Elementary Program (K-4)
The Lower School is the beginning of our students’ formal academic journey. It is also a time of individual growth – a time to discover new ideas, be inspired, and nurture growing interests. We believe that a balanced program focusing on essential skills and spiritual development helps produce future leaders.
We seek to achieve this goal by:
- Following an innovative and sequential learning program that is consistent with standardized assessments, common core state standards (CCSS) and next generation science standards (NGSS)
- Having a diverse and experienced faculty who support the mission and vision of the school and is dedicated to ensuring that all students excel and thrive academically and socially.
- Placing emphasis on active learning through exploration, experimentation and discovery, which enhances the skills of design thinking, independent thinking, critical thinking, and problem solving.
- Meeting the learning needs of all students using varied teaching methods, technology tools, learning centers, and flexible grouping.
- Promoting a love for reading and building of literacy skills through extensive classroom libraries, bi-weekly library visits, author visits, mystery readers, and an annual Read Across America Day Celebration.
- Imagining, designing, creating, and building in the school’s Makerspace
- Scheduling stimulating field trips that enrich the curriculum and extend the joy of learning beyond the classroom walls
- Exposing students to the arts: fine art, music and drama
- Living and learning Islam on a daily basis in a real-world setting
- Garden-based learning in the Peace Garden as well as other spaces around the school that support a deep understanding of the environment and sustainability