give young learners the extra support they need as they master The Lab School’s arts-based, progressively rigorous course load.

Elementary Program

The youngest Lab School students enjoy their own campus, located on Foxhall Road in northwest Washington, DC. The large building with its quiet residential setting gives children ages 6-10 the freedom to experiment and explore — to learn by doing — in comfortable, age-appropriate surroundings. There are no designated “grades” in the early years at The Lab School; grouped by age and maturity, children move through the program at their own pace, developing strengths, skills, and confidence for the academic rigors that lie ahead. Art, music, ceramics, theater, and dance are core components of The Lab School’s curriculum at every level, starting in our Elementary program. Reading, language arts, and math are an intensive part of each day’s work. Science, physical education, and The Lab School’s groundbreaking Academic Clubs round out the Elementary education.

Invigorating

We’re ef fective


Intermediate Program

Geared toward children ages 10-12, the Intermediate program focuses on transition. Although still “ungraded,” students move to The Lab School’s main campus on Reservoir Road and begin to assume more structure in their daily routine, as attention to executive functioning skills becomes a priority. Written language is strongly emphasized at the Intermediate level; a technology-based Writer’s Lab encourages youngsters to explore myriad forms of written expression. Intermediate mathematics concentrates on abstract reasoning as well as computation skills. Academic Clubs — our full immersion humanities program — continue to be an important feature of the Intermediate program. And, in true “Lab tradition,” the full panoply of arts helps students access challenging new material. Our extracurricular athletic program begins in the Intermediate level, as students are offered the opportunity to participate on several athletic teams including coed intramural soccer, interscholastic boys and girls basketball, and coed interscholastic swimming.

“Because the faculty and support staff are so involved with each individual student, we can really see their evolution over the years. Students go from survival mode to

feeling like they can do anything.”


Junior High School

Students in seventh and eighth grades enter our Junior High program where executive functioning, responsibility, and structure are underscored. Technology and media literacy, science, drama, literature and writing, and intensive remediation in reading and math become increasingly important and are part of every student’s daily schedule. Humanities are brought to life though experiential teaching, similar to the younger students’ Academic Clubs. Your child will explore the evolution of government and become an experienced “world traveler,” immersed in the study of other nations. An annual science trip to the Teton Science School in Jackson, Wyoming, is a memory-making experience that teaches environmental awareness … with the added lure of snowshoeing and sleigh riding! Interscholastic sports and The Lab School’s award-winning, championship debate team round out the Junior High program.

Insights

• Founded in 1967 by Sally L. Smith

• Grades 1-12 Day School with 375 students

• Over 90% of graduates continue on to college

• Integrated, on-campus clinical services

• Outstanding aquatic and athletic facilities

• Practicing artists work with students in arts-based curriculum

• Convenient shuttle bus service to key Metro stations and other locations in DC, Maryland, and Virginia

• Accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

• Member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS)

• Member of Independent Education (IE), an association of DC area independent schools

• Member of the District of Columbia Association for Special Education (DCASE)

• A Maryland State-Approved Nonpublic Special Education School

• Participant in the Independent Small School Athletic Conference (ISSAC) for interscholastic sports


We’re successful

High School

By the time they enter our High School, teenagers are ready to take on the demands of a college preparatory course load. While striving to give teens a typical high school experience, The Lab School remains true to our core philosophy throughout the older grades. Experiential, arts-based methods are used to reinforce the learning process so that students can master subject matter that’s essential for higher education. The bar is set high with rigorous classes in such subjects as literature, Latin, physics, chemistry, calculus, and rhetoric. Executive functions, such as time management, critical thinking, analytic skills, and self-advocacy are emphasized as students prepare for rewarding college and career choices.

The social world of High School students expands — there are approximately 130 students in grades 9-12. Individual classes, however, remain small; the average size is 8-12 students per class. Independence is fostered as older students take on more responsibility for their work, choose academic electives, and earn off-campus lunch privileges. The world beckons our High School students who enjoy opportunities to travel and study nationally and abroad to places such as Peru, China, and South Africa.

