Lower School (K-5)

Our Lower School ELA program is founded on the belief that classrooms are places where students and teachers discover big ideas, wonder, and knowledge from science, history, culture, and topics of student interest.

Through well-crafted, responsive lessons that emphasize inquiry, creativity, and discovery, gifted students build essential reading, spelling, language, and writing skills. Using Project Read as a framework, students study words, read texts and novels, learn grammar, and explore the delights of the English language while developing oral and written expression across genres.

In ISS, we harness our elementary-age gifted students’ immense curiosity by allowing them to investigate real-world problems and issues. Students engage in an active process of asking complex questions, researching social studies topics, analyzing primary and secondary sources, and communicating their findings. Additionally, our gifted Quad Prep educators craft opportunities for cross-disciplinary study during special humanities periods.

Mathematics in Lower School utilizes Singapore Math as a base for curricular exploration and growth. Using a range of instruction approaches from Multisensory Math strategies to advanced conceptual exploration with Beast Academy, our mathematics educators infuse mathematical ideas and skill building in real world applications.  

For example, fourth and fifth grade students practice math content and skills while learning about personal finance and economics through the highly engaging Stock Market Game™. In this unit, students work together to build and manage an investment portfolio in a real-world, dynamic marketplace and learn to analyze data and make decisions, explore the consequences of their choices, and seek new ways to strategize for success. 

Learning at Quad Prep centers the study of the wonders of science into all learning. In our science rooms, elementary-age 2e students actively engage in scientific practices like asking questions, learning research practices and organizing their thoughts, designing investigations, analyzing data, and constructing explanations. This method aims to mirror how scientists work and fosters a deeper understanding of scientific concepts and processes.

Each week, 2e students immerse themselves in a dynamic range of specialist-led classes, including visual art, music, theatre, applied engineering and computer science, and sports and movement arts. Far more than stand-alone subjects, these programs are thoughtfully woven into the academic curriculum, allowing our gifted students to make meaningful connections, explore ideas through multiple lenses, and bring learning to life in creative, collaborative, and deeply engaging ways.

The student’s counselor serves as point person for the students integrated needs, and coordinates monthly half hour calls with parents and outside providers.

Counselors work closely with psychosocial teachers and integrate into various classes. They serve as coaches of skills targeted through counseling and provide 1:1 modeling and encouragement in the moment in the classroom.

Occupational therapists and speech-language pathologists help to build classroom routines and provide both explicit lessons and ongoing support to help develop gifted elementary age students’ fine motor, executive functioning, and social cognitive skills in the context of academic classroom learning.

Learn more about learning support here.

Nicole Cavaliere, MEd, is a highly experienced and passionate educator specializing in elementary and special education, with a strong commitment to supporting twice-exceptional (2e) learners. She holds a BA in Art and Design Education from Pratt Institute and an MEd in Elementary Education from Hunter College. With over a decade of experience in both public and private educational settings, Nicole has cultivated a deep understanding of differentiated instruction, inclusive teaching practices, and curriculum innovation.

Nicole joined Quad Prep in 2016 and has held a variety of leadership roles, including Head Teacher, Curriculum Coordinator, Director of Talent Development, and her current role as Lower School Academic Co-Head. In each of these positions, Nicole played a key role in shaping academic programming and mentoring fellow educators, helping to establish a dynamic and responsive learning environment that nurtures both academic and emotional growth. Her leadership is marked by a collaborative spirit, data-informed decision-making, and a steadfast belief in the potential of every student. She is particularly passionate about professional development, fostering teacher growth, and ensuring that all children have access to meaningful, strengths-based education.

Nicole continues to stay actively engaged in the latest research and trends in special education, giftedness, and neurodiversity to support her work at Quad Prep and the special education community.

Bari Schwartz, PsyD (she/her) is a licensed psychologist and certified school psychologist with a career dedicated to supporting twice-exceptional (2e) students and their families. Bari joined Quad Prep in 2016 as a Pre-Doctoral Intern, and served the roles of Post-Doctoral Fellow, Psychologist, Chief Psychologist, and Associate Clinical Director, before stepping into her current role as Lower School Clinical Co-Head. With a deep commitment to strengths-based, neuroaffirming, and relational work, Bari oversees the integration of clinical and academic programming to meet the unique needs of students who are both gifted and experience social-emotional or behavioral challenges.

Bari is passionate about adapting evidence-based practices in ways that honor each student’s profile, helping them build resilience, develop self-regulation, and achieve meaningful academic and personal growth. She partners closely with faculty, clinicians, and families to create individualized supports that empower students and strengthen the school-home connection.

