Reading & writing
Shared stories, direct reading instruction and daily writing build fluency and expression. Students discuss characters, compare texts and revise work with specific teacher feedback.
Kindergarten–Grade 5
Good foundations.
Plenty to build on.
The Lower School gives children a dependable classroom routine and increasingly demanding work they can understand, practice and explain.
Start with the essentials.
Connect them to the world.
Reading, writing and mathematics are taught every day. A classroom teacher follows the group across core subjects, while specialist teachers bring art, music, physical education and library into the week.
Mathematics
Number sense, calculation and problem-solving grow together. Children use objects, drawings and written methods, then explain how they reached an answer.
Science & community studies
Students observe, make predictions, collect simple evidence and put ideas into words. Neighborhood maps, habitats and construction projects connect classroom work to familiar places.
Arts, movement & library
Art, music, physical education and library visits sit within the weekly timetable. They offer different materials, forms of expression and ways to work with others.
In the classroom
A bridge worth testing.
A construction project begins with a question: how can a bridge span a gap? Students sketch an idea, build with simple materials and observe what happens under a load. A drawing, a spoken explanation and a short written account all have a role in telling the story of the test.
The aim is to connect careful observation with language and number work. A first attempt is something to learn from and improve.
The next stage
Growing into responsibility.
Classroom jobs, shared materials and paired work give children manageable responsibilities. By the upper elementary grades, students keep track of longer assignments and present work to a group, with teachers helping them organize the steps.
The move to Middle School