Issuu

L O W E R

S C H O O L

G R A D E S

T K – 5

Our sense of communit y establishes a caring learning environment throughout the school. Each child’s path to the future is shaped by movement, active engagement, collaboration, thought ful design, and the purposeful use of technology as a learning tool.

OUR MISSION Prov id e n c e Day S ch o ol exists to inspire in i ts stud e nts a passi o n fo r lear ning , a c o mmi tm e nt to p e rso nal inte gr i t y, and a se nse of so cial resp o nsibili t y.

Leade rship

D r. G l y n C ow l i s h aw H e a d of S c h o o l

Erin Harper H e a d of L owe r S c h o o l

Lisa Knight Assistant Head of School for Admissions & Enrollment Management

Pa m H e a c o c k A s s i s t a n t H e a d of L owe r S c h o o l fo r Curriculum and Instructional Coaching

J e n ny Tu c ke r Assistant Head of L owe r S c h o o l fo r S t u d e n t L i fe

Fast Facts School 113 Lower faculty members

800

students in grades TK–5

Average students per class:

16 18-19 TK

Grade 1

22–23 Grades 2–5

members students of color teachers 244 faculty 2 full-time across all divisions 39% (self-reported) in every class. facult y members countries 135 school-wide with advanced degrees 73 student of origin

The PD Passport At Prov id e n c e Day S ch o ol , we inte nti o nall y create ex p e r ie n c es that foste r inte rcul tural lear ning insid e and o u tsid e th e classro o m . K n owing th e wo r ld is in creasingl y inte rc o nn e c te d and eve rchanging , we pur p osef ull y d evel o p o pp o r tuni ties fo r o ur stud e nts to b e c o m e e mpath eti c , info r m e d , and e mp owe re d gl o bal ci tize ns . A ll Prov id e n c e Day stud e nts ex p e r ie n c e th e T K-12 gl o bal e du c ati o n f ram ewo r k k n own as th e “ P D Passp o r t ,” whi ch inf uses tradi ti o nal classes wi th th e c o nte nt , sk ills , and c harac te r disp osi ti o ns cr i ti c al to b e c o ming a gl o bal ci tize n . O ur classro o ms are plac es of disc ove r y wh e re lear ning ab o u t di ve rse cul tures and share d ex p e r ie n c es creates c o nn e c ti o ns to o ur larg e r humani t y.

Global Cur riculum O ur Lowe r S ch o ol so cial studies cur r i culum all ows stud e nts to ex pl o re th eir id e nti ties , ex p e r ie n c es , and c o ntr ibu ti o ns as par t of th e Prov id e n c e Day famil y, th e Char l ot te c o mmuni t y, and th e wo r ld in whi ch th ey li ve. B e ginning in Transi ti o nal K ind e rgar te n , stud e nts lear n ab o u t famil y and c o mmuni t y and are intro du c e d to cul tures aro und th e wo r ld dur ing th e T K Go es Gl o bal uni t . T h e so cial studies cur r i culum is th o ught f ull y c o nstr u c te d to build up o n th e prev i o us year (s) and of fe rs m o re ex pansi ve and d et aile d lesso ns highlighting di ve rsi t y in dif fe re nt c o untr ies and cul tures . E ach grad e level has i ts own fo cus , wi th uniqu e proje c ts and ac ti v i ties , to e ngag e and e du c ate i ts stud e nts so th ey are b et te r pre pare d ci tize ns of th e wo r ld . Lowe r S ch o ol ’s Wo r ld L anguag e m o d el c o mple m e nts th e gl o bal c o mp o n e nt of th e so cial studies cur r i culum . O ur Transi ti o nal K ind e rgar te n - Grad e 1 stud e nts are intro du c e d to Fre n ch , S panish , and Mandar in Chin ese dur ing S p e cial A rea classes , in c reasing th e stud e nts’ aware n ess of oth e r cul tures . In Grad es 2-5 , stud e nts sele c t a single languag e fo r th e re maind e r of Lowe r S ch o ol , lay ing th e stro ng fo undati o n fo r f u ture languag e stud y dur ing th eir tim e at Prov id e n c e Day S ch o ol.

Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging P r ov i d e n c e D ay S c h o o l b e l i e ve s t h e ke y to g l o b a l c i t i ze n s h i p i s fo s te r i n g a n e q u i t a b l e , i n c l u s i ve c o m m u n i t y of b e l o n g i n g , w i t h s o c i a l re s p o n s i b i l i t y a s a c e nt r a l p i l l a r of o u r m i s s i o n . We d e e p l y va l u e t h e v i b r a nt a r r ay of c u l t u re s , re l i g i o n s , r a c e s , s e x u a l o r i e nt at i o n s , s o c i o e c o n o m i c b a c kg r o u n d s , a n d c o u nt r i e s of o r i g i n t h at g i ve o u r c a m p u s i t s s t re n g t h . T h e O f f i c e of E q u i t y, I n c l u s i o n , a n d B e l o n g i n g c h a m p i o n s a s c h o o l c u l t u re t h at re f l e c t s t h e d i ve r s i t y of o u r n at i o n a n d t h e g l o b e . We s t r i ve to h e l p s t u d e nt s a p p re c i ate b ot h t h e d i f fe re n c e s a n d c o m m o n a l i t i e s we s h a re , p re p a r i n g t h e m to e n g a g e m e a n i n g f u l l y w i t h t h e w i d e r wo r l d . To d o t h i s , we c u l t i vate a n i n c l u s i ve e nv i r o n m e nt t h r o u g h d i ve r s e p r o g r a m m i n g , c i v i c d i a l o g u e , c u r r i c u l u m , a n d a c t i ve c o m m u n i t y e n g a g e m e nt—i n c l u d i n g s e r v i c e l e a r n i n g , c o m m u n i t y b u i l d i n g , a n d c i v i c o p p o r t u n i t i e s—t h at n at u r a l l y b r i d g e s o u r c a m p u s w i t h t h e s u r r o u n d i n g c o m m u n i t i e s .

Social Responsibilit y & Characte r Education S o cial resp o nsibili t y is an inte gral par t of th e Prov id e n c e Day ex p e r ie n c e. A s stud e nts ad van c e thro ugh Lowe r S ch o ol , th ey are guid e d to d evel o p a stro ng se nse of c o nn e c ti o n to th eir sch o ol , th e Char l ot te c o mmuni t y, and th e bro ad e r gl o bal c o mmuni t y. Grad e - level se r v i c e ini tiati ves prov id e m eaning f ul o pp o r tuni ties fo r stud e nts to take ac ti o n and make a p osi ti ve impac t . O ur teach e rs inte nti o nall y supp o r t stud e nts in ex pl o r ing c o mmuni t y e ngag e m e nt , prac ti cing grati tud e, and ref le c ting o n th eir ex p e r ie n c es . T hro ugh o u t Lowe r S ch o ol , stud e nts cul ti vate esse ntial charac te r trai ts that se r ve as th e fo undati o n fo r resp o nsible ci tize nship: • R e s p e c t fo r S e l f a n d O t h e r s

• Pe r s eve r a n c e

• Confidence

• E m p a t hy

• Courage Lowe r S ch o ol is d e di c ate d to th e wh ole child thro ugh an inte nti o nal e mphasis o n so cial - e m oti o nal lear ning (S E L). We teach stud e nts th e sk ills to build h eal thy relati o nships , re gulate e m oti o ns , and sol ve pro ble ms , e nsur ing th ey b e c o m e c o nf id e nt , c o mpassi o nate lear n e rs . Eve r y classro o m , le d by a Lead Teach e r and f ull -tim e A ssist ant Teach e r, pr i o r i tizes s afe, nur tur ing c o mmuni ties wh e re stud e nts fe el a stro ng se nse of b el o nging . O ur dail y M o r ning M e eting foste rs c o nn e c ti o n and c ollab o rati o n , while S E L is seamlessl y wove n into th e cur r i culum thro ugh lesso ns o n mindf uln ess , self-aware n ess , and e mpathy. Using th e Zo n es of Re gulati o n , stud e nts gain th e to ols to manag e th eir e m oti o ns and c o mmuni c ate ef fe c ti vel y. O ur t wo f ull -tim e c o unsel o rs are esse ntial par tn e rs in this missi o n , ac ti vel y supp o r ting stud e nts , teach e rs , and families . B y teaching c harac te r e du c ati o n , prov iding sh o r t-te r m indi v idual c o unseling , small - gro up supp o r t , and c ollab o rating wi th o ur c o mmuni t y, th ey e nsure eve r y child is k n own , supp o r te d , and read y to thr i ve.

