Lower School
Lower School at Kinkaid
The Kinkaid Lower School provides the foundation for our youngest learners rooted in Kinkaid’s mission and core values and reflective of our approach to honoring the multi-dimensional and diverse characteristics of our students. In Lower School, we begin the work of building a community of learners who show respect for themselves and others; approach differences with curiosity, empathy, and kindness; act with responsibility for themselves and others; are honest; and value and practice growth mindsets – all while being challenged by a developmentally appropriate and rigorous curriculum. We strive for our students to feel seen, valued, and included in order to maximize their individual learning and growth throughout their years at Kinkaid and beyond.
Our Teachers
- Design thoughtful and deliberate instructional practices and curriculum to explicitly teach vital skills and strategies through one-on-one conferences, flexible groups, class meetings and lessons, and whole-school gatherings.
- Assess and consider student readiness levels, learning styles, and interests as they utilize a variety of instructional strategies to focus on differentiated student needs and provide intellectual challenges.
- Develop units of study that expose students to relevant and developmentally appropriate content that follows a deliberate sequence through Lower School.
- Offer choice to build student autonomy, such as book selection, topic selection for research, or the selection of a product that will demonstrate learning.
Our Students
- Develop strategies to appropriately understand and manage themselves, interact productively with others, make responsible decisions, and act as contributing members of a larger community.
- Build academic skills, explore interests, and grow into well-rounded individuals through a rich array of core and specialist classes, including art, library, music, physical education, science, and Spanish.
Our Community
- Creates a sense of belonging through relationships rooted in our core values and celebrates and learns from each other’s ideas, cultural backgrounds, and experiences.
- Honestly and respectfully discusses student strengths and areas for academic and social growth through a common language of core values and growth mindsets that define a strong partnership for student achievement.
Exploring the World & Learning
Opportunities for learning are not limited to the Lower School classrooms. From pre-kindergarten to fourth grade, students enjoy regular off-campus field trips to engage with and benefit from the richness of our broader Houston community.
Importantly, community service is integrated into all areas of school life from the classroom to the playground. Through activities such as singing with senior citizens, packing care packages for our troops, and sharing books with students from a local early childhood center, students gain awareness of others that goes beyond the campus walls.
Lower School Special Classes
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