The elementary program
consists of lower and upper elementary classes. The mixed age
classes correspond to grades 1-3 and grades 4-6, although students are
learning at their own individual levels and no grade equivalents are
used.
The classrooms
are
structured with concrete hands-on materials which are sequentially arranged to
allow the children the freedom to learn at their own pace. Individual or
small group presentations encourage the children to move from concrete to
abstract understandings. In the cultural subjects, the children are given
a framework to understand the larger concepts while doing activities to master
finer details. This answers the many "Why?" questions children
have at this age.
Creative and report writing
are done on paper or on computers during a daily Writing Workshop. The
children have both an organized outdoor movement instruction and an unstructured
outdoor recess every day. Swimming, gymnastics, Spanish, Orff music,
computers and art are a part of the weekly curriculum. Field
trips, a yearly play, and a 3 night camp stay at Frost Valley supplement the
classroom activities. Children bring their own lunch.