E arly Innovators & Engine e rs Prov id e n c e Day create d th e D isc ove r y D e n fo r stud e nts to ex pl o re and use th eir cur i osi t y and imaginati o n wi th var i o us provo c ati o ns and l o ose par ts . T K and K stud e nts are gi ve n tim e fo r str u c ture d play and o pp o r tuni ties to disc ove r, pro ble m -sol ve, tinke r, and inte rac t wi th p e e rs in T HE IR spac e. K ind e rgar te n thro ugh third - grad e stud e nts also have T ID ( T inke r, Inve nt , D isc ove r ) tim e. D ur ing this tim e, stud e nts are gi ve n d esign think ing c halle ng es , whi c h e nhan c e th eir pro ble m -so l v ing and c o llab o rati o n sk ills .

Math , L anguage A r ts , & Scie nces M AT H IN FO C US Prov id e n c e Day uses Singap o re Math c o n c e pts fo r grad es K thro ugh f i ve. T his m eth o d teach es th e “ why ” and “ h ow ” b e hind math e mati c al c o n c e pts , builds a stro ng fo undati o n of numb e r se nse, e n c o urag es pro ble m -so l v ing strate gies e mphasizing bar m o d eling in grad es 2-5 , and in c o r p o rates wh ole - gro up, par tn e r wo r k , small gro up, and ind e p e nd e nt prac ti c e in math instr u c ti o n .

LOW E R S C H O O L LI T ER ACY Prov id e n c e Day S ch o ol e mphasizes str u c ture d li te racy pr in ciples fo r languag e ar ts in Lowe r S ch o ol. B e ginning in Transi ti o nal K ind e rgar te n , teach e rs use a syste mati c and ex pli ci t appro ach to build a stro ng fo undati o n in ph o n ol o gi c al aware n ess , ph o ni c s , f lu e n cy, vo c abular y, and c o mpre h e nsi o n . In Grad es 2-5 , th e li te racy pro gram ex pands to teach m o re ad van c e d sk ills , in cluding f lu e nt wo rd re c o gni ti o n and reading c o mpre h e nsi o n . S tud e nts are ex p ose d to a wid e var iet y of g e nres wi th a gl o bal le ns; ex p e r ie n c e wh ole gro up, small gro up, and indi v idual instr u c ti o n; have o pp o r tuni ties to h o n e th eir sk ills thro ugh inte rac ti ve read al o uds , share d reading , guid e d reading , ind e p e nd e nt reading , and b o o k clubs; and b e n ef i t f ro m di ve rse tex ts and lesso ns d esign e d to g et stud e nts talk ing , reading , ref le c ting , and wr i ting . Eve r y Lowe r S ch o ol stud e nt aims to build li te racy sk ills to b e a c apable and c o nf id e nt lifel o ng read e r and wr i te r.

IN QU IRY-BAS ED M E T H O DO LO GY Lowe r S ch o ol scie n c e uses inquir y- base d m eth o d ol o g y to nur ture stud e nts’ inh e re nt cur i osi t y. T his appro ach e mp owe rs stud e nts to rel y o n th eir own reaso ning rath e r than se e k ing answe rs f ro m teach e rs . Lowe r S ch o ol stud e nts are prese nte d wi th o p e n - e nd e d challe ng es that foste r c ollab o rati o n . Addi ti o nall y, scie n c e teach e rs m o d el th e scie ntif i c m eth o d , e mphasizing pro c ess ove r pro du c t . Lowe r S ch o ol stud e nts have f un while ex pl o r ing !

Ty pical Lowe r School Sche dules S ch e dules are custo mize d by grad e level and rotate dur ing th e we e k . H e re’s a l o o k at so m e t y pi c al days fo r K ind e rgar tn e rs and F if th Grad e rs:

A T Y PICA L DAY IN K IN D E RG A RT E N • Morning Meeting

• Lunch and Recess

• I n te r a c t i ve R e a d A l o u d

• Calendar time

• L i te r a c y C e n te r s

• M a t h i n Fo c u s

• Snack

• Special Area Class (A r t , M u s i c , L i b r a r y, Science Lab, or C h a r a c te r E d u c a t i o n)

• Wo r l d L a n g u a g e (r o t a te s b e t we e n Fr e n c h , Spanish, and Mandarin C h i n e s e) o r P hys i c a l E d u c a t i o n (a l te r n a t i n g)

• D i s m i s s a l (2 :0 0 p . m .)