Industrious


Extra-Curricular ActivitiesAthletics become increasingly important at the high school level. The Lab School boasts championship trophies from competition in the Independent Small School Athletic Conference. Students can choose to participate in soccer, lacrosse, basketball, volleyball, tennis, track, cross-country, and swimming. Extra-Curricular activities offer teens the chance to build upon an interest — or discover a new one. Our clubs, which meet during the day, have included: Chess, Computer Programming, Creative Writing, Diversity Club, Future Business Leaders of America, Gay Straight Alliance, Lab School Women’s Group, Model UN, Movie Club Student Council, Thespian Society, Tide Turners, and Yoga. Our vibrant theater productions are “sell out” attractions the entire community can enjoy.

College Counseling

Our College Advisor gets to know every High School student, developing an understanding of interests and goals, securing accommodations for the ACT/SAT tests, and working with the student and family to determine the best post-secondary fit. Our Advisor is well-versed in the many schools that are ideal matches for students with learning differences, as well as other post-high school opportunities. Upperclassmen and their parents use Naviance, software that matches students with colleges and tracks application materials, to facilitate the college search process. More than 90 percent of our graduates go on to college and enjoy careers in the arts, technology, business, education, public service, medicine, entertainment, and more.

Junior Year InternshipOur unique year-long internship is truly an experiential learning opportunity. Through this program, each student has a chance to intern in a structured, supportive environment that helps them develop important workplace skills and can lead to avenues for further study. Past internships have included stints with The National Air and Space Museum, National Child Research Center Preschool, WAMU, Metropolitan Police Department, and The Center for Urban Ecology.

Senior Thesis The senior thesis is a culminating activity for each Lab School student. Students use their research, presentation, writing, and editing skills to pursue a line of inquiry on a topic that aligns with their passions. Students develop their theses throughout the year and must show the practical applications of what they’ve learned. Recent senior theses have included studies of cartography and human evolution, the effects of concussion in youth sports, the shaping of the New Deal, how zero gravity affects the human body during prolonged space travel, and the effects of theater therapy on under-performing youth.


We’re looking forward

Athletics at Lab

At The Lab School of Washington, we encourage and allow for participation by all students at any level of athletic competition. Sports promote character and teach good values such as sportsmanship, leadership, commitment to one’s team or activity, critical thinking during practice and competition, time management, self-discipline, and enjoyment. Most importantly, we challenge our student athletes to strive to be the best they can be — on and off the field. The Lab School has 19 sports teams spanning grades 5-12.

New High School Building in the Works

Currently, the Lab School has two campuses: the Elementary division on Foxhall Road and the Intermediate, Junior High School, and High School divisions on the Reservoir Road campus. In 2016, the Reservoir campus will have a new, inspired High School building. That project will be followed by a renovated and reimagined Middle School, including an expanded Theater and Arts Wing.


As students move through The Lab School program, they acquire a valuable college preparatory education. But they learn something that is in many ways more important: self-knowledge. Our graduates are taught to understand their learning styles, to articulate their strengths and weaknesses, and to self-advocate as they move through life. Your daughter or son will leave The Lab School with greater self-confidence, and a rich enthusiasm for the possibilities that lie ahead.

Invincible

We’re proud of them


Inquire

If traditional classrooms and standard teaching methods have left you and your child frustrated, take a look at The Lab School. We approach learning unlike any other school.

For more information about The Lab School, please contact our Admissions staff. We’ll be happy to answer your questions and arrange a tour of either of our campuses.

Admissions

Robert Lane, Ed.D., Director202.944.2214

[email protected]

Nancy Rowland, Associate Director202.944.2216

[email protected]

Alexandra Freeman, Admissions Coordinator202.944.2217

[email protected]

The Lab School of Washington4759 Reservoir Road, NW

Washington, DC 20007202.965.6600

www.labschool.org

The Lab School’s programs and policies are applied with equal consideration to all of its applicants and students. We do not discriminate on the grounds of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion,

national origin, disability, or any other status protected by applicable law.


Admissions Brochure

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