During the Lower School years, children build upon a foundation of early childhood development through continued concrete, hands-on,
Through systematic, scaffolded learning opportunities and varied interactions with peers, the elementary age child builds a strong faith foundation, a curiosity for learning, and a sense of self that will support positive and productive educational, social, and emotional development in his or her lifelong journey of growth.
In our classes, teachers support each child’s development and learning experiences through ability-appropriate instruction. Concepts are taught over time, first at a simplified level and eventually at a complex level, each time gradually increasing in difficulty.
Our curriculum is designed so that teachers facilitate student discovery of relationships between bits of information and so that new learning can be transferred and applied to new situations. In Kindergarten through 2nd Grade, foundational language skills–in the areas of reading, writing, speaking, and listening—are the focus of daily instruction, including decoding knowledge, word attack strategies, fluency, literal and inferential comprehension skills, and essential skills in the writing process. As students progress into 3rd 4th and 5th Grades, they utilize these foundational abilities to support cross-discipline learning, develop interpretive and analytic comprehension skills, and establish their voices as writers.
In our classes, teachers support each child’s development and learning experiences. Concepts are taught over time, first at a simplified level and eventually at a complex level, each time gradually increasing in difficulty. Students in Kindergarten through 5th Grade participate routinely in a rotation of specialized classes, providing students with well-balanced opportunities to engage in hands-on, unique learning opportunities. Students participate in Fine Arts classes (music and art), Technology and STREAM, and Physical Education. Throughout their time at school, students will work independently as well as in teams, learning core life skills such as collaboration and problem-solving that will help to prepare them for the future.