LS Division Piece

breckschool.org

Lower School

Confidence in knowing.

Everything they can be. Every wonder they’ll discover.

Every friend they’ll make and milestone they’ll achieve. It all begins right here — at the foundation of what’s next.

Welcome to Lower School

“The Lower School makes me feel grounded in community, teachers, friendships, and working hard.”

Max Lower School Student

Welcome

3

What a magical time this is in a child’s life!

These years are filled with wonder, curiosity, & joy.

It is our responsibility to build lifelong foundational learning skills as well as a passionate love of learning. At Breck, we honor this time by immersing children in play to unleash imagination, develop skills, and instill a love of learning. Our skilled teachers nurture student growth by providing support and challenges appropriate to each new developmental stage. We inspire students to explore questions, engage in deep conversations, spark creativity, and become independent thinkers. Collaboration fills our learning environments. We believe in rigorous academic learning, character development, and community engagement as cornerstones of the Lower School experience.

In Lower School, your children will be a part of a community where they feel a deep sense of belonging. Where teachers believe and support their unlimited potential as students develop an understanding of who they are as learners, leaders, and human beings in the world.

Katie Mahoney Lower School Director

4

Lower School

Welcome the start Literacy

Mathematics

Through language-rich classrooms, literature, and personalized instruction, teachers instill a love of language from a young age.

We want every Breck student to develop their own mathematical mind — from the abstract to the concrete. In partnership with

By using research-informed

the Singapore Math in Focus

practices in phonics, phonemic

program, we develop problem-

awareness, comprehension,

solving strategies, computational

vocabulary, and fluency, we

skills, metric and measurement,

help students grow into effective

early algebraic thinking, and

communicators, proficient

numerical exploration in data,

readers, and powerful writers.

patterns, and graphs.

Academic Program

5

me to t.

If you want a young mind to grow, teach them to love learning. We guide our Lower School students by teaching the whole child — focusing not just on their minds, but their interests, strengths, and challenges as well.

Science

Social Studies

Students explore the scientific process through guided observation, data collection, experimentation, and inquiry. From physics

Our approach to social studies develops a student’s understanding of themselves, each other, and our environment.

lessons with toy cars and ramps

Through classroom discussions,

in the classroom to phenology

research, and project-based

walks around the school’s ponds,

learning, students study history,

prairie grasses, and wetlands,

culture, geography, economics,

students get firsthand experience

government, and citizenship to

in discovering the wonders of

deepen their knowledge of our

science.

community, state, country, and the world.

6

Lower School

Parts of the greater whole.

At Breck, our students learn to be citizens of the world.

Open, curious, and always hungry to know more.

As a pioneer in the United States in teaching Mandarin to our youngest learners, our World Languages program is steeped in tradition and excellence.

Students begin in preschool with a semesterlong introduction to both Chinese and Spanish.

Starting in grade one, students choose a language track to pursue throughout their Lower School experience.

At Breck, students study and celebrate many faiths and cultures to deepen our own concepts of spirituality and expand our understanding of one another. Through weekly divisional chapels and monthly All-School Chapels, we reflect on one another’s stories, literature, and religious traditions.

Kindergarten students celebrate their 100th day of school with a parade through the Lower School.

10

Lower School

“Every single teacher at Breck cares so deeply about fostering positive relationships. When you’re in that type of environment, it’s hard for there not to be success.”

Daniel Badhwa Grade 2 Teacher

Student Leadership Leadership development is an integral part of our students’ everyday experience.

In class, children have weekly responsibilities to practice leadership in various roles.

Students also have opportunities to demonstrate leadership beyond the classroom by engaging in mentoring relationships through the Lower School Buddy Program and participating in Community Meetings.

Student Experiences

13

Driven by wonder.

In and out of the classroom, every moment is a chance to learn and grow.

Co-Curricular Activities Lower School students have opportunities to connect and engage beyond the classroom.

From our Lower School community meetings to our Explore Block and clubs, Lower School students can find new and exciting ways to explore their curiosities and interests across campus.

Community Engagement

Building toward greatness.

We believe it’s essential for children to see the impact they can have on the world — whether it be an act of kindness, a generous heart, or a helping hand. Reflecting our mission of social responsibility, Lower School students learn their role at Breck and across communities through civic engagement, community partnerships, and our beloved peer-to-peer buddy program that connects students across grade levels.