Calling Bright Minds: The Peck School Admissions Viewbook

Morristown, New Jersey

calling

bright

minds

A nationally recognized, independent, coeducational day school, Peck is home to approximately 330 students in Kindergarten through Eighth grade.

Innocent questions that turn into wide-eyed conversations about life itself.

The Upper School (Grades 5–8):

A crayon sketch that hints at the color of talent waiting to be realized.

A rigorous, balanced, and interdisciplinary curriculum that accommodates varying learning styles, abilities, and interests; engaged, interactive classes; and teachers dedicated to continually monitoring the academic progress and character development of their students will form the hallmarks of your child’s transformational and rewarding journey through the Upper School.

A music lesson that sparks a passion waiting to be tapped.

An act of genuine kindness that offers you a glimpse into your child’s soul.

Something powerful happens when you inspire bright minds with opportunity… nurture them with love… and inform them with character.

You know. Because you see it happening in your child.

We know. Because we’ve been home to bright minds since 1893.

The Peck School.

“The leaders of tomorrow are being groomed as we speak; Peck is a part of it. We’ve had three children who have benefitted from a Peck education—this is a modern-day school that propels its students towards excellence, not only for high school, but the real world. While the administration and teachers maintain a grip on the highest caliber of study in regards to math, science, the arts, and languages, Peck also is an incubator for the life skills that are ever so critical in today’s society including emotional intelligence, humility, teamwork, camaraderie, citizenship, and situational leadership. We’ve said this so many times before: ‘If we had more children, they’d all be going to Peck!’”

The Lower School (Grades K–4): Blending traditional values with a clear vision of your child’s future, the balanced Lower School curriculum is designed to enable bright minds to learn, play, grow, and develop a foundation of knowledge and skills they will need for future success.

And everywhere, you will see evidence of a community of students and teachers who actively collaborate in celebration of their shared love for learning.

Kindergarten: Offering a warm,

Swati and Jai Parekh, Peck Parents

nurturing environment that encourages success; teachers who share your own excitement about your child’s growth; an active, well-sequenced curriculum that instills in students a love for learning, a strong work ethic, and an appreciation for beauty and creativity; Kindergarten is the ideal way to transition into the Peck community.

Bright minds. Realizing the promise of a brighter future.

For your child. For the world.

www.peckschool.org

Brighter Futures The Peck School has a rich, century-old tradition of providing students with the academic, social, and personal foundation—and confidence—they need to excel, and Peck graduates are accepted at the best boarding and independent day schools in the region and across the nation. But you’re looking for more than a rigorous and inspirational academic program. What you seek is a community that shares your joy of rediscovering the world through the eyes of your child.

Teachers with years of experience in guiding and empowering their students.

And a commitment to character formation that threads through every aspect of learning, and life, across campus. This is the place.

Dedicated to excellence in both learning and teaching, Peck students, faculty, and parents work closely together, forging a unique partnership to ensure: • An invigorating curriculum that will prepare your child for success, not only in secondary school but also in a rapidly changing, increasingly technological and global world.

• The development of personal values in your child, including a positive awareness of self and an enduring consideration of others.

• A caring and supportive environment that emphasizes the integration of intellectual growth with character formation and values as well as the teaching of life skills and traits.

• A community that embraces each child and celebrates a variety of talents, perspectives, and ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

“Peck’s outcomes offer significant testimony in the number of graduates enrolled and succeeding at top secondary schools. These schools have a keen perception of what our end product can be and is. They speak about academic strengths and athletic achievements, leadership and community service, and of what they know they can expect from the ‘average’ Peck applicant. They point to the carefully designed continuum of our program and openly acknowledge its value and quality. We send them leaders and strong scholars who enter their schools with an exuberant stride to become their National Merit Finalists, school presidents, champion debaters, house prefects, All State Athletes, and more.”

