Lower School Division
Kindergarten, Grades 1, 2, 3
Highlights
- Science, music, art, chorus, French, physical education, and library classes taught in separate classrooms and buildings
- Reading program blending techniques from phonics and whole-language methodologies
- Exposure to many types of literature, including picture books, fiction, non-fiction, and poetry
- Creative and expository writing
- Reading and math taught in small groups designed for different learning styles
- Mathematics emphasizing mental math, understanding concepts through practice, real-life problem solving, and learning through games and the use of manipulatives
- Social Studies focusing on different cultures
- Japan, culminating in an Asian Fair with sumo wrestling, origami, and Japanese food; Mexico, with a fiesta presentation; and famous individuals (Grade 3 students write a biography and give a presentation dressed as their chosen person)
- Science taught in the lower school science lab that stresses learning by doing and includes topics in life, environmental, physical, earth, and natural sciences, with the campus nature trail and pond serving as a hands-on learning opportunity for exploring native plants and animals
- French program that enables students to become comfortable hearing and speaking another language through games, rhymes, songs, and stories
- Orff percussion program, experiencing musical concepts through movement, voice, and playing percussion instruments
- Peer reading program with a Preschool or Middle School partner
- Power Buddies program, partnering students in Grades 1–3 to provide friendship opportunities across ages
- Responsive Classroom® approach
