The Lower School art curriculum is centered on providing authentic, choice-based artistic experiences for students of all ages. The emphasis is on creative problem solving, media exploration, and personal expression.

Elementary art instruction is geared toward providing a cohesive studio foundation as well as developing the student’s artistic interests. Lower School students of all ages are encouraged to explore different types of expression through art, and they have several opportunities to work with visiting artists or to participate in master classes to develop new skills.

Music classes in pre-kindergarten through fourth grade encompass a wide range of activities designed to develop music literacy as well as singing and instrumental skills. Elements of music are learned through rhymes, movement, songs, games, and creative play, all part of training to cultivate musical aesthetics as a performer and a listener.

As students expand on their experiences and learning in Lower School, they are encouraged to use what they have learned as a jumping-off point for their own musical exploration and creations. In addition to class activities, students have several opportunities throughout the year to perform for parents and peers.

The Lower School physical education program has been carefully designed to be fun and engaging, while helping students develop the knowledge, behaviors, skills, and confidence to be physically active the rest of their lives.

In the early grades, coaches begin with basic movement and embellish gross and fine motor skills as students progress. Throughout the year, students visit and revisit these foundational concepts while adding and developing more advanced skills to provide further depth and understanding. Each year brings age-appropriate challenges that give students opportunities for success and failure – knowing that growth occurs through both. By the time students are ready to enter Middle School, they have learned the necessary skills to transition into a more sports-oriented curriculum.

Lower School science develops the process skills that are critical to success throughout the elementary years and in Middle School. Our approach utilizes student-centered, independent thinking as well as small group collaboration. An inquiry-based model for learning that includes hands-on activities is employed to foster the students’ sense of wonder and curiosity.

Science inquiry includes identifying questions that can be answered through scientific investigations; designing and conducting those investigations; using appropriate tools and techniques to gather, analyze, and interpret data; thinking critically to make relationships between evidence and explanations; communicating scientific procedures and explanations; and using mathematics in all aspects of scientific inquiry. Additionally, students explore scientific concepts through the integration of technology in our science labs: laptop computers, iPads, LEGO robotics, and other interactive tools.

The pre-kindergarten through fourth grade Spanish curriculum focuses on communication as a foundation to second-language acquisition. Students communicate through partner conversations, using a wide variety of sentence structures, vocabulary, authentic language, and everyday expressions. Activities such as games, hands-on projects, creative play, and songs are also part of the curriculum, making Spanish acquisition a fun, positive, and rich experience.

Through educational videos, classroom discussions, children’s literature, music, art, and projects, students are able to contrast their own culture with other cultures, providing them with a better appreciation of other people and traditions.

In the Lower School, students build foundational skills in technology classes, and growth continues in the classroom to promote the creating, sharing and reflecting of deeper learning skills. Each of our Lower School classrooms has a ratio of two electronic devices per student, enabling students to collaborate, create and build strong connections through social learning.

In pre-kindergarten through first grade, students use iPads; in second grade through fourth grade, students use laptops as their primary access. Students begin using the Google Suite of educational applications for document curation, sharing and creating. The classroom focus includes components addressing digital citizenship and literacy.

Every class in the Lower School makes weekly visits to the Launch Pad, our specialized technology space with components to teach building, coding, wearables and production. These modules build a foundation in computer science, engineering, fabrication and design for young learners, and prepare them for self-directed learning and responsible citizenship as they grow.