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Frequently Asked Questions
Contact Us
Get to Know PCS
How to Apply
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Inquire
Application
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Learning in Action: PCS Blog
Fall 2026 After School Programs
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PCSummer Afternoon Spark Sessions
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The First 20 Days of School

Sep 17
Written by megan eilers
whole school first 20 days PAGE 2.jpg
megan eilers
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PCS Initiative to Combat Racism

27685 Main Road/PO Box 752, Cutchogue NY 11935(631) 734-8290
INFO@PECONICCOMMUNITYSCHOOL.ORG

📣 After School registration is now open! Link in bio to register.⬆️ Community classes: all children welcome! Classes start Monday, September 21st and run weekly through December. The PCS experience doesn’t end at 3pm. Join us for this season&
📣 After School registration is now open! Link in bio to register.⬆️ Community classes: all children welcome! Classes start Monday, September 21st and run weekly through December. The PCS experience doesn’t end at 3pm. Join us for this season’s lineup of After School enrichment programs for children ages 4 through Grade 8. Children can design and pitch a product, learn to maintain and repair a bike, build and furnish a dollhouse, experiment with slime and simple chemistry, learn crochet, study piano, or practice yoga. Classes are led by PCS facilitators or a local community member with real expertise in their field, including a former Air Force cyclist, a certified yoga instructor, a professional crochet artist, and makers and business owners from around the North Fork. Our new Summer and Enrichment Programs Manager, Aaron Bokros, is happy to answer any questions you may have about the After School lineup: abokros@peconiccommunityschool.org After School Programs | Fall 2026 | Registration Open | Open to Community | September 21st through December 17 | Shark Tank | Dollhouses | Sensory Science | Crochet | Yoga | Bike Repair | Piano Lessons |  North Fork, Long Island | Peconic Community School
First, know that we’ll take care of the big stuff: making sure they have what they need, getting them where they need to go, and working on all the learning and social skills that come in the early years. That’s why we’re here!  But there are things you can do at home that can really help them feel confident and secure during their first days at school. Here are a few skills worth practicing:  • carrying their own backpack • opening their lunchbox and containers • putting on shoes and a jacket (don’t worry – we’ll help with tying and zipping!) • recognizing their name in print • a good-bye ritual (a hug, a special phrase, the plan for pick-up) And, maybe most importantly – you can practice asking a grown-up for help!  We would love for your child to know that they are not in this alone. Every grown-up in the building is here to help students feel safe, secure and loved so that they can enjoy their time at school.  Practicing a phrase as simple as “Can you help me?” gives kids a path to getting their needs met when they might be feeling most vulnerable. We know this is a big moment for families, and we want you to know that we are here and ready to receive these littlest learners with love, intention and an understanding that the best learning happens when we help kids feel confident, capable and surrounded by community.  We’ve Got the Big Stuff | Littlest Learners | Life Skills Build Confidence | Ready For School | Day One | Early Childhood Education | Progressive Education | North Fork, Long Island | Peconic Community School
The early days of school are all about dedicating real time and attention to connecting with students and building our school community. Kids need to feel safe, supported and seen before we can ask them to be successful with curriculum.  They n
The early days of school are all about dedicating real time and attention to connecting with students and building our school community. Kids need to feel safe, supported and seen before we can ask them to be successful with curriculum.  They need to know what to expect, where they fit in and how meaningful learning happens every day. Who asks the questions? How do I find help? Who makes the rules? What happens if I make a mistake?  We’ll focus these first weeks on getting to know each other and building the structures we need so that everyone can do their best learning.  • Classes will create Classroom Agreements or Class Culture documents outlining shared values and behavior guidelines.  • Every student will document their Hopes and Dreams for the school year.  • We’ll explore our school environment and learn how we access materials and share learning spaces.  • We’ll practice the rhythms and routines that shape each school day, from morning meetings and breaking into learning groups to bathroom trips and getting outside for fresh air.  • And we’ll let students get familiar with what teaching and learning look like at PCS as we introduce our Integrated Studies Unit, start math and literacy blocks, and head out for our first field experiences.  These early days and practices are so foundational to a year of meaningful learning, and we’re looking forward to slowing down and taking the time we need to help students feel safe and successful.  Back to Connection | Relationships Before Rigor | Safe, Seen, Supported | First Twenty Days | Learner-Centered Education | Learning That Answers to Kids | Progressive Education | North Fork, Long Island | Peconic Community School  If you’re interested in learning more about an evidence-based start to the school year, Responsive Classroom offers a great resource that has helped shape our approach: The First Six Weeks of School, https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/product/first-six-weeks-of-school/
