Cherry Lane’s Mission Statement

The mission of Cherry Lane Elementary School is to provide students with a safe, supportive, nurturing environment while inspiring and empowering them to achieve their academic potential as life-long learners. Students are valued for their individuality and diverse potential; taught to contribute to society with knowledge, compassion, vision, and courage.

About Cherry Lane Elementary School

Cherry Lane Elementary has a rich history of academic and cultural excellence that is a result of a shared partnership between the school faculty, parents, and community members who have worked together to provide a diverse set of experiences for our students. The school has garnered both state and national recognition for its accomplishments. Most noteworthy, it received the Exemplary Reading Program Award from the International Reading Association in 2004, was named a “Reward School” by the New York State Education Department for sustained, significant progress on state assessments in 2012, 2014, and 2015, and was designated a National Blue-Ribbon School of Excellence in 2013. Cherry Lane continues to gain state recognition by receiving a Level 4, the highest level possible, for Composite Performance Achievement on the 2018 NYS ESSA Report.

We are fortunate to have an exceptional group of highly qualified teachers at Cherry Lane that spend countless hours planning and creating innovative and challenging lessons/activities that engage our students in critical thinking and problem-solving. Our teachers utilize research-based best practices and analyze data to determine an individual student’s current levels in order to set goals for student academic growth and social and emotional learning.

Cherry Lane has many unique programs for our students that help foster a positive, academically rich, supportive learning environment.

MakerSpace/Learning Opportunities

The curriculum is integrated through our existing Visual Arts program and is also embedded with our 4th and 5th Grade Learning Opportunity Groups, as well as our Enrichment classes. Students in Kindergarten through 5th grade have the opportunity to experience learning through play. This unique space offers our students a place to come together and learn to use materials that foster play, exploration, and participatory learning. It is a place where our teachers can facilitate informal learning opportunities; connections between home, school, and community are enabled and encouraged. This space helps create the context that develops a growth mindset – inspiring us to believe that we can learn to do anything! 

Page Turning Tiger’s Book Clubs

The Page Turning Tiger’s Book Club is a fun way for our 3rd, 4th, & 5th Grade students to meet other students from their grade level while reading a book with the Principal, Mrs. Aguilar. Students learn to read for pleasure while spending some time with friends. 

Student Council

Open to 5th Grade students, students volunteer to be a part of a thoughtful process throughout the school year to create learning and environmental opportunities based on the needs of the school. A perfect example was the creation of the Environmental After School Program.  

Music Program

The music program encompasses general, vocal, and instrumental music. Students participate in general music, which includes a vocal component, and allows students opportunities to perform in concerts and plays. Instrumental music begins in third grade with every child playing the recorder and continues into fourth and fifth grade with opportunities to learn band and orchestra instruments. Additionally, there are opportunities for students to be in select groups such as handbell choir, select choir, and instrumental ensembles. Some fourth- and fifth-grade students attend the New York State School Music Association Evaluation Festivals where they are adjudicated.

Terrific Tigers Recognition

Visitors to the school often praise the children’s good behavior. Students display a strong sense of school pride and demonstrate an ethic of care for their younger peers. To support this growth, character education is taught to further develop children’s core ethical values. Cherry Laners are often “caught being good” and honored for their good deeds. We tell students, “That’s Cherry Lane Way!”