Lower School (Preschool - Grade 5)

 

In the Lower School, we believe that the relationship between school and home is the keystone of a successful experience for every child who enters the doors. Partnering with families is essential to understanding the whole child, supporting student growth, and helping each student reach his or her potential. We hope to walk hand in hand with families while sowing the seeds to develop lifelong learners. Along the journey, we will cheer successes, honor mistakes, and handle bumps in the road together.

 

Developing strong character is a primary focus of the Lower School. Our faculty know each child and respect the students’ individual differences. In our community, academic and social and emotional development are equally important. We seek to understand the whole child; teachers encourage their students to strive at all times to conduct themselves with kindness and respect, being mindful that they exist not just as individuals, but as members of this community of exuberant learners. With our shared hallways, older students model for our youngest students standards and expectations in our community and support one another through interactions across grade levels and divisions.

 

Working in tandem with our social-emotional curriculum, our academic program challenges and engages our students. From preschoolers just beginning to navigate the landscape of formal schooling to fifth grade students preparing for Middle School, children at these stages of development are joyous. Full of energy, enthusiasm, and curiosity, Kew-Forest’s Lower School students inspire their peers and their teachers to learn and think in interesting and varied ways. In addition to the core subjects that prepare children to be critical thinkers and problem-solvers, our students explore the arts, including music and visual arts, Spanish language, physical education, library, and technology, led by a dedicated faculty of specialists. These endeavors nurture well-rounded individuals who are prepared for their next challenge, both within the walls of Kew-Forest and as part of the larger community.

 

We are proud of what we achieve here in this warm, unique, and diverse community; as you spend time with us, we think you’ll understand why.

Warmly,

Karin Bernstein
Head of Lower School