The International High School at Lafayette is a small, alternative high school located in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. Its mission is to assist its international population of students in developing their linguistic, intellectual, cultural, and collaborative abilities so that they may become active participants in today’s interdependent world.
Welcome to the International High School at Lafayette! I am honored to be the principal of a school that is dedicated to supporting English Language Learners and their families.
We believe that each and every student is a valuable member of the school community, and we celebrate the diversity of our students. We want to support you in staying connected to your language and culture while at the same time developing English language skills, academic habits of mind, and a strong social/emotional foundation.
We want you to look forward to coming to school every day and to engage in learning in a way that is exciting and meaningful by doing fascinating projects in each of your courses. In addition to the projects that you do in your classes, IHSL has a wealth of opportunities that include portfolio assessment, internship for all students, many different sports, college counseling and advising throughout every grade, AP courses, College Now, lots of different clubs and activities, and much, much more.
Just as we wish to support each of our students as comprehensively as possible, we also want to engage and involve families and guardians in our school community. We have a multilingual staff that is always willing to communicate, we partner with numerous organizations to support families, and we strive to work with families as partners in shaping the work that we do.
Again, welcome to the International High School at Lafayette! To the families, please do not hesitate to email, call or stop by the school with any questions that you might have. And for the students we are here for you! If you have any questions or concerns, let us know!
The International High School at Lafayette strives to create a vibrant learning community that supports all students in linguistic, intellectual, creative, and social/emotional growth and development in order to experience academic, professional, and personal fulfillment and success.
Our school values include embracing heterogeneity and diversity, learning through projects and hands-on experiences, developing language through rich and authentic experiences in all classes, cultivating creativity through extensive experience with the arts, and supporting social and emotional growth and development.
Like our students our staff works collaboratively to plan projects, find ways to support all learners, and further develop professionally in order to give our students the best education possible and our families as much support as possible. Our academic teams include Transitions, Discovery, Bridges and Odyssey. Our discipline teams include science, math, social studies, English, and the arts. We also have a strong guidance team as well as a family support team.
•All students can and must be able to speak, read, and write in English proficiently in order to actively participate in an English-speaking society.
•Students’ native languages, cultures, and families are resources that enrich our diverse learning community.
•Language is most effectively developed within the context of rigorous, project-based, interdisciplinary curricula.
•Students and staff learn best when they collaborate in heterogeneous groups.
Experiential learning activities, such as internships and service learning, provide students language rich opportunities for personal growth.
•Governance is a shared responsibility allowing all members of the learning community to help shape school policy.
•Students must examine and engage thoughtfully in the ethical and moral issues that arise when given choice in our democratic and pluralistic society.
•Everyone has different strengths and achieves at varying rates; thus multiple forms of assessment are necessary for staff and students to adequately demonstrate what they know and can do.
•Students achieve through high expectations coupled with high academic and affective support.
•The arts provide students new and creative forms of self-expression as well as another way of interpreting and constructing knowledge.
We guide new learners of English through development of the linguistic, intellectual, cultural and collaborative skills necessary for academic, professional, and personal success.
