Lower School

Lower School
The world is a miraculous place for younger students. Virtually anything is a springboard for learning, from the shape of a stop sign to the reason it rains some days and not others. We capitalize on this keen sense of wonder by ensuring that the joys of discovery are part and parcel of every day in lower school. We are always mindful that a child's primary years are critical in forming attitudes toward God, self, others and learning. The fact that each grade is self-contained enables these attitudes to develop in the most positive ways. Teachers come to know each child's strengths and weaknesses well, creating opportunities for loving support, guidance, and appropriate tools for growth.

Montessori Preschool
Click here for the Montessori Curriculum
Young children are especially receptive to the world around them. Our non-competitive early learning environment reflects the unique learning abilities of children ages 3 to 5. Montessori-trained teachers and teaching materials enhance each child's potential in the years before kindergarten. Activities create enthusiasm for a world of ideas, even those typically taught to older children, like math and geography. As a result, independence blossoms, as does learning to become contributing members of families, peer groups, and the larger community.

Primary Grades
Kindergarten - Grade 3
Kindergarten Curriculum
Grade 1 Curriculum
Grade 2 Curriculum
Grade 3 Curriculum
Since young minds are highly inquisitive, our primary school program emphasizes basics-language arts, reading, science, and mathematics. Spanish, social studies, health education, fine arts, and religion complete the program, while physical education provides fun and an appreciation of athletics. Computer technology enhances problem-solving and learning experiences in every subject. From 1st grade on, hands-on tutorials help students develop the keyboard skills and computer proficiency they will need to be technologically literate in the 21st century.

We teach respect for others and for life in a variety of ways. For example, first and third graders read to one another. Cooperative learning groups give students a chance to work and solve problems together. First and eighth graders pair up as "prayer buddies" and meet throughout the year to attend liturgies, picnics, and just to talk. And our recycling program creates a healthy respect for the environment.

Intermediate Grades
Grade 4 - Grade 5
Grade 4 Curriculum
Grade 5 Curriculum
Creative approaches to education make learning fun and build confidence as they take students beyond the basics of primary school. Students in intermediate grades begin theater production, study weather phenomena and lab techniques in science, apply mathematical concepts and begin instrumental lessons. Extra-curricular activities include Lower School Orchestra and Catholic Athletic Association (CAA) team sports for boys and girls starting in the fifth grade.

An atmosphere of trust and love creates a positive environment in these critical pre-adolescent years. Learning comes full circle as students practice speaking in front of others, presenting newly-acquired information to classmates. Our students aren't the only ones who learn, either. Lower School faculty regularly observe one another teach in order to benefit from different techniques and peer critiques.

We have high expectations for our students - and they constantly surprise us with the excellence of their achievements as well as the depth of their personal growth at an early age. Regular homework assignments in Lower School help establish the organizational skills and discipline they will need to be successful in the future. Social skills and conflict resolution are modeled after the principles of Francis de Sales' Christian humanism, which recognizes that spiritual progress comes in and through relationships with others.

Visitation is co-ed through grade six and shifts to girls-only in Middle School. After sixth grade, many of the boys attend St. Thomas Academy, which is all boys in grades seven through twelve and is adjacent to our campus.