John J Daly Elementary School

I have no idea why this school is ranked so low - the teachers have been exceptional, the administration caring and responsive, and lots of attention is paid to each and every student. We are very happy our daughter attends this school. The only negative issues I can see with this school are funding (that's the community's majority senior population not caring about the public schools and not wanting their taxes to go up) and family engagement since many families in the community work full-time - neither of which are a problem with the school itself.

This is a fantastic school and community.

This experience has been wonderful! Our daughter attended for three years and our son one. He'd run in without looking back. She was more hesitant, then couldn't stop talking about it. We moved to Port largely for this school and were not disappointed. The references were strong when we were deciding, and perhaps we'll chat if you're considering it. Many parents were educators (we're not), and we developed some close friendships.The name comes from "Project Spectrum," a research program that ran at Harvard under Howard Gardner and Mara Krechevsky. It's unrelated to the autism spectrum. The idea is that there are several types of intelligence (a "spectrum" of knowledge), and they can be cultivated in early childhood. My Spectrum School combines elements of this theory and the Reggio Emilia approach.It excels at translating theory into experiences. That's mostly because teachers care about kids, and kids aren't interested in Gardner. There's a commitment to longer-term themes (e.g., creativity, cognitive skills, STEAM), which informs curriculum. And they have a moment-by-moment approach: Teachers incorporate kids' interests and provide remarkable individual attention and differentiation. Class sizes are small enough to make that work.There's also some structure. Teachers stick to a routine for activities like arrival, lunch, playground, and departure---even if there can be considerable flexibility in between. Kids call adults by titles. Dr. D, Ms. Jennifer, and Mr. Jason became household names.The teachers are amazing, and it's hard to say enough good. Mr. Jason and Ms. Jennifer are bright, engaged, and passionate about the kids. They're also all-around wonderful people. Dr. D brings considerable experience with education theory and practice. Everyone had helpful insight at our conferences. They love talking about the kids. They were willing to reinforce things that we worked on at home, like empathy, imagination, or potty training. They will also tell it like it is: You'll hear something if your kid is in diapers at four or five. It is Long Island, after all.The facilities are large and thoughtfully designed. Mr. Jason teaches Pre-K students in one room. Ms. Jennifer and Dr. D have younger kids in another. There's a fair bit of crossover, where younger kids join the Pre-K students for some activities, parties, and play. Kids without younger siblings play eldest to the little ones, and likewise.We'll have fond memories.

My son attended here back in 2012-14 and I definitely glad that we sent him there. It gave him a great start and good introduction into his educational expetience. The staff and the operating philosophy here are very compassionate and it is geared toward letting your child shine in their own way. Fast forward, my son is now 11 years old and is a straight A student who is very self-assured and well rounded. I definitely credit Happy Montessori in part for giving him a good start. You will be making a good investment if you send your child here.