Green Vale is a coed, nonsectarian elementary school for Pre-Nursery through 8th Grade, drawing families from all over Long Island. Since 1923, a program of exceptional academics and small class sizes is combined with emphasis on athletics, visual and performing arts, and character education at every grade level. After a culminating experience in the middle school years (6th-8th grades), GVS graduates go on to excel at independent, public, and boarding secondary schools.
"Beginnings" at Green Vale is a "Mommy & Me" experience. Taught by Cara Hershkowitz, Beginnings offers the very young child (9-23 months) the opportunity for exploratory, interactive and parallel play with their caregiver as well as their peers. We welcome all adult caregivers and have been fortunate to have mothers, fathers, grandparents, and nannies participate. The grown-ups enjoy connecting with other adults as the children start to experience what school is all about. Everyone loves starting their day at Green Vale. Monday-Friday 8:30 am - 10:00 am
The Green Vale experience is punctuated by frequent and intimate interactions with the arts. The emphasis on cultivating arts appreciation, imagination and visual literacy is unusual at this level of education. We approach art as an exercise in critical thinking and problem solving. Every project presents an opportunity to marvel at different approaches to the same challenge. Held in two large studios filled with natural light, art classes at Green Vale emphasize the "making" of art with creative expression.
Green Vale’s choral program is a highly joyful and also dead serious celebration of music appreciation, self-expression, and teamwork through singing. The additive effects of an individual voice combining for greater impact with other voices, and ultimately the inclusion of an audience makes for a transcendent shared experience. In conjunction with the broader arts curriculum, Green Vale students understand their own capacity to put forth beauty. For 4th, 5th and 6th Graders, both chorus and instrumental instruction are mandatory. At the start of 4th Grade, students choose a string or band instrument. Excitedly for many, nervously for some, and noisily for all, they embark on a program of small group lessons, ensemble rehearsals, and strongly encouraged home practice. By design, the music program in younger grades has primed 4th Graders for understanding rhythms and reading music. Our 7th and 8th Graders have a choice between chorus, band/strings, or both. It’s a testament to both the choral and instrumental programs that so many students choose to continue with both. Even if students don’t continue to play an instrument past Green Vale, the foundation for understanding and appreciating the skills and nuances intrinsic to the mastery of various instruments, and to blending sounds from diverse instruments, is indelible.
Nearly a century ago, The Green Vale School was created by parents who believed in providing a quality education that would stand the test of time, hence the School's motto Optima Durant: “The Best Endures”. Green Vale retains the driving spirit of its founders. While embracing the future and this ever-changing world, the School preserves myriad traditions that have drawn students together in a shared sense of camaraderie throughout the years. From iconic building exteriors to the thrilling “Captains’ Race” that marks the end of Blue-Gold Field Day, a Green Vale education is replete with reminders of the generations that have preceded ours. While allowing for a sense of School pride, these traditions also serve an important function of FUN.
Rockland Parent, a division of Davler Media Group, is the go-to source for parents to find everything they need for their families, including things to do, resources, and local news. Moms and dads in Rockland can connect here with local businesses who offer services or host events in the community. Rockland Parents is THE single source for families. Follow on Facebook and Instagram.
