Upper Elementary
Upper Elementary (Fourth-Sixth Grades, ages 9-12)
Schedule: Upper elementary classrooms open at 8:00am and the arrival window is from 8:00-8:30am. They begin with a community meeting, then have an uninterrupted work morning until mid-day recess and lunch. This work morning consists of lessons, book discussions, and independent and social learning activities. Children have daily jobs around campus to help care for their environment, such as helping with recycling or gardening. There is a second work period in the afternoons leading up to a dismissal window from 3:15-3:30pm. Elementary children can enroll in our Aftercare program if families need an extended day. Children can be picked up from Aftercare any time from 3:30-5:30 each weekday.
Plane of Development: Upper elementary students are in the plane of development focused on Reasoning and Abstraction. Children are able to gain mental math skills, discuss literature, debate current events, and generate original ideas. They are given freedom within limits to plan, implement, and demonstrate their learning across the curriculum. Students play an active role in monitoring their own progress and setting goals.
The elementary years are also an intensely social time. Upper Elementary students have learned how to live in community with their classmates, and are experimenting with how they would like to differentiate themselves within their community. They thrive through social learning and opportunities to be independent and unique.
Curriculum: The elementary curriculum covers all of the academic areas recognized by the department of education including:
- Reading
- Language Arts
- Arithmetic
- Geometry
- History
- Biology
- Geography
- Physics
- Fine Arts
- Cosmic Education (akin to “Social Studies” and providing an integrated base upon which to build history, biology, geography, and physics studies)
- Fine Arts
- Physical development
- Foreign Language (Spanish)
And also focuses on holistic learning areas such as:
- Interpersonal skills such as social responsibility, social justice, global citizenship, and environmental stewardship
- Intrapersonal skills such as autonomy, independence, confidence, competence, intrinsic motivation, growth mindset, and (secular) spiritual awareness.
Teachers act as guides to help children build positive associations with learning and challenge and become empowered, self-reliant, peaceful citizens.