The district’s Partners In Education (PIE) program is hosted at Sanfordville Elementary (K-4) and WVMS (grades 5 & 6). 
PIE is an educational option available to all Warwick Valley students. It is hosted at Sanfordville Elementary for Kindergarten and Grades 1-4, while students in Grades 5-6 attend at the Middle School.
PIE at Warwick Valley brings home, school, and community together in the classroom. Teachers, students and parents work together as partners with the full support of district leadership.
Bridging home, school, and community is at the core of the PIE philosophy, providing educators with an invaluable support system and parents with a window into their child’s learning environment.
PIE Application and Lottery Selection Process
To begin the application and lottery selection process for the District’s Partners in Education (PIE) program, parents or legal guardians should attend an orientation, which is typically held in January at Sanfordville Elementary School. Families will have the opportunity to see a PIE classroom and discuss the program with administrators and teachers.
Students who enter the program will be required to make a one-year commitment for entering kindergarteners or a two-year commitment for entering first-grade or third-grade students. Once a student enters the PIE program, they will be automatically enrolled in the program for the next school year up through grade 6 (Grades 5 and 6 are “MAC” [multi-age classrooms]).
To apply, parents must submit an application for the lottery-based selection process. The application may be found on the right side of this page under “Register for PIE.” The District accepts applications for prospective students from January through the day of the budget vote, which is typically the third Tuesday of May. To participate in the lottery, the student’s application must be received by the District by the day of the budget vote.
Once the lottery is conducted, families will be notified of the results of their application by mid-June. Students who are not immediately accepted into the program will be placed on a waiting list for a potential opening before the school year begins. Applications that are received after the budget vote deadline also will be included on the waiting list.
MAC Program for Grades 5-6
The PIE program continues at the Middle School for Grades 5-6 as “MAC” (multi-age classrooms). It’s also called The Orange Team.
The MAC teachers, all former PIE teachers, have incorporated the four PIE cornerstones into an environment where students are assigned to a homeroom and switch classes throughout the day.
The Four Cornerstones
The PIE program is built on Four Cornerstones:
1. Multi-Age Classroom
PIE is multi-age grouping, which encourages noncompetitive, collaborative social interaction and supports each child on his/her own learning continuum, and students have the opportunity to be both mentor and mentee.
There is a two-year commitment to the multi-age classrooms at the Grade 1-2 and 3-4 levels. PIE Kindergarten students are expected to commit for the full school year.
2. Family Involvement
Bridging home and school provides educators with an invaluable support system, parents with a window into their child’s learning environment, and children with a sense of family involvement.
Volunteers can help inside and outside of school hours, both in the classroom and outside by gathering study resources, shopping for project supplies, prepping materials or developing community-wide activitie
3. Integrated Curriculum
The third essential cornerstone of PIE is an integrated curriculum approach to achievement of the NY State and District learning standards. This approach provides opportunities for students to build upon their strengths, interests, and experiences and assists them in making connections between and among the concepts and skills learned. Hands-on, project-oriented work utilizing tools such as technology and nature simulate real world experiences.
It is within this framework that PIE teachers endeavor to address the diverse needs and abilities of their students, as well as establish a learning environment that promotes inquiry, creativity, and responsibility. Free-thinking and self-directed learning skills form as student points-of-view are incorporated.
- Research Supporting Integrated Curriculum; Evidence for using this Method of Instruction in Public School Classrooms
- The Integrated Elementary Classroom: A Developmental Model of Education for the 21st Century
4. Nature Appreciation
The PIE classroom extends beyond the school building and into the natural environment. Outdoor exploration fosters a meaningful understanding of the world, whether tending to the PIE garden or bringing nature indoors.
PIE Guiding Principles
In PIE, teaching and learning:
1. Are centered around big concepts and ideas that are integrated across the curriculum.
- Whole ideas, events and materials are presented in purposeful context.
- Concepts and skills are interrelated, making learning meaningful.
2. Affirm students’ interests, ideas, and points of view as essential to the learning process.
- Each child possesses a unique social, emotional, and intellectual developmental profile.
- Conferencing and goal setting encourages students to take initiative for their own learning.
3. Promote a community whose members include parents, students, and teachers as partners.
- Members of the community exchange ideas to create engaging learning experiences.
- Community members, along with district leaders, assume key roles in the growth and well-being of the program.
4. Capitalize on students’ various developmental levels to effect academic and social growth.
- Teachers endeavor to address the diverse needs and abilities of their students with practices that include: peer tutoring, flexible grouping and cooperative learning.
- Learning is socially constructed and often interactive; teachers create classroom interactions that scaffold learning.
5. Are assessed and evaluated with a variety of materials.
- Instruction and authentic assessment are woven together.
- Developmental continuums provide the link between instruction, assessment, New York State Standards, and student portfolios.
6. Foster the growth and development of socially responsible citizens and lifelong learners.
- Students are encouraged to make responsible choices within the framework of
classroom expectations. - Students are given opportunities to take an active role in solving problems in their community.
- Learning is framed as an active process that extends beyond the parameters of school.