Calvary

“I couldn’t have asked for a better foundation than the one I received at Peck,” says Calvary. “When I was in Kindergarten, I certainly couldn’t see the whole picture of my education; now, looking back at my nine years here, it’s almost eerie how beautifully it all has fit together, like puzzle pieces. At Peck, every teacher, every project, every research paper, and even every homework assignment, pushes you forward into becoming who you are meant to be. Not every day may have been perfect (just like not every picture in a photo series is guaranteed to be perfect) but everyone was a valuable piece of my amazing adventure — one that will propel me to success in secondary school, college, and beyond.

You ‘learn to learn’ here. You develop a passion for learning for life that goes beyond the classroom walls to the world at large. You learn to see life from different angles, and you learn never to assume anything about another person just because they are a little different. I wouldn’t be as proud of who I am today if I hadn’t come to Peck.”

Daisy Douglas Savage Director of Secondary School Counseling

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The Peck School

For more from our students and teachers, visit www.peckschool.org

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Bright Connections Bright minds need to regularly flex their muscles in order to thrive. From unraveling the intricacies of science to unlocking the mysteries of a new language, a Peck education is both challenging and demanding. But talk to our students. They’ll tell you that the word that best describes academic life at Peck is “fun.” That it’s about the relationships that form through interactive classes, passionate debates, collaborative team projects, cutting-edge technologies, and through field trips and countless other real-world learning experiences. It is about outstanding teachers who find innovative ways of bringing learning to life even while holding their students to the highest standards of academic integrity and personal responsibility.

The students will tell you it’s about discovering the connections they need to shine.

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The Peck School

“In our minds, what sets Peck apart from other schools are the core values of InDeCoRe—respect, responsibility, empathy, honesty, perseverance, and loyalty—that are integrated throughout every aspect at Peck. It’s not just a part of the curriculum, but a way of life. The atmosphere that surrounds our children is one that is very unique in our world.

There is nowhere else that we would want our children to be on a daily basis.”

Anne Marie and Marc Manahan, Peck Parents

Hope

“Building memories at Downy-Redhead Day is one of my favorite Peck experiences,” says Hope. “The friendly competition and final results make it extremely exciting.

Win or lose, the whole team bonds over doing our best and laughing at ourselves when we can’t jump through a hula-hoop or hop in a potato sack. The whole School bonds over the intensity of the tug of war.”

Technology plays a prominent role in the education of a Peck student. As one of the early adopters of integrating laptops into the curriculum, Peck is a recognized leader in educational technology with its Lower School iPad program and Upper School one-to-one laptop program.

Throughout the campus, students enjoy the use of many tech resources, including laptops, classroom/lab computers, and state-of-the-art multimedia resources.

A robust campus-wide wireless network assures access to library resources, faculty web pages, collaborative student web spaces, and carefully filtered access to the vast resources of the Internet. A technology-infused curriculum allows students to routinely embrace new technologies as they broaden their horizons and extend the learning environment beyond the classroom walls.

For more from our students and teachers, visit www.peckschool.org

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A Brighter Spirit Consideration of Others and Our Core Values of Respect, Responsibility, Empathy, Honesty, Perseverance, and Loyalty.

At Peck, these aren‘t just abstract concepts. They are values studied within progressive, developmentally appropriate contexts that begin with the self, the family, and the School for our younger students and move forward into the local and global communities for our older students. They are the values we teach, learn, and live by, each and every day. You’ll find them resonating in the growing awareness of our kindergartners… and embedded within the emerging personalities of our eighth graders. You’ll find them reflected in the firm handshakes with which teachers greet every child, every morning. In family-style lunches at tables shared by students and teachers across grade-levels. In the way students rush to take the lead in a class project, or a school play, or on the Student Council. And in their eagerness to volunteer at the local school for the developmentally challenged or area soup kitchens. The result? A community that prepares your child to become the best person he or she can be.