• Handwriting Lesson, S h a r e d R e a d i n g S to r y, o r Wr i t i n g Wo r ks h o p

A T Y PICA L DAY IN G R A D E 5 • Morning Meeting

• S o c i a l S t u d i e s /S c i e n c e

• Math/Language Arts

• S o c i a l S t u d i e s /S c i e n c e

• Break

• Wo r l d L a n g u a g e o r P hys i c a l E d u c a t i o n (a l te r n a t i n g)

• Math/Language Arts • Recess / Lunch • Specials (Band, Chorus, o r O r c h e s t r a; T h e a te r ; A r t ; C o m p u te r ; L i b r a r y ; G l o b a l C i v i c s; I D E A S L a b; o r S c i e n c e L a b)

• D i s m i s s a l (2 :5 0 p . m .)

Te chnolog y & Innovation G R A D E S T K-2 E ach Lowe r S ch o ol classro o m has a class set of iPads wi th var i o us apps and c o nte nt to supp o r t th e Lowe r S ch o ol cur r i culum . C o nte nt in clud es mate r ial fo r c o re classes and sp e cial areas , in cluding librar y, musi c , and m o re. S tud e nts c an wo r k to g eth e r o n th e class iPads to gain a fo undati o nal und e rst anding of h ow iPads wo r k in e du c ati o n and pre pare fo r p e rso nal iPads late r in th eir ac ad e mi c c are e rs .

G R A D E S 3-5 S tud e nts in third grad e are prov id e d wi th a sch o ol - issu e d iPad while in class , h elping th e m g et ac climate d to Prov id e n c e Day ’s O n e to Wo r ld and D igi tal Ci tize nship pro grams . In f if th grad e, stud e nts c an b e c o m e f ull y invol ve d wi th th e O n e to Wo r ld pro gram as th ey use th e iPads to lear n in and o u t of th e classro o m . S tud e nts will ke e p th eir iPads thro ugh o u t th eir jo ur n ey into middle sch o ol.

IN N OVAT IO N At Providence Day, innovation goes far beyond the use of technology and is woven into ever y aspect of teaching and learning. In Lower School, that might be illustrated by oppor tunities for students to design their own board games, write their own comic books, or experiment with materials from the “ tinker table” available in the Librar y. IDE AS @PD is a T K-12 curricular framework that weaves the topics of In novation, Desig n, Entre p re ne u rship, A naly tic s, and Sus taina bilit y. Lower School of ferings include the Tech Tank , where students are introduced to computer science and problem-solving concepts, and the IDE A S L ab, an elective for 5th graders in the IDE A S xChange on campus. T he school created the IDE A S xChange in the Dickson-Hemby Technology building, bringing together new forms of collaboration among facult y and students of all ages.

Our base set of tools is the G-Suite or Google Apps suite, including: Gmail Google Calendar Google D r i ve Google Docs Google Slides Google Sheets

Clubs & Activities LOW E R S C H O O L C LU B S • Science Olympiad, grades 4, 5 • B a t t l e of t h e B o o ks , g r a d e 5 • L owe r S c h o o l M u s i c a l , g r a d e s 4 , 5 • K a l e i d o s c o p e G r o u p s , Af f i n i t y a n d A l l i a n c e G r o u p s , grades 3, 4, 5

LOW E R S C H O O L E N RI C H M EN T S S tud e nts may ch o ose f ro m var i o us af te r-sch o ol e nr i chm e nts of fe re d thro ugh th e E x te nd e d Day pro gram each fall and spr ing . T h ey in clud e sp o r ts , S T E A M , and ar t-th e m e d ac ti v i ties .

