Lower Division Academics
Student experience in the lower division is designed to attend to each learner’s development and introduce the comforting rituals of daily school life.
Curriculum, Daily Schedule, & After-School Program
Our Approach
Student experience in the lower division is designed to attend to each learner’s development and introduce the comforting rituals of daily school life. Students learn how to learn, how to share thoughts and ideas, and how to be both unique and one of many. For each grade level, there are two full time teachers assigned to each class. In addition, students receive instruction from additional teaching faculty in Spanish, physical education, art, music, and dance.
Additionally, our curriculum provides age-appropriate opportunities for social-emotional and intellectual development. Teachers develop expectations for growth that are personalized for each student, and grounded in four key areas of learning: social, emotional, behavioral, and cognitive.
Homework
The day is structured to afford students the time they need to engage deeply in the project of learning, working alone and together. Teachers assign only pertinent homework. Students may choose to work on long-term assignments on weekends; however, no routine homework is assigned on Fridays. In addition to the guidelines listed below, faculty may assign specific work to individual students to support their learning.
- PK and K: 10 minutes of reading
- Grade 1: 10 minutes of reading
- Grade 2: 20 minutes of reading
- Grade 3: 20 minutes of reading/10 minutes of math
- Grade 4: 20–30 minutes of reading/10–20 minutes of math
Because students work at different rates, these time allotments serve only as a general guide.