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In Mrs. Masefield’s 5th Grade science class each year, students engage in a STEM Design Project called “Animal Fusion,” which involves designing a new animal using specific structural adaptations from two existing animals. Each adaptation they choose needs to meet one of the specific basic functions that animals perform to survive. This project requires students to be extremely creative, inquisitive, and flexible in order to create a new animal from scratch, including the story behind the animal’s life cycle, how and what this animal eats, feeds its young, and which distinct traits they get from the two animals. Students build their animals using hanger wire, cardboard, and plastic containers for structural support. Then they add paper mache and cloth to shape the body and paint to finish it off. They present these projects to their classes, and administrators often attend to see the students speak about the projects that they worked so hard on. Students answer questions with enthusiasm and ease, eager to tell their classmates all about the animal that they have researched, designed, and ultimately invented.

The music program at TPS produces highly talented instrumental performers, not just by our standards as we enjoy their school performances, but also as formally recognized individuals performing at the All-County Band and Orchestra and the NYSSMA Festival each year.  

Current eighth grader, Morayo O., is an outstanding musician who plays three instruments at Tuxedo Park School. Always curious, she began the violin at age 3 by studying the Suzuki method. In third grade, she explored music further by learning to play the clarinet before joining the middle school band in fourth grade. As a clarinetist, she was selected to play in the All-County bands in both sixth and seventh grade. More curious yet, Morayo began learning the bass at TPS in sixth grade and will audition for the All-County Jazz Band at the end of November this year.              

For many years, TPS has had strong representation amongst those accepted into the All-County Band and Orchestra in both the Elementary (4th-6th grade) and Junior High (7th-9th grade) divisions. Last year, seven TPS students were selected. 

Elementary: Lucas B. - Violin, Maddie N. - Violin 

Elementary First Chair: Charlotte H. - Percussion 

Junior High: Morayo O. - Clarinet, Michael H. - Euphonium

Junior High First Chair: Michael M. - Euphonium, and Wynston D.A. - Percussion

Last Spring, all fourteen students who performed at the NYSSMA Festival received ratings in the highest “Outstanding” category.  Levels ascend in difficulty from 1-6 for students through 12th grade.

Morayo O. received perfect scores for both her performances in Level 5 violin and Level 4 clarinet; Michael B. earned a 98% on a Level 6 piano performance; Wynston D.A. received a 97% on a Level 5 percussion performance; and Michael M. obtained a perfect score on a Level 4 euphonium performance. 

At Tuxedo Park School, it’s common for students to begin instrumental lessons as early as Kindergarten. With music three times a week through Middle School and anywhere from two to six times per week in Upper School, it is no surprise our students are recognized locally and statewide for their superior musical abilities.

As the planets and moon rotate around the sun, curiosity is a student's nature.  At Tuxedo Park School, Science is celebrated in all divisions in various ways!  Lessons are taught using a range of methods: hands-on experiences, songs, non-fiction texts, STEM, and scientific-method writing to ensure that every learner succeeds.  Learning at TPS is interdisciplinary, and what is being taught in science class might also be covered in art class, french, or music.  

Every year, Kindergarten students explore the solar system, including the planets, sun, and moon.  The unit begins by reading Postcards From Pluto by Loreen Leedy.  During this unit, students study one planet a week over a ten-week period while regularly listening to the “Planet Song” to learn the order of the planets. Students send home a postcard at the end of each week with interesting information they learned about the planet they studied that week.  The students secure understanding by creating models of the earth and sun and practicing the earth's rotation around the sun. This hands-on experience allows science partners to observe and discuss how the Earth’s rotation leads to the change of season and day or night. To heighten the experience, students listen to stories read by NASA astronauts each week.  

As a culmination of this interdisciplinary unit, families are invited into the science classroom for presentations.  Students share information about each planet in various ways. In collaboration, the French teacher Madam Vignola teaches students to present their facts in the target language. Mrs. Easter, the Kindergarten teacher, works with students to write about their planet based on the information they learn in Science. In harmony, the music teacher incorporates the solar system into their curriculum, and the students sing in unison about the planets, sun, and moon. Lastly, led by the Art teacher Ms. Sweeney, each student creates a colorful, wearable cardboard costume of their planet, incorporating art into the Celebration. This type of cross-curricular collaboration at TPS is commonplace, and what an impressive celebration it is!