Rumsey Hall School: Lower School

Fostering the JOY OF LEARNING

RUMSE Y HALL SCHOOL

• FOR STUDENTS in Pre-Kindergarten through Fifth Grade, we offer a warm, welcoming community where each child’s unique talents and contributions are celebrated. In small classes teachers tailor instruction and encouragement to each child’s learning style and needs.

• A NATURAL EXTENSION of the classroom, Rumsey’s spectacular 231-acre campus provides opportunities for students to study, explore, and play year-round.

• RUMSEY’S UPPER SCHOOL (Grades 6–9) and Junior Boarding Programs (Grades 5–9) allow for significant collaborations between younger and older students and draw a diverse population of students from around the world.

• OUR WHOLE-CHILD APPROACH to education rewards effort, and our core values of honesty, kindness, and respect build leadership.

• BY FOSTERING JOY in learning, we set a path for students to lead meaningful, fulfilling lives of citizenship and service.

honesty kindness respect

Pre-K & Kindergarten

AT RUMSEY, our Kindergarten students are known as “Kindies,” an affectionate term that captures the curiosity and energy of this age. In spacious, light-filled classrooms, students in Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten engage in play-based and developmentally appropriate activities that introduce them to a wide range of subjects and nurture their innate desire to learn.

IN PRE-KINDERGARTEN, the curriculum focuses on the perfect blend of exploration-based play and teacher-led investigation. We cultivate an ideal community for three- and four-year-olds to exercise their budding imaginations and develop an appreciation for the importance of effort. In Kindergarten, students gain increasing independence as they engage in hands-on activities. Rumsey’s skilled teachers empower our youngest students to connect with a discovery-based style of learning they can take with them throughout their academic and social-emotional journey.

Afternoon Enrichment

enrichment athletics

skills

Rumsey’s Afternoon Enrichment Program (AEP) for Lower School students runs from 3:15 to 4:15 p.m. daily and offers a wide range of arts, athletics, and academic activities. Blue Dog Sewing Club, Ceramics, Woodshop, and Winter Survival Skills are a sampling of popular offerings. Fridays in the Neighborhood gives students unstructured time for play, exploration of campus, and being with friends. In Fifth Grade, students may choose to participate in a variety of Upper School sports during AEP time.

First through Fifth Grade

our students’ days are filled with an educational program that balances academics, outdoor activities, creativity and the arts, and time for friendship. In a close-knit community where every child is recognized and encouraged, our teachers work with students individually to foster their intellectual, social, emotional, and physical growth. Experienced in teaching students with a range of learning styles, Rumsey teachers are practiced at supporting each child’s unique path in learning.

IN THE LOWER SCHOOL

Public Speaking

Starting in Pre-Kindergarten, every student gives a declamation each year by reading a poem, making a presentation, or sharing a project with the grade or school. Starting in Third Grade, students help to lead Morning Meeting by announcing news items such as sports scores and the weather to the entire Lower School. Rumsey’s public speaking program builds confidence and leadership skills as students prepare for the Upper School and years beyond.

personalized guidance

THE FOUNDATIONAL CURRICULUM in language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies is centered in Lower School classrooms and taught by classroom teachers. This allows teachers to give students personalized guidance in reading, writing, and math in particular. Specialists teach co-curricular classes in world languages, art, music, library/information literacy, health, and physical education. Lower School classes incorporate experiential learning through hands-on activities and emphasize an interdisciplinary approach that fully prepares students to think critically and act globally as they mature.

Outdoor Education

WE BELIEVE THAT SPENDING time outdoors is essential to every child’s health and development. Our unique setting in the Litchfield Hills, on a spectacular campus bordered by the Shepaug and Bantam Rivers, allows for time outside each day. Lower School students enjoy outdoor recess and homemade cookies at mid-morning, walk between buildings for special classes and lunch, and study the environment of our ponds, rivers, and woods. Treasure Island, Rumsey’s outdoor classroom, offers all students a place to investigate the natural sciences.

Rumsey Community

The 336 students who attend Rumsey come from 25 local communities, 14 states, and 10 countries. Lower School students represent towns throughout Northwest Connecticut. In the Upper School, the mix of day and boarding students includes international students from all over the world. Being a member of our vibrant, diverse community is an invaluable educational experience that fosters cultural awareness, open-mindedness, and global understanding.

diverse global

culture

WE LOOK FORWARD TO WELCOMING YOU to campus and giving you a tour of our beautiful facilities. Arrange for a campus visit to see for yourself the warmth and excitement that fill our classrooms. We believe your child and your family will find a home at Rumsey, where the joy of learning runs through every day.