Polaris Learning Labs at NGFS
The commitment to honoring and developing each person’s gifts is at the core of our mission at New Garden Friends School. The concept of Polaris Learning Labs was conceived to ensure that each student in our inclusive community is provided with the intellectual, social, and emotional skills they need to take their next steps with confidence and compassion.
At NGFS, our concern for students’ social and emotional wellness and growth does not take a back seat to academic endeavors. We are committed to healthy, balanced, and developmentally appropriate levels of support and challenge. Polaris Learning Labs are staffed by our Learning Specialist Teams. The Labs encompass executive functioning skills, support, and enrichment.
Click the links below to learn about the services offered through Polaris Learning Labs.
2024-25 Lower School Polaris Program
2024-25 Middle & Upper School Polaris Program
Level 1 Services
For All Students
- Explicit instruction in executive functioning skills from our faculty throughout the year, as developmentally appropriate by level
- Intermittent tutorial or enrichment support from faculty and/or Learning Specialists in small group settings, as needed
- Personalized plans for student support and extension based on strengths and/or struggles created by the Learning Specialist Team in collaboration with faculty
- Access to and scheduling for more intensive privately paid tutoring with recommended providers who can aid students on campus during the school day or after school
- Accommodations for students with demonstrated need or ability with or without up-to-date psychoeducational testing
All NGFS students have access to Level 1 services.
The cost is included in the tuition of our comprehensive educational program.
Level 2 Services
Reading and Language Arts Services for Lower School Students
Families of students who qualify for accommodations or extension based on psychoeducational testing or demonstrated ability or need may choose to participate in additional individualized learning options available with Level 2 services.
Reading support for grades 1-6 is provided for an additional fee.
Level 2 Support for Lower School - Small group instruction, 1-4X week - $2,300/year
Level 2 Services
Executive Functioning Skills for Middle & Upper School Students
The intentional cultivation of critical executive functioning skills includes developing the competencies students need to succeed in grades 7-12:
- Planning
- Organization
- Attention
- Time Management
- Task Initiation
- Metacognition
- Self-regulation
- Chunking long-term assignments into manageable steps
- Perseverance
- Flexibility/ Resiliency
- Reading Strategies
- Note-Taking Strategies
- Test Prep
- Synthesizing Information
- Responsive Writing
- Making Connections
- Self-advocacy
Enrollment in these courses is provided for an additional fee.
Middle School: “Skills for Academic Success” - $2,300 per course
Middle School: “Guided Study Hall” - $2,300 per course
Middle School: “Math Lab” - $2,300 per course
Upper School: “Academic Coaching Seminar” - $2,300 per course
Upper School: “Guided Study Hall” - $2,300 per course
Upper School: “Math Lab” - $2,300 per course
Level 3 Services
Individualized Plans for Grades 1-12
Families of students already receiving accommodations and individual instruction who are experiencing acute challenges in their educational journey may request participation in the one-on-one learning options available with Level 3 support.
One-on-one support for students in grades 1-12 is provided for an additional fee.
Level 3 Services: Cost to be determined based on individual student needs.
Meet Our Learning Specialists
Learning Specialist
Years at NGFS: 5
Education: B.A. in Psychology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro; M.Ed. in Special Education, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
For NGFS Learning Specialist Marci Richardson, this school has a special place in her heart. When describing why New Garden means so much to her, she says, “It is where my husband first came to teach and fell in love with the nurturing and accepting environment. Through his love and passion, I, too, have fallen in love with all that NGFS is and represents. I love the school's history of embracing diversity, nurturing lifelong learners and igniting a passion within to help change the world.”
Marci began teaching at the Greensboro Montessori School where she specialized in reading, language arts, math, and social studies instruction. She then moved to Ledford Middle School and spent her time “working with students who had varying learning differences and needs.” After ten years of working at Ledford, she began to teach summer school at the Piedmont School, where she eventually joined the full-time staff. For the past six years, she has also worked as a private tutor for a large variety of ages. As she begins her fifth year at New Garden, Marci continues to enjoy being part of a community that she is passionate about.
Marci has a number of diverse interests. She loves old movies and reading, and she has an eclectic taste in music. She has a passion for nutrition and enjoys cooking, baking, and experimenting in the kitchen. She once even worked at a local farm to learn about where food is produced. Marci also enjoys exercising and spending time with her husband, Chris, and her three children: Gentry, Landry, and Lilly Belle, who all attend NGFS.
Math Specialist
Years at NGFS: 19
Education: UNCG BA in Political Science Elon--Elementary Education
Susan previously taught 4th grade at Sedgefield Elementary before coming to NGFS and has been a classroom teacher in Rainbow, Horizon, and Sunrise over the years.
