Engaging. Innovative. Supportive. Successful.

FAQs

What is the Orton-Gillingham approach and how is it integrated into the curriculum?

Carroll School’s mission is to provide an education to students with a diagnosed language-based learning disability which impacts reading and writing. A strong emphasis is placed on training teachers to work with this very specific population. Grade-level appropriate content is provided in all subjects, while teachers simultaneously address weaknesses in oral and written language.

Course content is consistent with that which is offered in mainstream schools. Classes are small, with six to eight students. Teaching is direct, multisensory, and integrates technology into the learning process. The remediation of language-based learning disabilities is central to all teaching that occurs at Carroll.

The school is committed to the principles of the Orton-Gillingham (O-G) approach for reading remediation, and all teachers are required to have studied O-G within their first three years of hire. This ensures that consistency and support are provided curriculum-wide throughout a student’s day.

How do I contact a staff or faculty member at Carroll School?

The best method of contact for faculty and staff at Carroll School is through e-mail. Many staff, particularly teachers, check e-mail more often than voice-mail. Carroll School e-mail addresses are first initial and last name@carrollschool.org.

For a listing of faculty and staff, please click here. 

What is a Bounder's Bag?

Fall/Winter/Spring BOUNDERS BAG is a must have for all Bounders Students! Students should come to school prepared for activities in the out-of-doors. If your child has Bounders, plan that they will go outside. Depending on the weather and activity there is a strong chance your child will get wet either from rain or snow and/or from perspiration. To prevent students from being wet and potentially cold after a Bounders class all students in Bounders must have a “BOUNDERS BAG.”

Fall Bounders Bag
Please make sure the you child has at least the following four items in their Bounders Bag:

  1. Raincoat
  2. Rain Pants
  3. Warm Layer
  4. Rainboots or an extra pair of sneakers.

*and a bag that closes to put all the items in*
Please remember that you child must wear appropriate foot wear which encloses their entire foot.

What grades does Carroll School service?

Carroll School services elementary and middle school and 9th grade students with language-based learning disabilities—grades 1-9. We start with Beginning Readers in Grade 1 and go through Grade 9.

What phonics books are used for the curriculum?

Carroll School students do not use phonics books. Our tutors and language teachers are all highly trained in Orton-Gillingham, a structured, sequential, hierarchical phonics program. A variety of phonetic material is used, much of it created by the teacher to meet the specific individual needs of each students as s/he moves through the Orton-Gillingham curriculum.

How do I find my child's summer homework from Carroll?

Directions for finding Middle School Summer Language, History, and Math work AND Lower School Language and Math Work:

  • Go to the Carroll website: www.carrollschool.org
  • Click on the link named, Summer Homework, on the lower right-hand side on the home page. You will be brought to a menu page where you can select the appropriate assignments.
What are some good sources for graphic organizers to use in Middle School writing?

The following list includes some of the sources Carroll School found to be useful in developing the maps and graphic organizers for our writing curriculum.

  • Piccolo, Jo Anne. Structures for Reading, Writing, and Thinking - Books 1 & 2
  • Hyerle, David. Success with Thinking Maps
  • Swartz, Robert and Sandra Parks. Infusing Critical Creative Thinking into Content

http://www.mapthemind.com/thinkingmaps/thinkingmaps.html
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/students/learning/lr1grorg.htm
http://www.graphic.org/goindex.html
http://www.eduplace.com/graphicorganizer/index.html
http://205.213.162.11/project_write/PW_2002/visual.html

What are the school hours?

The school day begins at 8:20 and ends at 3:15, Monday through Thursday. On Friday, school is dismissed at 12:15. Supervised early morning drop off begins at 7:30 AM. There is no extra charge for early drop off. The School has an active fee-based after school program. 

What is the first grade program? What is the Beginning Readers Program?

The full-year Beginning Readers Program is designed for children entering kindergarten through second grade who have or are believed to have a language-based learning disability as a primary diagnosis. The curriculum for the Beginning Readers Program is based on the Orton-Gillingham approach to teaching reading, supplemented by a strong emphasis on oral language development, and the acquisition of phonemic awareness skills.

Do you serve lunch?

Parents can order lunches online—please refer to the Parents’ Page for instructions—or students can bring their own lunches. Student groups sell pizza, hot dogs, and snacks on designated days as fundraisers.

Do you have cross country, soccer, basketball, and other sports teams?

Carroll Middle School and Carroll Nine students can participate in cross country, soccer, basketball, lacrosse, track and field teams, and more which play against other local independent schools. These sports teams are available as part of our Extended Day Program.

Does my child have to take MCAS?

Students who are funded by their cities and towns take MCAS tests. Private pay students do not take MCAS tests.