E X T E N D E D DAY T h e E x te nd e d Day Pro gram pro m otes eac h c hild ’s so cial , e m oti o nal , and physi c al d evel o p m e nt thro ugh nur tur ing relati o nships , f lexible sc h e duling , and c h o i c es that ref le c t eac h c hild ’s indi v idual inte rests . T h e pro gram o p e rates o u t of th e Lev in E x te nd e d Day H o use and has a n ew spac e in Au e r bach Hall. S tud e nts may at te nd o n c e r t ain days o r sign up to at te nd f i ve days a we e k .

A r ts We are c o mmi t te d to nur tur ing c reati v i t y and c o nf id e n c e at all levels of lear ning . C o mpre h e nsi ve ex p osure to v isual ar ts , musi c , and th eatre is esse ntial to stud e nts’ c o mple te e du c ati o nal ex p e r ie n c e. T K-5 stud e nts ex p e r ie n c e a di ve rse cur r i culum in musi c and v isual ar ts . In f if th grad e, stud e nts par ti cipate in B and , O rch estra , o r Ch o r us (n o pr i o r ex p e r ie n c e re quire d ). In addi ti o n , fo ur th and f if th grad e stud e nts have an o pp o r tuni t y each year to audi ti o n fo r a musi c al th eatre pro du c ti o n .

Athletics Par ti cipati o n in th e Prov id e n c e Day athleti c pro gram all ows stud e nt-athletes to pursu e exc elle n c e, build lasting relati o nships , and grow physi c all y and e m oti o nall y. S tud e nts in seve nth and eighth grad es have th e o pp o r tuni t y to par ti cipate in a var iet y of team sp o r ts . T h e athleti c d e par tm e nt is c o mmi t te d to d evel o ping th e wh ole p e rso n by inte grating exc elle n c e in e du c ati o n and athleti c c o mp eti ti o n . A s an ex te nsi o n of th e classro o m , th e athleti c pro gram pro m otes sp o r tsmanship, c o mmi tm e nt , c harac te r, resp e c t , and inte gr i t y, instilling lifel o ng valu es and foste r ing m eaning f ul p e rso nal grow th fo r each stud e nt-athlete.

G o C h a rg e rs !

Alumni C ommunit y Prov id e n c e Day S ch o ol pro udl y e ngag es a v ibrant n et wo r k of m o re than 4 , 0 0 0 alumni wh o re main par t of o ur c o mmuni t y l o ng af te r graduati o n . Eve r y P D graduate and fo r m e r stud e nt b el o ngs to th e A lumni A sso ciati o n , whi ch supp o r ts th e sch o ol ’s missi o n thro ugh eve nts , professi o nal n et wo r k ing , volunte e r o pp o r tuni ties , and lifel o ng c o nn e c ti o ns while c ele brating alumni achieve m e nts . O ur alumni and th eir families are always par t of th e P D famil y.

Pare nt C ommunit y A ll Prov id e n c e Day pare nts are m e mb e rs of th e Pare nts’ A sso ciati o n , wh ose missi o n is to c ollab o rate wi th th e sch o ol to foste r a v ibrant c o mmuni t y thro ugh volunte e r ac ti v i ties , fell owship o pp o r tuni ties , and f undraising eve nts that supp o r t families , facul t y, and st af f. Addi ti o nall y, pare nts are e n c o urag e d to join th e Charg e r Club, whi c h stre ng th e ns th e athle ti c ex p e r ie n c e thro ugh f undraising and volunte e r ism , and th e Fr ie nds of th e A r ts , whi ch supp o r ts th e v isual and p e r fo r ming ar ts .

My wife always says to ‘bloom where you’re planted,’ and PD is a very fertile place. Not only are the parents very supportive of each other, but I have found our kids’ friends within the PD community are wonderful people, and are developing into wonderful young adults. John Olin, father of students in the classes of 2020, 2022, and 2023

Campus Providence Day cultivates a vibrant, active environment full of innovative spaces. Our campus supports a year-round slate of activities, programs, celebrations, and events. Scan the QR code to explore an interactive map or visit w w w.providenceday.org /around-campus/campus-map.

To ex plo re the applic atio n pro c ess , v isit w w w. p r ov i d e n c e d ay.o r g /a d m i s s i o n s. Follow Prov ide nc e Day :

We exist to inspire.

Prov ide nc e Day S ch o ol 5 8 0 0 S ardis Ro ad Char lot te, N C 28 270 70 4 . 8 87.6 0 0 0 pds . admissio ns @ prov ide nc e day.o rg