Susan has enjoyed being a part of New Garden Friends School because, "I love working with friends and colleagues who are dedicated to our mission. I also love getting to know my students and their families, and working together to emphasize each person's strengths while also working to strengthen each person's areas of challenge. I also love watching former students grow up at NGFS. I often feel like I have many many many nieces and nephews!"
Outside of school, Susan loves to travel, watch the Carolina Panthers and soccer, and take on sewing projects. She says, "I enjoy the process of envisioning a garment I want to wear in exactly the right fabric and I love the challenge of making the idea come to life."
Susan is married to Daren, they have two sons, Matthew and Stuart, who are both NGFS alumni, and currently in graduate school.
Reading Specialist
Years at NGFS: 10
Education: B.S. in Education (Certification in Special Education and Elementary Education and a Minor in Human Development), State University of New York at Geneseo; M.Ed. in Special Education (Certification as an Educational Diagnostician)
Years at NGFS: 10
Education: B.S. in Education (Certification in Special Education and Elementary Education and a Minor in Human Development), State University of New York at Geneseo; M.Ed. in Special Education (Certification as an Educational Diagnostician)
After her time in Morocco with the Peace Corps, Christine was a Special Education Teacher and an Educational Diagnostician with Lewisville City Schools in Texas. After coming to North Carolina, she became a Sunrise teacher at NGFS.
Now in her role as the Lower School Reading Specialist she has received training in the Fundations Reading Program, the Wilson Reading System and Associate Level Training in the Orton-Gillingham approach.
“There’s so much more to a book than just the reading.” - Maurice Sendak
Years at NGFS: 3
Education: B.A. Religious Studies, Quaker Studies, Guilford College; Master of Library and Information Science, University of North Carolina at Greensboro; Orton-Gillingham trained Classroom Educator
Leslie joined NGFS during the 2021-22 school year. Her professional work includes academic, public, and school librarianship, with a special focus on literacy instruction best practices and reading intervention and remediation. It is her hope that all students become skilled, confident readers able to fully access the language-rich world around them.
In her free time, Leslie loves spending time with her family, reading, traveling, birding, and native plant gardening.
Years at NGFS: 7
Education: B.S. in English and Secondary Education from Appalachian State; M.Ed. in Middle Grades Education from Appalachian State; Math, Science, and Literacy Cohort member from East Tennessee State University; Currently pursuing an Environmental Educator Certification through the NC Environmental Educator Program.
Lauren has 17 years of experience teaching in both North Carolina and Tennessee Schools. Since 2018, Lauren has held teaching positions in both the Upper School and Middle School teaching teams. Formerly a student of NGFS, Lauren is glad to contribute back to an environment that greatly contributed to who she is today. She enjoys becoming more involved in her hometown community through our strong stewardship program here at NGFS.
Lauren loves to hang out with her family which includes her husband Matthew, two sons Slade and Asa, and her three dogs and one cat. In her free time, she loves to walk, read, bake, write, garden, and craft.
Years at NGFS: 10
Education: B.A. in Elementary Education, American University
Beth has served in several roles at New Garden Friends. Recently she joined the middle school team as the Learning Specialist. As she steps into this new role Beth shared, “I have always appreciated how NGFS meets each child where they are in their social, emotional, and academic learning and am grateful and excited to have the opportunity to be able to work closely with small groups and individuals to help them grow and realize their amazing strengths.”
Previously, Beth was an upper elementary and middle school teacher in Montgomery County, Anne Arundel County, and Frederick County Public Schools in Maryland.
As a Rainbow teacher, Beth worked to instill the importance of service in her students by partnering with the Interactive Resource Center, an organization that works with those who are experiencing homelessness in Greensboro. In May 2017, Beth was honored to receive the Guilford County 2017 Governor’s Volunteer Service Award for her work with the IRC.
Beth is married to Tony and together they have two children, Noah and Owen, who attend NGFS, and two dogs, Rascal and Sadie. Beth likes reading, traveling with family, and going to Disney.
Years at NGFS: 2
Education: She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina, a Master of Arts from NC State University, and is currently pursuing her Ph.D in Educational Law through Liberty University.
Lindsey comes to us with more than 15 years of experience in higher education and at the high school level of advocating for and helping to develop students and teachers via curriculum and professional development. Lindsey gives students and educators the skills necessary to deliver and succeed through quality, equitable educational experiences.
Lindsey is married with two boys and a golden doodle. She spends her free time enjoying the outdoors with her family, reading, and working on her doctoral dissertation. Lindsey loves golf, walking, running her fantasy football teams, and riding four wheelers with her boys.