Lower School

In our Lower School grades, children search, question, and respond to the world around them while acquiring the essential skills necessary for future academic success. Our school day balances independent exploration with intentional and coordinated instruction in all subjects, allowing for sequential skill building, practical application, and genuine understanding.

 

Children progress from recognizing text to comprehending layered meaning; from telling stories with pictures to creating images through their writing; from recognizing number patterns to articulating multiple ways to solve complex mathematical problems; from recognizing and respecting alternative perspectives within their own class to discovering that they are members of a global community whose voices count.

 

Teachers carefully observe students as they work and interact to monitor their academic, social and emotional progress. We do not assign letter grades in Lower School; rather, we assess using demonstrations of understanding including presentations, conferences, interviews, observations, running records, and written assessments. This information is aggregated and conveyed to parents through ongoing communication, parent/teacher conferences, and extensive narrative progress reports.