🌦️Filling the school supply list doesn’t have to signal the end of a summer outside. Recess times may be declining nationally, but recognizing the real and proven benefits of play, we structure multiple opportunities for free play and time outside into every school day for kids of all ages. Not just because improved attention and executive function are good for academics, but because letting kids move and breathe and choose how to spend their time is good FOR THEM.  🌈 Can’t wait to see the rainbow of rainsuits marching up the hill to the big field in just a few weeks! We would be happy to welcome you for a tour of our campus and outdoor spaces, if you’re looking for a school that builds time outside into every day’s learning schedule. DM or email our co-founder Liz Casey via the link in bio above to schedule a meeting. ⬆️ Power of Play | Outside Everyday | No Bad Weather | Child-Led Learning | Progressive Education | North Fork, Long Island | Peconic Community School
🎪 Let’s start the school year right! PCS is thrilled to welcome @circussplendiferous back to campus Friday, September 18th, for another outdoor performance and hands-on workshop for children of all ages.  And this is not your average cir
🎪 Let’s start the school year right! PCS is thrilled to welcome @circussplendiferous back to campus Friday, September 18th, for another outdoor performance and hands-on workshop for children of all ages.  And this is not your average circus! Prepare to be delighted by a 45-minute show, followed by a one-hour interactive workshop with the performers where children will learn circus skills like juggling, spinning and clowning for themselves. Tickets will be available at the gate with a suggested donation of $25 per family. Please bring your own outdoor seating. Light refreshments will be available on site for purchase. Circus Splendiferous | Friday, September 18 | 5:30-7:30 pm | Performance | Hands-On Workshop | Juggling | Clowning | Aerials | North Fork, Long Island | Peconic Community School
Scientist, artist, builder, athlete, introvert, people person: school can be the place where your child finds their fit. As we prepare to re-engage our returning students and welcome some 20 new friends to our community in just a few weeks, one thing we’re looking forward to is that sense we get every fall that “it’s like we’ve all always been here.”  We’re not sure we can explain it, but somehow, PCS brings kids together in a new way. Maybe it’s that we’re really listening to what kids have to say and making space for what comes up, maybe it’s being encouraged to bring your own ideas and interests to school that helps us know each other, or maybe embracing a different way to learn draws us together.  It’s not all chance, we’re deeply committed to building our community, and we dedicate our first 20 days of school to laying that foundation with intention and practice, because we know that feeling safe and seen is not only vital to our well-being, but also the first prerequisite to meaningful learning. We can’t wait to see  how all the people in our community come together this year. And for families still looking for their child’s fit, it’s not too late to join us this fall. Reach out via DM or email to talk with our co-founder Liz Casey about limited openings for ages 3 through grade 8. Community-Centered Learning | A Place Where Your Child Fits | Fall 2026 | Progressive Education | North Fork, Long Island | Peconic Community School
🌳 With a 10+ acre campus, 30 field experiences per year, a wide network of community partners and a well-established project-based curriculum, there are so many ways that Peconic Community School keeps learning grounded, engaging and powerfully relevant for our students. Even in a culture of screen reliance and digital dominance, students are still asking big questions, still ready to head out and find their own answers and still wanting to build things with their own hands. As we head into year 15, we’re more equipped than ever to answer their call.  We would be happy to talk with you about what this kind of hands-on, real-world learning can mean for your child. Please reach out by DM or via the link in bio to our co-founder Liz Casey to schedule a meeting or come to campus for a tour. We’re enrolling for limited openings for age 3 through Grade 8. Real-World Education | Hands-On Learning | Project-Based Learning | Field Research | Inquiry-Driven Learning | Progressive Education | North Fork, Long Island | Peconic Community School
You don’t have to choose between academics and child-led learning. At PCS, students spend each trimester taking on projects that challenge them to ask big questions, seek out their own answers, head out into the field for research and integrate
