Head of Lower School Bill Mulcahy talks about how the important "3 R's" of education--Reading, Writing and Arithmetic--have changed and what the new description for the 3 R's is.
Lower School
Junior Kindergarten–Fourth Grade
The important first years of a child’s education form the foundation for future success in every aspect of life. Country Day gives preschool aged through fourth grade students a balanced and challenging program where confidence, talent, friendship, and individuality flourish. Here, students become strong, independent thinkers, guided by expert teachers who encourage their natural curiosity and help them master essential skills.
Each day in Lower School is filled with remarkable opportunities and experiences.
As a member of the Country Day Lower School community, each student:
- Helps build a class of compassionate, respectful, thoughtful students who value and learn from each other.
- Conducts hands-on experiments in a dedicated Lower School science laboratory.
- Learns healthy habits in our award-winning daily physical education program.
- Begins to study French and Spanish in junior kindergarten and kindergarten.
- Grows in confidence through public speaking, theatrical productions, and research presentations.
- Creates a welcoming environment and helps visitors and new students feel at home.
- Plays an active role in service projects that teach the importance of acceptance, integrity, cooperation, and fairness.
Coding is increasingly being viewed as a new 'literacy,' a skill so vital to understanding the world that many argue all students should master it—just like reading, writing, and math. I love working at a school that is looking critically at our computer science curriculum and thinking long-term about how to integrate engineering, design, thinking, and coding/computer programming skills into our program in meaningful ways.
Joe Hernick, Director of Educational Technology
Integrated Curriculum
A balanced, inquiry-based Lower School curriculum ensures that each student has the opportunity to master core knowledge, competencies, and technical skills. Many studies and activities take students outside the regular classroom.
Extraordinary Opportunities
As educators, we are constantly designing and redesigning student experiences in order to deepen and connect learning across subject areas and disciplines. Some of our teachers share the ways they bring innovation into the classroom to create an exceptional learning environment for our students.
In our increasingly interdependent global landscape, it is more important than ever to teach students about different cultures and communities around the world. Head of Lower School Bill Mulcahy shares the work we're doing with our youngest students to help them be better prepared for future success in the global economy.
Head of Lower School Bill Mulcahy shares tips on how to build healthy motivation among children.
What do you do on those cold or rainy days when kids have cabin fever? Our Extended Day teachers are resident experts on how to meet these needs for children. Here are a few of their favorite indoor activities when the weather is just too cold or too rainy to go outdoors.