Lower School - Senior Kindergarten To Fourth Grade

The Lower School program (senior kindergarten through fourth grade) encourages curiosity and exploration as students discover the world around them. They learn about themselves and others. They grasp concrete concepts and unleash their personal creativity. Students form enduring relationships and develop confidence and a commitment to learning that will remain with them for the rest of their lives.

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, paired 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 use 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. Teachers model positive interactions and classroom organization, deliberately building academic and social-emotional competencies.

For specific information about the Lower School curriculum, please aaloni [at] bzaeds [dot] org (contact Abby Aloni), head of lower school.