Bari’s passion for this work is rooted in the transformation she’s seen firsthand—students learning to thrive as their full selves, and parents feeling more supported, informed, and connected. Her approach is grounded in the belief that when students are understood, they can truly flourish.

Gabrielle (Gabi) has nearly two decades of experience in education, with a strong background in both early childhood and elementary teaching. She holds Master’s degrees in Early Childhood Special Education and Curriculum and Instruction, academic foundations that deeply informed her teaching practice. Her expertise supports a commitment to honoring individual student differences and implementing developmentally responsive, research-based instructional strategies. 

Since joining the Quad Prep team in 2022, Gabi has centered children’s developmental and academic needs while supporting teachers, guiding curriculum work, and fostering strong partnerships with families.

A lifelong learner, Gabi actively pursues professional growth through ongoing development, teacher leadership opportunities, and meaningful collaboration with colleagues. She is deeply committed to creating equitable and inclusive learning environments and continues to engage in diversity, equity, and inclusion work both professionally and personally. Outside of school, Gabi enjoys spending time with her husband and two young children, often exploring the many parks of Brooklyn. She also loves cooking, weaving, and enjoying all New York City has to offer.

Summer earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Fordham University and a Master’s in Clinical Psychology from Montclair State University, where she specialized in working with children and adolescents. Her professional journey began during her senior year at Fordham as an intern at The Quad Preparatory School, where she has since grown into a leadership role after serving in a variety of capacities. Following her Master’s, Summer pursued additional training through Montclair’s three-year School Psychologist Program to further her expertise in comprehensive student support.

In her current role, Summer has spearheaded the development of a Social curriculum aligned with CASEL standards, providing students with intentional, scaffolded instruction in social-emotional learning. She is particularly passionate about embedding SEL into daily routines and ensuring skill generalization across settings. Summer has played a key role in behavior intervention planning, real-time de-escalation support, and the professional development of staff around proactive strategies. Committed to the intersection of evidence-based practices and individualized care, Summer brings both warmth and data-driven insight to her work supporting students’ emotional regulation, peer connection, and academic engagement.

Samantha (Sam) Semlitz is a native New Yorker with a deep passion for teaching and learning. She has a strong commitment to professional development and excels in envisioning and implementing educational strategies and advancements. 

Sam holds an undergraduate degree in Psychology with a Minor in Education and a Certificate in Developmental Disabilities from The University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She received her Masters in Childhood Special Education from Fordham University and is double certified in elementary and special education. Sam has continued to enhance her skills with extensive trainings in the Science of Reading, math and writing intervention. In addition she is Wilson certified and is a Structured Literacy Dyslexia Interventionist from the Center for Effective Reading.

Sam’s education led her to diverse professional settings: a baby research lab, behavior modification programs, preschools, charter, public, and private schools. She joined the Quad Prep team eight years ago as its founding Reading Specialist and played a key role in the founding of the Learning Support Department. Before stepping into her current role, Sam served as Quad Prep’s Lower School Chief Learning Specialist and ELA Curriculum Coordinator.

Outside of her professional accomplishments, Sam feeds her creative side through visual art, travel, and theater. She is the author of a children’s picture book titled "Through Coda's Eyes” and an adult coloring book called "Color Me Geometrix."

After beginning her career treating elementary students in a NYC charter school, Athena joined Quad Prep in the summer of 2019 as a speech-language pathologist and social-cognitive therapist. She later served as Lower School Associate Clinical Director for two years, where she supported the clinical development of students in grades K–5 and helped expand key initiatives, including the school's executive functioning program, staff supervision and didactics, and the Lower School-to-Upper School transition. In 2024, Athena stepped into the role of Chief Executive Functioning Specialist and Admissions Liaison. She led the development of a comprehensive executive functioning scope and sequence across both campuses, creating curricula, classes, and trainings for the school's staff and parents. In her new role as Interim Upper School Clinical Co-Head, Athena is excited to continue supporting Upper School students as they pursue their passions and share their remarkable gifts with themselves and the wider community.

Athena earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Franklin & Marshall College and her Master of Science in Communicative Sciences and Disorders from New York University. In pursuit of ongoing professional growth, she has completed the Certificate in Meeting the Needs of Twice-Exceptional Children program and many professional courses in Language, Learning, and Executive Functioning.

Outside of work, Athena enjoys Broadway shows, cheering for the Yankees, and traveling with her husband and son.