hurley school
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The Hurley School could be an ideal place for your child. It is the South End's most charming elementary school, offering some of the most highly qualified teachers in Massachusetts and an innovative, two-way bilingual immersion program that teaches both native English-speaking and native Spanish-speaking kids to be fluent in Spanish and English.
We encourage you to take a tour of the Hurley School during school hours. Please contact:
Principal Marjorie Soto
Hurley Elementary School
70 Worcester Street
Boston 02118
617-635-8489
hurley@boston.k12.ma.us
For more about the Hurley School and the Boston Public Schools generally: http://boston.k12.ma.us
School Environment
The Hurley School is a warm and welcoming place. Enter through the wrought-iron gates to find an intimate school, guided by skilled educators committed to their students.
- With fewer than 300 pupils, the Hurley is the smallest elementary school in the South End.
- Class sizes are small-only 15-22 students in each class.
- Children receive a lot of individual attention and support.
- Teachers get to know every student in the school by name.
- Classrooms are large and sunny.
- The grounds sport a state-of-the-art playground, plaza, amphitheater, and landscaped garden, thanks to a
$500,000 fundraising effort spearheaded by the school in collaboration with such groups as The Browne Fund,
The Boston Parks Department, City Year, The South End Land Trust, The Hurley Blocks Neighborhood Association,
and "scores" of neighbors like West Concord Street resident and Boston Pops conductor Keith Lockhart.
Bilingual Education
The school boasts an innovative, bilingual-immersion curriculum starting with children who enter in kindergarten or the first grade.
- Students "live the language" a week at a time, learning all subjects in Spanish one week and then all subjects in English the next week.
- Literacy is stressed, as well as fluency.
- The two-way approach enables English-speaking kids and Spanish-speaking kids to learn together in the same classroom.
- Pupils in the bilingual program benefit from having two teachers. In each grade, the two bilingual classes share two teachers, switching weekly between the Spanish-speaking classroom and the English-speaking classroom.
- Educational theorists maintain that the earlier a child is exposed to a second language, the greater the positive impact will be on all aspects of learning.
- The Hurley's immersion program goes far beyond a traditional foreign language class which offers students only limited exposure to a second language.
- The Hurley is one of the few schools in the Boston area to offer bilingual immersion. Most private, suburban, and Boston public elementary schools either do not offer second languages, or offer only foreign language classes.
Curriculum
The primary academic focus is literacy, both writing and reading comprehension, with a solid component in mathematics and
computer science.
The Hurley's workshop approach to instruction has built-in flexibility, enabling kids to learn at their own paces. Gone are the days of face-the-chalkboard uniformity.
- Students alternate working with the whole class, in small groups, and individually.
- Teachers work one-on-one with students to challenge them at their own levels.
- Each classroom contains learning materials for students working at, above, and below grade-level.
- Small-group work gives children the opportunity to learn from each other, benefiting students at every level of ability.
- Children profit immensely both intellectually and emotionally by helping their friends and classmates learn.
Curriculum frameworks are standardized across Massachusetts. Kids at the Hurley are taught to the same high standards as
kids throughout the state.
More information:
Language Arts
The Hurley has two basic programs: the Two-Way Bilingual Program and the All English Program. Each grade has two classes of students in the bilingual program and one class in the all-English program.
- Teachers use the workshop approach of instruction, called Reader's Workshop and Writers' Workshop.
- Every student learns to read through a rich collection of children's literature, rather than through textbooks or readers.
- Each student keeps a monthly reading log as part of the school's home reading program.
- K-5 students write daily on a variety of subjects - young children "write" with drawings - and publish their best works with state-of-the-art computer equipment.
- Students in the lower grades are instructed in the Literacy Collaborative.
- In the upper grades, students concentrate on independent reading, guided reading, and writer's workshop.
Math
Math instruction focuses on inquiry-based investigation, which empowers students to learn a variety of problem solving strategies. An intuitive style of learning math is emphasized over rote memorization.
Other Subjects
Other subjects taught at the Hurley include computer science, visual arts, and physical education. The school has a state-of-the-art computer lab, and has computers in every classroom.
Other Programs
The school participates in enrichment programs like Read Boston, Power Lunch and Boston Excels. There is a before-and-after school program, as well.
Teachers and staff
Hurley's teachers are an effective blend of seasoned veterans, energetic newcomers, and award-winners. Many keep up on the latest educational theory and have been trained in person by the innovators of the language and math methods used by the school.
Location
Located at 70 Worcester Street between Tremont and Shawmut, the Hurley is tucked away on a residential street lined with trees and restored Victorian rowhouses. This central South End location makes the Hurley convenient for families in the South End, Back Bay, Bay Village, Beacon Hill, Roxbury, or Fenway. [view map]