You don’t have to choose between academics and child-led learning. At PCS, students spend each trimester taking on projects that challenge them to ask big questions, seek out their own answers, head out into the field for research and integrate their classroom math and literacy learning. Our curriculum aligns with NY State Next Generation Standards while still making room for student inquiry to drive our Integrated Units. It’s our job to match the skills they need with the projects they want to pursue.  If you’re thinking about choosing Peconic Community School, we invite you to visit us on campus and meet with our co-founder Liz Casey to find out what a difference this kind of learning can make for your child and your family. DM or reach out via the link in bio.  Academic Rigor | Child-Led Learning | Curiosity | Creativity | Hands-On Learning | Project-Based Learning | Progressive Education | North Fork, Long Island | Peconic Community School
Our Integrated Studies Units are the cornerstone of a PCS education, and Director of Teaching and Learning, Shannon Timoney, shares how they unfold, including: • how topics are chosen • what disciplines they cover • how they integrated academic learning with project work, and • what the culminating Celebration of Learning looks like.  Find out why these Units are so meaningful to our students, and what kind of learning they encourage.  We’re happy to have the opportunity to talk about your curriculum questions – please keep them coming! DM your curriculum question, and we’ll have Shannon address it during our next filming.🎥 PCS Curriculum | Your Curriculum Questions | Integrated Studies Unit | Academic Disciplines | Project=Based Learning | Student-Driven Inquiry | Hands-On Learning | Progressive Education | North Fork, Long Island | Peconic Community School
Peconic Community School alumni met with our new Head of School, Rachel Gomez Peterson, to talk about what parts of their PCS experience meant the most,  what they still carry with them from PCS, and what they want to see for the school moving forward.  Community, connection,and being truly known at PCS were clear throughlines. Nearly everyone touched on how meaningful it was to feel seen and valued at PCS. Whether it was their interests being taken seriously, or their opinion mattering, or their identity being accepted, they felt like people took the time to get to know them and made room for them to be themselves at school.   Alums also talked a lot about their role as students at PCS, about being able to shape  what and how they learned, and feeling truly engaged in what they were studying, especially during our Integrated Units. That excitement about learning and diving deep stuck with them even as they moved on to more traditional class settings. They had lots of advice for Rachel: make time to know the students, hear what they have to say, let students make decisions, trust them, keep learning engaging, find new topics, (but keep the favorites!) and have fun! We’re so grateful to our alumni for taking the time to help Peconic Community School grow forward. Knowing what makes an impact on our students and hearing the value of the PCS experience directly from the kids who grew up in it, is priceless. They know better than anyone what this all means. Alumni Perspective | Growing Forward | Community | Connection | Engagement | Progressive Education | North Fork, Long Island | Peconic Community School
📣 After School registration is now open! Link in bio to register.⬆️ Community classes: all children welcome! Classes start Monday, September 21st and run weekly through December. The PCS experience doesn’t end at 3pm. Join us for this season&
First, know that we’ll take care of the big stuff: making sure they have what they need, getting them where they need to go, and working on all the learning and social skills that come in the early years. That’s why we’re here!&nbsp
The early days of school are all about dedicating real time and attention to connecting with students and building our school community. Kids need to feel safe, supported and seen before we can ask them to be successful with curriculum.  They n
🌦️Filling the school supply list doesn’t have to signal the end of a summer outside. Recess times may be declining nationally, but recognizing the real and proven benefits of play, we structure multiple opportunities for free play and time ou
🎪 Let’s start the school year right! PCS is thrilled to welcome @circussplendiferous back to campus Friday, September 18th, for another outdoor performance and hands-on workshop for children of all ages.  And this is not your average cir
Scientist, artist, builder, athlete, introvert, people person: school can be the place where your child finds their fit. As we prepare to re-engage our returning students and welcome some 20 new friends to our community in just a few weeks, one thing
🌳 With a 10+ acre campus, 30 field experiences per year, a wide network of community partners and a well-established project-based curriculum, there are so many ways that Peconic Community School keeps learning grounded, engaging and powerfully rele
You don’t have to choose between academics and child-led learning. At PCS, students spend each trimester taking on projects that challenge them to ask big questions, seek out their own answers, head out into the field for research and integrate
Our Integrated Studies Units are the cornerstone of a PCS education, and Director of Teaching and Learning, Shannon Timoney, shares how they unfold, including: • how topics are chosen • what disciplines they cover • how they integrate
Peconic Community School alumni met with our new Head of School, Rachel Gomez Peterson, to talk about what parts of their PCS experience meant the most,  what they still carry with them from PCS, and what they want to see for the school moving f
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