The acclaimed Individual Development and Community Responsibility (InDeCoRe) Program, pioneered by Peck, unifies and guides the efforts of our students, faculty, staff, and parents to promote positive character development across our community. In 2010, Peck’s InDeCoRe Program was nationally recognized by the Center of Spiritual and Ethical Education as a model program for character education. Highlights include:

• A Reach Across Program through which activities are created to promote community integration and responsibility by bringing Lower School and Upper School students together.

• A faculty team specifically charged with serving as both teachers and role models who never pass up an opportunity to join their students in exploring what it means to “have character” and “act morally.”

• A consistent emphasis on teamwork and good sportsmanship by the Athletics Department.

• Scheduled Kairos Family Nights every trimester to encourage families to take a break from their busy schedules to enable the quality family interaction and “kairos” time that is so essential to character formation.

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The Peck School

• The Consideration of Others rubric that outlines a sequence of developmentally appropriate social behaviors upon which students are graded on their report cards.

• Service Learning Projects are incorporated year-round throughout the Peck and Morristown communities and are woven into the curriculum within each grade level.

• Discipline that enables students to reflect upon and take responsibility for their actions and choices through “teachable moments.”

• The School’s LARK Policy (Legal, Appropriate, Responsible, and Kind) for technology guides the acceptable use of all School-related technologies.

Preston

“I like the Lower School traditions at Peck, like the Alaskan Feast in second grade, the 100th Day Fashion Show in third grade, and New Jersey Day in fourth grade,” says Preston.

“We also do things that other schools don’t do, like go to woodworking class where we get to make folk toys, or play hand bells in music.

Everyone at Peck is thoughtful and tries to help you. We are always taught how important it is to help our friends and be kind and polite to everyone. It is a great place to go to school!”

• Student-produced print and digital media highlight community events and co-curricular student activities.

For more from our students and teachers, visit www.peckschool.org

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Bright Minds at Play It’s only natural that teamwork and sportsmanship be as integral to Peck Pride across our playing fields as they are within our classrooms. Peck students enjoy access to excellent outdoor and indoor athletic facilities that extend across more than 14 acres and include the 32,000-squarefoot Peck Athletic Center. Whether they are exploring a new sport, participating in an interscholastic competition, or simply creating new friendships and lifelong memories, students find ample opportunity to appreciate what it truly means to be a team player, a champion, and a leader.

In fact, the Athletics program we offer is about much more than the fitness of our students or the quality of our athletes. It is a critical part of our emphasis on character development and a demonstration of our core values in action.

“I rejoice at their successes whether they are in the classroom or on the playing field. I feel sad and disappointed when they do not meet expectations. I try to help them learn from all experiences, good and bad. In many ways, I feel towards my students as I do towards my own children.”

Claire Fawzi, Upper School World Language Teacher

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The Peck School

The Peck School Athletic Department offers students a carefully structured Athletics program that is sensitive to their specific developmental needs at every stage.

• Students in grades K–2 are actively involved in drills and games designed to develop and strengthen their fundamental motor skills.

• Through intramural sports, third and fourth graders focus on developing specific athletic skills, a healthy spirit of competition, and a working knowledge of the strategies involved in sports such as soccer, field hockey, basketball, volleyball, floor hockey, lacrosse, softball, and baseball.

• Students in fifth and sixth grade continue their intramural programs in the winter sports of basketball, floor hockey, and volleyball. In the fall and spring they test their skills through interscholastic competition in the sports of soccer, field hockey, lacrosse, softball, and baseball.

• The seventh and eighth grade program offers students a complete interscholastic experience in the sports of basketball, cross country, field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse, softball, baseball, soccer, and volleyball. There are over 200 competitions among more than 48 different public, independent, and parochial schools as well as tournament play in many of these sports.

Lilly

“I love going to all the different classes and specials that make learning at Peck so exciting,” says Lilly. “I think all the teachers are so great and fun!”

For more from our students and teachers, visit www.peckschool.org

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Calling Bright Minds Q & A for Parents What do you look for while making admissions decisions?

