Lower School Overview

During their years in Lower School, children develop confidence and a commitment to learning that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. The Day School offers an exceptionally nurturing environment for intellectual, emotional, and physical growth.

The Lower School program encourages curiosity and exploration as students discover the greater world around them. They learn about themselves and others. They grasp concrete concepts and unleash their personal creativity. Students form relationships that will endure throughout childhood and beyond. The richness of experiences throughout Lower School promotes critical thinking and problem solving, and students develop a sense of themselves as life-long learners. Parent and teachers form partnerships through frequent communication to assist each student in meeting his or her academic and social needs.

Our Lower School teachers guide children through these early years, inspiring curiosity, motivation, and the ability to solve problems. They use a wide variety of teaching methods, group collaboration, pair-learning, and individualized instruction to accomplish their goals. Concepts are developed through presentation, reinforcement, and enrichment. Differentiated learning styles are recognized as the faculty promotes independence, cooperation, and responsibility.

Our Lower School program emphasizes Jewish values and American principles of good citizenship. We utilize a Responsive Classroom model, an approach to elementary teaching that emphasizes social, emotional, and academic growth in a strong and safe school environment. It is based on the idea that children learn best when they have both academic and social-emotional skills. Our students participate in morning meetings, rule creation, and guided discussion. Their teachers model positive interactions and classroom organization, deliberately building academic and social-emotional competencies.

To Teach Them Diligently is the core of the Day School's mission, and we strive daily toward that end.

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