Bridges Academy (The)

So happy we now have a great independent day school on the South Shore! Love the foreign languages, STEM and Character Development programs!

The staff and teachers are always available and always look out for the children's best interest. The care and concern they show for each child is so comforting.

I have 3 children enrolled at The Bridges Academy. The teachers make this school what it is and where it is going !! My children are excelling in academics, participating in school programs, and also becoming respectful / caring kids.

My children are attending The Bridges Academy and love it! Both scored in the ninety percentile in the Iowa tests this year. The foreign language program is spectacular. The teachers are nurturing but also challenge the students. My kids enjoy the wide range of programs including many community outreach programs, the green house, a school trip to the United Nations and Costa Rica. We are very happy to have a great leading edge private school now on the South Shore.

Bridges is a warm, encouraging environment, where parent involvement is welcome. If your child is academically advanced they will be able to work at their own level due to the small class sizes. The teachers are able to give 100% to the children and learn how to continue to challenge each chills as they also learn which areas need extra help do that eventually all the children become excellent students. The kids are also encouraged through many projects to research their own interests. They continually present their projects in front on the entire school helping them to become excellent public speakers! I am a parent who has come from public school to Bridges and our experience has been wonderful! My child learned well beyond the common core and life long skills are taught constantly! I happy to be a parent who is welcomed to participate at Bridges.

My son started at Bridges Academy last year and we are extremely happy to have found a high quality private education on the South Shore. My son was previously in pubic school for Kindergarten and I felt he was just another 'number' among the other 25 children in his class. At Bridges Academy he is treated as an individual and is nurtured and challenged. All teachers are very accessible and the parents are very involved making it an overall very welcoming environment.

In a time of private and public schools closing buildings and increasing class size, Bridges is fulfilling the need for parents to find a nurturing learning environment where their child is not just another number. Class size caps at 18. And with the schoolwork being much harder, I think it's important to have the extra help . The teachers are extremely dedicated and loving. While the school does not follow the Common Core, the text books are the same as the public schools. So Bridges has Common Core texts and lessons, just not the pressure the public schools have to deal with. My daughter ranked in the 90th percentile on her IOWA tests in 4th grade. One added bonus: baby chickens hatched in the room! Middle school can be difficult for girls, so I am really pleased as she enters 5th, she will be in a supportive environment. With a low student/teacher ratio, this school stomps out bullying before it starts. The kids here are taught respect for each other, their school, and adults. Curriculum includes French, Chinese, Gym 3x a week, Science Lab, Music, Drawing and Painting, as well as Math, ELA, Social Studies. There is an aftercare program and many afterschool enrichment classes.

As a teacher in the public sector, I am satisfied with the Academy. The teachers have common prep times and weekly meetings for curriculum review with the Headmaster. The school day is longer than the average public school's day and the variety of electives please me. I especially like their full-sized greenhouse, their new Mac lab, and their well-stocked library. All teachers use Smartboards to teach. Technology is very much in the forefront to develop the 21st century learner. I do believe the smaller class size has directly contributed to elevating my daughter's reading level along with strong math skills. I usually ascribe to public education, but we have excessively large classes in my district, with one teacher, and no aide. The individualized attention in Bridges makes all the difference. I like that they ascribe to certain common core elements such as deeper analysis and interdisciplinary curriculum. This Academy uses the latest Common Core editions of textbooks provided by NYS. Attending Board meetings keep me on the pulse of where the school is going educationally and its goals in the future. As an educator, I keep close tabs. I like the direction Bridges is going.

The Academy is a great private school on the South Shore of LI. The School just brought in a new wonderful head of School with over 40 years experience and a PHD in education. Other than the Board of trustees, all board members are non-parents and the School also has a prestegious advisory non-parent board. The School is focused in academic excellence and education. French and Mandarin are thought from early years and STEM and reading/writing is a major area of focus. We have had our children there since Prek and we love the school.

My children have been attending The Bridges Academy since it opened in September 2013. They are clearly safe, happy and learning beyond the public school experience. Mandarin, French, Public Speaking and Robotics are incorporated for all age groups in addition to the fundamental requirements. The students are warm and friendly to each other, their leadership and to the other school parents. This review is not about marketing, it is from my heart. We love the Bridges Academy and encourage anyone who recognizes the value of education to request a tour and meet with the administration

This is a great school. Our grandchildren are going there and we love the faculty and the new facility. The kids are great in math and reading and are starting to speak French. We highly recommend the School.

The Bridges Academy is a welcomed addition to the private school sector in Sufolk County. Keenly aware of the limitations and issues facing other private schools, The Bridges Academy has selected a Board of Directors who is able to provide leadership/direction and clearly understands the role of governance and the need for transparency. The Bridges Academy, under the direction of the Head of School and with the full support of seasoned/certified education professionals, as well as a commited Board of Directors, provides a unique opportunity for students to thrive in an enriched academic environment.

We are very excited for the Bridges Academy to open up in September. The program is centered around the individual student achieving their best. I'm excited about the robotics program and mandarin. The School brings the very best of St Peter's Day School with most of its great teaching staff but will add new innovative educational programs in a state of the art facility. We are thankful that the South Shore has this new School.

My children have been in school with the Bridges Academy faculty and administration for three years and we can not wait for the fabulous new facility to open. The teachers are wonderful, they provide an academically accelerated program in a warm and loving environment. The students are very supportive of each other, my five year old is greeted with waves and hugs from middle schoolers and has already had several opportunities to speak in front of the entire student body. It really is a special place.

The Bridges Academy is a going to be the best private school on the South Shore of L.I. The teachers are loving and professional. I'm proud to say my son will be a member of theere first graduating class. I couldn't have choosen a better school.

This is a new private school in Long Island. It has a great faculty, an innovative approach to teaching and a high level Board. We just got our two boys enrolled. The enrollment selection test is pretty intense and the school already has a wait list for a number of grades. The tuition is very reasonable for such a terrific new school. I highly recommend it.

The Bridges Academy has an outstanding principal, teachers, board, & parents association, & he children are truly amazing. The academics are unparalleled & speak for themselves. The students can attend one grade level but if, for example, they excel in reading they are placed in a higher grade level for reading so they are challenged. The staff & parents are so dedicated & caring it is like one big family- a warm cohesive feeling which we have not experienced at any other school. We have been with the staff at this school for 3 years & they are just incredible & we are very happy.

The South Shore of Long Island has long needed a world-class independent private school that ensures small class size with an aim at academic and social excellence. The Bridges Academy more than meets that need. The curriculum places strong emphasis on languages, reading, writing, science, mathematics, public speaking, arts and music, all content-rich without sacrificing creativity and imagination. Customized learning plans. iPads and Smart Boards. A faculty that is totally invested in the success of students. And Bridges delivers on the promise of character, confidence and knowledge.

The curriculum at the Academy is designed to both help aid academic development and personal development. The Academy believes in its graduates being trilingual with a comprehensive grasp of literature, sciences, mathematics, arts, history and computer science. The curriculum used in the school provides the best possible preparation for the student's future high school and college work. Students certainly are expected to work hard, but this is also a critical part of developing their individuality and creative talents. Both the lower school and the middle school are academically strong with excellent teachers and faculty. French and Mandarin are the top two languages mandatory to all students.