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Dolce Method for Learning Mastery©

Dolce Method for Learning Mastery©

Hope Hall is the only school to offer the time-proven Dolce Method for Learning Mastery© Program, written and copyrighted by Sister Diana Dolce, S.S.J., the school’s Founder and Executive Director.

The Dolce Method for Learning Mastery© teaches the full New York State curriculum, as well as organizational skills and social skills, in a non-traditional way. It has been used successfully since 1977 to help students with ADD, ADHD, Central Auditory Processing Delays,  mild anxiety disorder, or simply a low average IQ to become lifelong learners.

The program strategies are designed to meet the needs of children who have experienced frustration and failure in a traditional classroom setting. Content and study skills are constantly reviewed and reinforced so that students achieve high levels of mastery.

All teachers at Hope Hall are New York State certified, and along with support personnel, are specially trained in the Dolce Method for Learning Mastery©.

Developing Mind, Body and Spirit

At Hope Hall, teaching strategies and techniques are designed to develop the whole child – mind, body, and spirit. Classroom activities help students develop higher level thinking skills such as drawing conclusions, making inferences, and predicting outcomes. Students are also taught to resolve problems through value-centered, non-violent means. This holistic approach to education provides a supportive learning environment that promotes a sense of community and belonging and fosters social growth. In addition, it provides students with the knowledge, skills, positive attitudes, and self-confidence needed to:

  • achieve academic success at Hope Hall and beyond
  • become lifelong learners
  • develop a sense of pride in, and respect for themselves, their own body, as well as for all life
  • adopt healthy lifestyles that include good nutrition and physical fitness
  • recognize and use non-violent ways of interacting with others
  • foster a personal sense of spirituality
  • revere diversity and appreciate the uniqueness and goodness of each person
  • be good citizens and stewards of the earth

Hope Hall Rules

  1. Everyone has the right to learn.
  2. Everyone has the right to be heard.
  3. Everyone has the right to be respected.
  4. Everyone gets what they need.

Founded in 1994, Hope Hall School educates students in a supportive, multi-sensory learning environment so that all students can become successful learners.

Serving students in grades 3 through 12 from  school districts across the Greater Rochester Area, Hope Hall’s nurturing, non-threatening, creative atmosphere encourages students to take risks in learning, and helps them reverse the cycle of academic failure. 

Hope Hall’s collaborative approach to learning connects faculty, staff and families as team members in a community of learning. Students previously considered to be educationally “at risk” experience academic success, not only at Hope Hall, but beyond in higher education and careers.

Hope Hall is the only school to offer the Dolce Method for Learning Mastery© program which teaches the New York State curriculum in a non-traditional way. Strategies are designed to meet the needs of individual students who have previously experienced academic frustration.