Lower School

Grades K to 5

Welcome to our joyfully challenging learning community.

You can feel the energy walking though our halls and classrooms filled with projects, colorful artwork and writing—all of which only begin to express the diverse interests and creativity of our multicultural student body.

You'll hear students singing songs from around the world, as well as using instruments, acting, and speaking Mandarin Chinese to express themselves.

Using responsive classroom, an approach to integrating the social and emotional curriculum into our everyday schedule, our teachers expertly guide children to solve problems and accept differences among classmates and care for one another as well as their own learning. Students interact with fellow students of all ages through classroom buddy programs and whole school gatherings.

You'll notice our students aren't just sitting at desks doing pencil and paper tasks. In every grade, in every subject, students actively read, write, research, solve problems, and take risks.  Your 21st century child will need a variety of skills for jobs that don't yet exist. These skills include the ability to think critically, collaborate, take initiative, use curiosity and imagination to solve problems and above all be able to communicate orally, technically, artistically, and in writing.  Our students practice these skills daily.

In all grades, students read and discuss real literature appropriate to their abilities. In the primary grades (K through 2), students benefit from the collaboration of their classroom teacher and a reading specialist, a teacher who assists the classroom teacher in lowering ratios and building critical literacy skills. In grades 3 through 5, the science and technology integrators and classroom teachers collaborate to enrich grade level curriculum. Each grade level has a capstone project that integrates critical thinking and problem solving, complex literacy tasks, collaborative work, as well as initiative and responsibility to prepare your student for real work in the real world.

After school, students may participate in clubs for interests as varied as chess, running, knitting, and cooking. They play league sports beginning in fourth and fifth grades, with introductory programs in soccer and basketball available in second and third grades.

Our curriculum explores the many ways young children can learn through hands-on experiences, both in and out of the classroom. I invite you to visit the grade level pages to learn more about our outstanding programs and sample some of the many developmentally appropriate experiential learning that takes place throughout the lower school.

We invite you to come for a visit, arrange for your child to spend the day and see what makes us the warm and welcoming community where children find joy in becoming life-long learners and compassionate global citizens.

Suzy Powell
Head of Lower School