Speyer Legacy, the Manhattan private school which won the Blackboard Award for “Outstanding School for Gifted Education” is expanding.

Paul Deards, director of Speyer Legacy’s new Upper School, sent Abacus Mom some information about the change:

Charged with the mission to provide an environment where advanced learners may realize their full potential in grades K-8, The Speyer Legacy School will open its upper grades in September 2013. This expansion coincides with a move to a stimulating new facility at 925 9th avenue. The relocation also allows The Speyer Legacy School to add one new class each in grades 4 and 5.

As families assess options for their children for the critical middle school years, we are excited to invite qualified 4th, 5th and 6th grade candidates to apply, beginning in September 2012. We ask that you include our school as an option for your rising 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade families as they investigate their school choices.

The Speyer Legacy School is the only coed, K-8 independent school for advanced learners in Manhattan. Founded as a non-profit in 2009, Speyer Legacy attracts students with a passion for knowledge and inquiry and an aptitude for intellectual pursuits. The curriculum is responsive to student interest and input, encouraging them to engage and to delve deeply into subjects. Children practice forward-looking skills relevant to a lifetime of learning and achievement and develop the mind, heart and body in equal measure. They are, however, also fully present in the moment: Teachers are often to be seen putting lesson planning aside to follow a student as he or she runs with an idea. The limited enrollment of the school, along with the generous teacher:student ratio and responsiveness to student interest, facilitate differentiated learning that will stimulate and stretch every child.

Teachers at Speyer Legacy’s Upper School understand and prioritize the importance of integrating academic achievement, social-emotional development, and student engagement on a daily basis. Learning groups will be small and rigorous as teachers scaffold and support appropriate risk-taking as a core competency in academic and personal growth.

Please visit our website at http://www.speyerlegacyschool.org or contact Paul Deards, Director, Speyer Legacy Upper School on 212-581-4000, ext. 18 if you have any questions.