The Admissions Committee seeks students who have the ability to succeed academically at Peck and whose families are committed to the core values of the School. We also look for qualified students who represent a diverse range of racial, economic, cultural, ethnic, and religious backgrounds. Our ultimate goal is to identify bright minds with the potential to grow into young persons of integrity, confidence, and poise, with a love for learning, who may go on to impact their communities and the world as responsible, ethical leaders.

Do you offer financial aid?

reapply for aid each year; therefore, grants may be adjusted if the family’s financial situation changes.

What makes Peck faculty so special?

Peck teachers are professional educators with welldeveloped classroom skills who are knowledgeable in the aged children. They are masters of their subject matter, are well-prepared and organized, and set high expectations for their students. They are dedicated and reflective educators who form strong relationships with their students. In fact, many of them are parents of current or former Peck

Yes. The Peck School designates a certain amount every year

students. Talk to some of them when you visit with us and

to be awarded to families in the form of financial aid. These

you will find them to be vibrant and caring members of an

awards are granted on the basis of need, and requests for

exceptional learning community.

financial aid must be made at the time of application. Each

Where do students go from Peck?

application for financial aid is reviewed separately from the admissions application. Aid is granted on a needs basis

Peck graduates go on to pursue their education at some

and is determined by a family’s ability to meet educational

of the best, most prestigious boarding and day schools

expenses, not a willingness or unwillingness to pay. While

across the region and the nation. Over the past five years,

the admissions and financial aid processes are separate,

approximately ninety percent of Peck graduates have

there are times when, due to a limited financial aid budget,

attended their first-choice boarding or day secondary school.

“need aware” admissions decisions may be made. Families

Alongside a talented faculty and staff, a dedicated Secondary

who choose not to apply for financial aid when applying for

School Counselor is exceptionally willing and able to counsel

admission to the School will not be considered for a financial

and support your family through the complex process of

aid award in the future unless their financial situation changes

choosing a secondary school that is the right fit for your child.

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The Peck School

Among the finest elementary schools in the nation, The Peck School is a place where students come together to learn and to grow; educated with our core belief that knowledge must be guided by values. For more than a century, the hallmarks of a Peck education have been a gifted student body; a talented and dedicated faculty; supportive parents; and a potent blend of academic rigor, a family-like atmosphere, and the development of personal values.

significantly. Families receiving financial aid will need to

developmental needs of elementary- and middle-school-

Dear Friends and Families:

“Like most schools, lunch is a highlight of any day at Peck. Students enjoy the variety of offerings — soups, sandwiches, salads, sides, and main course — and never seem to mind that they share in serving the meal and clearing the table. And while the children learn and practice table manners and etiquette, more importantly they learn to converse with and help one another, get to know their schoolmates and teachers, and dine like a family.”

Mark Mortensen Arts Department Chair

At Peck, we believe in the adage that a kitchen is “the heart of a home.” That’s why our Family Dining program is an essential part of the Peck experience.

Students in different grade levels share lunch tables with a teacher or parent volunteer — conversing, discussing a weekly topic about our values, learning good nutritional habits and etiquette, and assisting with preparing and cleaning their tables.

Today at Peck, we continue to foster an environment that emphasizes, from an early age, intellectual growth combined with the teaching of life skills and traits such as confidence in public speaking, collaboration, and problem solving in an increasingly connected, global community. These skills, coupled with our emphasis on character education and the consideration of others, prepare our students to not only thrive during their years at Peck, but also to lead healthy, productive, and principled lives.

If you would like to learn more about our extraordinary School, I invite you to call our Admissions Office to schedule an appointment. There’s simply no better way to experience the warmth of our community or to gain a deeper understanding of the strength of our program than to visit with us.

Andrew C. Delinsky

Head of School

Welcome to The Peck School!

Sincerely Yours,

Andrew C. Delinsky Head of School

“Over the nine years our son attended The Peck School, we were impressed by the steady progression of his skills as a student and as a responsible and considerate member of the School community. Meeting the high standards set at The Peck School instilled a love and respect for learning that has made the transition to secondary school seamless.”

