PDS Admissions Lower School Viewbook

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. The pathways to each child’s future are car ved by movement, engagement, collaboration, intentional design, and the use of technology as learning tools.

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 r School 109 Lfaowe culty members in 769 sgtrau dd ee ns tTs K–5

Average students per class:

16 19 20–21 22–23 TK

248 faa ccrou lstsy aml ledmi vbiesriso n s

K

G ra d e 1

G ra d e s 2–5

of color 38% students (self-repor ted)

s c h o o l -w i d e fa c u l t y m e m b e r s 72 soft uodrei gnitnc o u n t r i e s 152 w i t h a d va n c e d d e g re e s

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 etaile 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 Prov id e n c e Day S ch o ol und e rst ands that th e key to gl o bal ci tize nship is foste r ing an e qui table, in clusi ve c o mmuni t y of b el o nging . We d e e pl y valu e th e v ibrant ar ray of cul tures , religi o ns , rac es , sexual o r ie ntati o ns , so ci o e c o n o mi c backgro unds , and c o untr ies of o r igin , am o ng oth e r cul tural id e ntif ie rs that add to o ur stre ng th as a c o mmuni t y.

T h e O f f i c e of Equi t y, In clusi o n , and B el o nging supp o r ts , d evel o ps , and foste rs a sch o ol c o mmuni t y that ref le c ts th e in creasing di ve rsi t y in o ur nati o n and across th e gl o b e. We str i ve to d evel o p in o ur stud e nts an abili t y to appre ciate, valu e, and resp e c t th e dif fe re n c es and c o mm o nali ties am o ng m e mb e rs of o ur sch o ol c o mmuni t y and th ose in th e larg e r wo r ld aro und us . We are c o mmi t te d to cul ti vating an in clusi ve e nv iro nm e nt thro ugh var i o us pro gramming , ci v i c dial o gu e, and cur r i culum .

Social Responsibilit y & Characte r Education S o cial resp o nsibili t y is wove n thro ugh o u t th e cur r i culum at Prov id e n c e Day. We e mphasize cul ti vating a se nse of c o nn e c ti o n to o ur c o mmuni t y and th e wo r ld and tak ing ac ti o n to c o ntr ibu te to th e li ves of oth e rs . In Lowe r S ch o ol , o ur teach e rs guid e stud e nts to ex pl o re grati tud e, ref le c ti o n , and c o mmuni t y e ngag e m e nt o pp o r tuni ties . S tud e nts fo cus o n d evel o ping esse ntial c harac te r trai ts as th ey pro gress thro ugh Lowe r S c h o o l: • 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 str i ves to d evel o p th e wh ole child , whi ch in clud es an inte nti o nal and th o ught f ul e mphasis o n S o cial - E m oti o nal Lear ning (S E L). Eve r y day, wh eth e r dur ing classro o m instr u c ti o n o r less str u c ture d ac ti v i ties su ch as re c ess o r lun ch , we l o o k fo r o pp o r tuni ties to h elp Lowe r S ch o ol stud e nts d evel o p and f in e -tun e th eir S E L sk ills . E ach Lowe r S ch o ol classro o m has a Lead Teach e r and a f ull -tim e A ssistant Teach e r, many wi th ex te nsi ve training in th e Resp o nsi ve Classro o m m o d el. A ll teach e rs appre ciate th e valu e of building a s afe and nur tur ing classro o m c o mmuni t y. Eve r y day b e gins wi th a m o r ning m e eting in each classro o m , a favo r i te ro u tin e f ille d wi th ac ti v i ties that all ow stud e nts to share and c o nn e c t wi th oth e rs . O th e r esse ntial c o mp o n e nts of Lowe r S ch o ol S E L are lesso ns o n mindf uln ess and re gulating dail y e m oti o ns .

T h e Zo n es of Re gulati o n lesso ns prov id e a c o mm o n f ram ewo r k fo r Lowe r S ch o ole rs to re c o gnize, ex press , and discuss th eir e m oti o ns wi th pare nts , teac h e rs , c o unsel o rs , and classmates .

Lowe r S ch o ol has t wo f ull -tim e c o unsel o rs wh o guid e and supp o r t o ur stud e nts’ S E L n e e ds . C o unsel o rs par tn e r wi th stud e nts , teach e rs , and families to nav igate th e sch o ol year to pro m ote grow th and well - b eing fo r all. T h ey sp e nd quali t y tim e in classro o ms , teac h c harac te r e du c ati o n lesso ns , wo r k wi th stud e nts indi v iduall y and in gro ups , and c o nsul t wi th pare nts , professi o nals , and facul t y m e mb e rs .

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 to ols . 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 se c o nd - 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 new T K-12 curricular framework that weaves the topics of in novation, desig n, e ntre 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 during the summer of 2022 , 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 cul ti vates i ts v ibrant n et wo r k of ove r 4 , 0 0 0 alumni , wh o are v i t al to o ur sch o ol c o mmuni t y. A ll P D graduates and fo r m e r stud e nts are c o nsid e re d m e mb e rs of th e A lumni A sso ciati o n . We are c o mmi t te d to supp o r ting P D’s missi o n and su c c ess thro ugh eve nts , n et wo r k ing o pp o r tuni ties , and o ur alumni sp e cif i c plat fo r m , P D C o nn e c t . Eve n af te r graduati o n , all alums are #A lways ACharg e r !

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. Explore an interactive map at w w w. p rov i d e n c e d ay.o rg /a ro u n d - c a m p u s /c a m p u s- m a p.

To ex pl o re th e appli c ati o n pro c ess , v isi t 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.

F o ll ow P rov id e n c e Day :

We exist to inspire.

Prov id e n c e Day S ch o ol 5 8 0 0 S ardis Ro ad Char l ot te, N C 28 270 70 4 . 8 87.6 0 0 0 p ds . admissi o ns @ prov id e n c e day.o rg