Lower School
Old Orchard Lower School is a place of balance: between academics and enrichment, between time outside and time in the classroom, between arts and athletics. Students are given the space and opportunity to grow and breathe, to investigate and put time into their passions, and to develop relationships with their peers and a caring community of adults.
Lower School students are excited to come to class each morning, to learn and explore new things. They thrive in a warm, caring environment where we put student well-being first. Staff at the Lower School are seen everywhere on campus-- from the dedicated classroom or subject teachers to support staff and administration, no one just sits in an office. Students develop close relationships with their teachers and campus staff, which allows staff to better support students' needs.
Every day, students learn new concepts and explore new ideas. They have math, reading, writing, science, Spanish, and history classes-- as well as art, drama, music, and P.E. Teachers work across the curriculum to bring history into science and writing into math; students learn parts of the body in Spanish by practicing yoga and they practice fractions through cooking. Our focus is on critical thinking and student engagement in the world around them-- and through that process, they find their own voice.
As students move through the Lower School, they are given more independence and opportunities to lead. There is a progression from a single classroom teacher (plus specialty teachers in enrichment classes and Spanish) in Jr. Kindergarten through third grade, to subject-area experts in fourth and fifth grades. This gradual transition prepares students to make the jump across the street to our Upper School campus, ready and able to succeed in middle school.
For more in-depth information, take a look at our class pages!