Vincent Smith School

Vincent Smith Website

About Vincent Smith School

The Vincent Smith School is a co-ed, independent, special education school for grades 1-12, serving Nassau, Suffolk, and New York City students since 1924. We specialize in average to above-average students with attention or learning differences such as Dyslexia, Auditory & Language Processing Disorders, anxiety, school avoidance or AD/HD.

As a New York State Board of Regents registered school, we emphasize academic success while simultaneously providing differentiated instruction, college or vocational prep, and social-emotional support, along with on-site speech, reading, and occupational therapies. We are members of the NY State Association of Independent Schools. Vincent Smith School is a non-profit organization open to all, without regard to race, creed, or national origin.

Our Vision

Why Us?

Parents come to Vincent Smith School when their children are noticeably struggling or not advancing in their home districts. Many of our parents have attempted to use private, special ed. advocates to fight for related services or accommodations, only to be disappointed when their children continue to suffer and fall behind. These students have great potential to succeed both academically and socially, but are not being given enough of the appropriate tools, resources, or attention they need to succeed.

At Vincent Smith School we emphasize academic excellence combined with personal and social development. Technology, integrative activities, art and music, and interdisciplinary instruction enhance academics. Research-based curriculum development is an ongoing process geared to each students’ unique learning styles and needs. Speech therapists, OG and Wilson-trained reading specialists, counselors, and occupational therapists are permanent staff members offering related services in dedicated classrooms.

We teach differently because every child learns differently.

Vincent Smith School is a community of learners. Students learn how to learn. Our highly-trained and caring faculty and families are actively engaged in our integrated programs and multi-modal curriculum. Our graduates leave Vincent Smith School with the knowledge and tools necessary to confidently meet the challenges of post-secondary transition and beyond. Many of our students transition back to their local public schools or private prep schools like Portledge and others, and the great majority of our graduating seniors continue on to college.

Students are taught in very small classes where teachers are able to truly differentiate instruction.

At Vincent Smith we provide:

Small, supportive classes
On-site speech, reading, counseling, & occupational therapy in dedicated rooms
Social-Emotional support
Strong Home/School Connection
College & Vocational Counseling
Over 95 years of educational excellence and experience

The Vincent Smith School is registered by the New York State Board of Regents as an independent, non-profit institution and accredited by the New York State Association of Independent Schools. The Vincent Smith School is open to all without regard to race, creed, or national origin.

Admissions

Vincent Smith School considers for admission any pupil who shows promise of academic success and/or in need of services such as occupational therapy, speech, or reading. Students with serious emotional, behavioral or disciplinary problems will not be considered. The school will give special attention, in the admissions process, to a pupil who has not yet reached his/her full academic or social potential and can benefit from a differentiated curriculum, related services, and small classes that average 5 students per class.

Three-Step Process

After an initial campus visit, you and your child will meet with the Head of School, the Dean of Students, and/or the School Psychologist. Next, your child will be invited to meet with select teachers for an informal evaluation. In some cases, your child might be asked to visit the school and attend classes for the day or half day, as a VSS student.

The admissions officer will take into consideration:

Application form
Individual Education Plan (IEP) if classified
Psychological and educational testing
Developmental history
Release form
Other relevant evaluations that might assist us in the admissions process

Extra Information

Policy of Non-discrimination

Vincent Smith School admits students of any race, color, national or ethnic origin, granting equal rights to all programs and activities of the school.

Tuition (2022-23)

Grades 1-12 $64,850

This amount includes ALL on-site related services, such as speech, occupational therapy, reading, counseling.

Visiting VSS

Call us today and set up a private appointment to discuss your child’s needs and how we can help. Campus tours and admissions appointments are held throughout the year. We can be reached at (516) 365-4900 or admissions@vincentsmithschool.org.

Academics

Students in grades 1-12 take all required courses set forth by the New York State Department of Education. Great emphasis is placed on language arts and math. Physical education, music, computers, art, and social skills are programmed into students’ weekly schedules.

High School students must meet the following criteria for graduation and receipt of a NY State diploma:

A minimum of 22 credits, including the following units:

4 credits in English
4 credits in Social Studies
4 credits in Mathematics
4 credits in Science
1 credit in Foreign Language
1 1/2 credits in Art
1/2 credit in Health
2 credits Physical Education
1 credit in an elective
Credit requirements of transfer students will be evaluated upon admission

Illustrative Math Program

Illustrative Mathematics provides an engaging and inclusive approach to learning math that lifts students up to the
skills, understandings, and practices that will stay with them for a lifetime. IM is grounded in best practices for
effective mathematics education, and is rooted in well-respected pedagogy and methodology to form a rigorous,
standards-aligned curriculum. It allows students to approach and solve problems in their own unique ways, while
enabling them to use words and equations to effectively explain their answers.

Reading Program

Students who qualify for our reading program receive instruction individually and/or in group by our OG, Wilson, and literacy-certified reading teachers. Students who require Wilson Reading instruction receive it individually for a minimum of three, 40-minute periods per week. To assure continued growth and progress in reading, the students are given systematic and explicit instruction in all reading areas.

Reading teachers collaborate with classroom teachers to practice new skills in the classroom. The reading program at Vincent Smith uses a multi-sensory approach, which provides help in the following areas:

Phonological awareness
Phonics
Fluency
Decoding and encoding skills
Vocabulary
Reading comprehension
Written expression

Overcoming Obstacles Program

The Overcoming Obstacles program provides students with academic and life skills instruction, including communication, decision-making, goal-setting, problem-solving, conflict resolution, empathy, teamwork, and time management. The program includes specific skills in each lesson, along with learning objectives and multi-sensory activities, and addresses all the appropriate age levels at Vincent Smith. It is organized into elementary, middle, and high school levels, which helps to reduce redundancy over the years in using the same program.

Related Services

Students requiring services, as identified through evaluations, are seen by on-staff providers during the course of the school day. On-site services with specialized instructors include:

Speech/language therapy
Occupational therapy
Counseling
Resource Room

Every attempt is made to schedule special services so that they do not interfere with core academic classes.

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