What to Expect When Visiting Bank Street
Application Form [PDF] | Transcript Release Form [PDF] | Financial Aid | Visiting | FAQs
It is our goal to make both children and parents feel welcome
and comfortable when they visit Bank Street. We are interested
in getting to know the applying families and in giving them an
opportunity to receive as much information as possible about the
School. Since we recognize that the admissions process can be
time-consuming and sometimes stressful, we offer a brief
overview of each aspect of the admissions process so that both
children and parents will know what to expect.
Families applying to the Lower and Middle Schools will typically
visit Bank Street three times during the admissions process:
• Open House.
• The child’s visit and parent classroom observation.
• Parent interview.
Families applying to the Upper School will visit twice:
• Open House.
• Combined child visit, parent interview, and tour of the Upper
School.
OPEN HOUSE
We encourage all applying families to attend an Open House.
This evening event lasts approximately two hours and provides:
• A general overview of the school.
• Refreshments in the Lobby and an opportunity to talk to
members of the Administration.
• A presentation by Rudy Jordan, Dean of Children’s Programs, on
progressive education and how it works at Bank Street,
the Bank Street Community – who we are and what we value, and our
mission of diversity.
• A video – a “fly on the wall” experience depicting one aspect
of the curriculum from each Division: Lower School (3s to
5/6s), Middle School (6/7s to 9/10s),Upper School (10/11s
to 13/14s).
• A tour of the facilities with a parent/student team.
• Informal Q & A with Administrators, parents, and students.
VISITS
Lower School and Middle School
The child’s visit is designed to give us an opportunity to learn
more about your child in a setting where he/she can comfortably
engage with materials and interact with other adults and
children. Applicants are seen by the Associate Director of
Admissions and/or the appropriate Division Coordinator. We
ask that children dress comfortably for play, and that they do not
bring toys from home to this visit.
We do ask children to separate from their parents in order to
participate in the visit, except for children applying to the 3s program.
While children are being interviewed, parents will have
an opportunity to tour the school. We will schedule the parent
interview at the conclusion of the child’s visit. One or both parents
are welcome to attend.
• Nursery Program (3s)
This one-hour visit includes four to six families. Children are
encouraged to explore the room and participate in activities of
their choosing, while parents comfortably interact with their child.
Children applying for the 3s program are not asked to
separate from their parents.
We ask that only one parent accompany a child on this visit.
• Pre-kindergarten (4/5s) and Kindergarten (5/6s) Programs
The groups are made up of four to six children applying to the
same grade level. These visits are play-based Children engage
in a variety of activities, some at their own initiative and others at
the interviewer’s request. Activities include:
- Exploration/play with materials in the room
- Working on puzzles
- Drawing a picture
- Listening to a story
- Snack (crackers and apple juice)
• Middle School: First Grade (6/7s) through Fourth Grade (9/10s)
Middle School applicants meet in small groups of three
to six children. Applicants are given a brief tour of the school
with the Division Coordinator: These visits involve a variety of
academic activities, as well as an opportunity to interact with
other group members.
• Upper School: Fifth Grade (10/11s) through Eighth Grade
(13/14s)
Applicants to the Upper School are scheduled for individual interviews.
These interviews are approximately 11⁄2 hours long.
• Both parents and student meet with the Division Coordinator of
the Upper School for a brief tour of the Upper School floor.
• After the initial meeting, the applicant tours the entire school
with a current student while the parents meet with the Division
Coordinator.
• After the tour, the applicant is given several assessments in the
areas of reading, math, and organizational skills.
PARENT CLASSROOM OBSERVATIONS
During the child’s visit, parents are invited to learn more about
the Bank Street program by experiencing firsthand what
takes place in a classroom on any particular day. Our Visitor’s
Coordinator makes every effort to place parents in a classroom
in each of the Divisions for ten to fifteen minutes. We encourage
parents to visit older grades as well as the grades in which their
children will be entering in order to get a good overview of the
general educational approach throughout the years.
PARENT INTERVIEW
The individual parent interview provides us with an opportunity to get to
know your family better, discuss what you are looking for in a school,
and answer any questions you may have about the educational
program at Bank Street. Moreover, we use this time to share our
observations of your child’s visit so that we can more fully understand
your child from your perspective.
