Academics

Lower School

In an atmosphere of joy, wonder, and gratitude, students in the Lower School begin to explore God’s real, amazing world and are equipped with the tools that will serve them throughout their whole educational journey. The emphasis in these early years is on memorization, discovery learning, exposure to beautiful stories, and the shaping of habits that will allow them to develop into life-long learners.

Old books on a wooden shelf, some with worn and aged covers, stacked vertically and horizontally.

Foundations

Our lower level education focuses on piety as well as the the cultivation of affections, body and soul. We also begin instruction in liberal arts.

Peter tell us to make every effort to supplament our faith with virtue, virtue with knowledge, knowledge with temperance, temperance with perseverance, and perseverance with piety (2 Peter 1:5-9).
Piety is an old word, but a word well worth reviving. According to John Calvin, knowledge of God is the beginning of wisdom, and piety if that proper love and reverence for God induced by such knowledge. In the Lower School, we seek to partner with parents and churches as we guide children to a life of piety, loving God and their neighbor. In the Upper School, these foundational principles and affections are developed into reasoned beliefs.
Arts are skills that become second nature through imitation and practice. The Liberal Arts tradition divides these liberal arts into two major categories: skills in language and skills in mathematics. In the Lower School, we focus on the first language art, grammar, as well as two of the mathematical arts, arithmetic and geometry.
In grammar, our primary focus is on reading and writing. Literacy does not merely include the ability to read, but it begins to develop towards advanced interpretation, ability to understand the structure of complex sentences, a growing vocabulary steeped in the Bible and Christian tradition, as well as increased ability to navigate between distinct literary genres.
Mathematical skills are developed through Singapore math strategies that use concrete and pictorial models, such as bar models and number bonds, to introduce concepts and to provide children with the ability to unlock word problems.
Humans have bodies and souls, and classical education aims for something greater than than filling minds with information. Two ways in which we approach this are through gymnastic education (training the body) and musical education (tuning the heart).
Gymnastic education is a deliberate use of the body in the process of education. Through physical education, play at recess, intentionally active classrooms, and training in self-control, we want to help students grow healthy bodies and have the strength and energy to engage in learning.
Musical education is more than learning notes, instruments, or singing - musical education poetically trains the heart to engage reality joyfully and with wonder. This mode of education seeks to expand students' moral imagination as they delight in the possibilities of God’s creation. Taught through imitation and in combination with rich stories, musical education builds children’s ability to imagine that there is goodness, truth, and beauty, and that they can seek this for themselves.

Bookshelves filled with old, leather-bound books, some with faded titles and aged covers.

“Although we often succeed in teaching our pupils ‘subjects,’ we fail lamentably on the whole in teaching them how to think: they learn everything, except the art of learning.”

Dorothy L. Sayers, The Lost Tools of Learning

Lower School Curriculum

Bible

Students are introduced to the narrative of Scripture through the stories of the Old and New Testaments. They also memorize key Scripture passages, creeds, and great hymns of faith, and are taught the basics of theology.
English

Starting with a solid foundation in phonics and then progressing through a basic understanding of English grammar and spelling, students learn how our language works, how to read and appreciate good writing, and how to write and speak well themselves. Older students participate in book discussions, study classic texts, and are taught to write using the ancient method of the progymnasmata (a systematic study of various forms of writing and basic rhetoric).
History

A chronological study of history begins in the earliest grades where students first hear the stories of God’s work in time, from creation up through the present day. This study serves as the spine for much of the rest of our curriculum and provides a jumping-off place for our study of geography, literature, and theology, among other subjects.
Latin

Students are introduced to this beautiful and orderly language beginning in third grade. Not only does the study of Latin help students become familiar with the multitude of English words that are derived from this classic language, but it grounds them in grammar and word study that has a long-lasting impact on their own writing and speaking.
Mathematics

At the heart of the universe is a deep order which we can express through the language of numbers. Students are taught to delight in this order through the Singapore approach to lower grade math, which teaches the basics of mathematics by focusing on concepts and the relationships of numbers to each other.
Arts

In our afternoon arts blocks, all students are taught the basics of good vocal technique, the elements of choral singing, and how to read music notation. Third through sixth graders are introduced to the recorder and other folk instruments and taught to play in an ensemble. In fine arts, students are taught art history, appreciation, and technique, and projects are often modeled after masterworks.
Physical education

All students are encouraged to steward the bodies God gave them to his glory by engaging in physical education, where they learn the basic skills of many common sports and the importance of fortitude and courage on the playing field.