Deborah Bollinger Peck Past Parent

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A Bright Next Step

The Peck School—At A Glance The School: Founded in 1893, Peck is an independent,

The Campus: On more than 14-acres, our campus,

coeducational, Kindergarten through Eighth grade day school with a century-old reputation for academic excellence.

conveniently located near Route 287 in Morristown, combines history and beauty with modern comforts and state-ofthe-art technologies to offer students a bright, nurturing, yet sophisticated environment for the pursuit of academic excellence and character formation.

The Mission: We believe that, in life, knowledge must be guided by values. Through a commitment to character formation and a rigorous and inspirational academic program, The Peck School strives to build in each student the capacity for disciplined learning and consideration of others. With dedicated faculty and families, we prepare our students to succeed in secondary school and to lead healthy, productive, and principled lives.

From your family’s educational goals and priorities to a school’s mission, philosophy, values, and qualities, there are many things to consider as you decide on a school that is right for your child. So, is Peck the community you’ve been looking for?

Our students and parents tell us that there’s only one way to be sure—to visit our campus for a first-hand experience of life at The Peck School. Please call our Admissions Office at (973) 539-8660, ext. 117, to schedule your visit. We look forward to meeting you and your family, learning about your child, and sharing with you all that Peck has to offer.

The Education: The Peck School offers an education that enables bright minds to fully realize their potential. Our comprehensive and stimulating curriculum is informed as much by intellectual rigor, opportunity, and innovation, as it is by our InDeCoRe Program, designed to promote positive, developmentally appropriate character formation at every stage.

The Students: Representing a rich diversity of cultural and “Each child has something within them that is unique. At Peck, teachers encourage and motivate students to develop that gift.

We believe that the role of education is to inspire students to learn, so that which is difficult becomes interesting. And that education is a vehicle used on the road to developing the whole child, not just a final destination called academic qualifications.”

Public speaking. Information literacy.

Real-world problem-solving skills. An awareness of the world and of what it means to be a responsible global citizen. The Life Skills program at Peck is specifically designed to teach and promote the life skills and traits students need to compete and thrive in a more complex and challenging world.

Nina Sharma Head of the Lower School

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The Peck School

For more about Peck, visit www.peckschool.org

ethnic backgrounds, the approximately 330 students enrolled at Peck come from families who live and work within 60 different communities across the region. A student-faculty ratio of 6:1 and small classes allow for extensive, productive, and meaningful interaction between our students and their teachers.

The Faculty: With an average work experience of 19 years, (and an average number of 11 of those years at Peck), our faculty are experts in their fields who share a deep love for teaching and learning as well as a passion for collaborating with students, parents, and other faculty members to ensure the all-around progress of every one of their students. The success of a Peck education is greatly enhanced by a strong partnership between our faculty and our parents.

Student Life: As part of a dynamic and highly engaged community, Peck students find innumerable opportunities to pursue their extracurricular interests and talents; to build upon their leadership, athletic, and creative skills; to gain an appreciation for music and the performing arts; and to develop a commitment for volunteerism and community service.

General School Hours: • Lower School (Grades K–4): Monday-Friday 8:00–3:00 • Upper School (Grades 5–8): Monday-Thursday 8:00–3:40 Friday 8:00–3:00 Interscholastic games are held seasonally after school hours.

Peck offers early morning and late afternoon care.

Enrichment classes are available after dismissal and offerings vary by trimester.

Accreditation: New Jersey Association of Independent Schools (NJAIS) and The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools on Elementary and Secondary Schools (MSA-CESS)

Memberships: NAIS, NJAIS, ESHA, CSEE, CASE, NAPSG, NBOA

The Peck School 247 South Street Morristown, NJ 07960 (973) 539-8660 Fax (973) 539-6894

Admissions Office (973) 539-8660 x117

The Peck School does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or family composition in the administrative policies or operation of the School.