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ViewbookLetter from the Head of School |
Four Stories
The Lower School
Our curriculum isn’t confined to the classroom; you can see it in the dining hall, on the playground, in the hallways. It’s designed to help children become active, complex thinkers and attentive, outward-reaching members of the community. Our classes include core academic subjects, public speaking, world languages, physical education, music, and the visual arts - a broad, firm foundation for future learning. Course work proceeds in careful sequence, but the curriculum is flexible enough to account for each student’s abilities and goals. Our faculty work closely with students; in grades 1 and 2, the student/teacher ratio is 9/1; in grades 3–5, the ratio is 15/1. Dedicated, diverse, and expertly trained, our teachers come to know students in multiple settings - small groups, full classes, individual sessions - and a range of activities. They also serve as advisors to students and as liaisons to parents; together, they help students discover their potential. We practice hands-on education. We offer a range of activities - some required, some elective, all designed to encourage an active engagement with the world. Classes visit art museums, prepare full-scale plays, and participate in public speaking activities. Students join the Chess Club, the Lego Robotics Club, or a special program dedicated to computer graphics. With small class sizes and faculty expertise in all facets of elementary education, teachers get to know and appreciate the individual differences that come with each child, and thereby are able to attend to each student’s needs. Our flexible schedule allows time for tutorial help during the school day. Tutors work with one or two students to provide classroom support, lesson reinforcement, supplementary lessons, and organizational skill work. And teachers can meet privately with students during study time, flex time, or daily homeroom periods. We see ourselves as partners with parents and children. We reach out to parents in a number of ways: we provide bi-weekly effort grades - a measure of a student’s commitment to their work - detailed progress reports, and student-led conferences with parents. And our parents reach out to us; the School’s Parents’ Association is an active, voluntary organization that supports student and School events. |
Fay’s Lower School - grades 1–5 - is a caring, welcoming, respectful community. We ask our students to be kind and civil, honest and tolerant. We also ask them to work hard, challenge themselves, and take pride and pleasure in the act of thinking.