Foundational Years - Grades 1-3
Encouraging inquiry, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking!
Our Primary Years program builds strong foundational skills, balancing academics with social, emotional and whole-child development.
Community, Connection
& Character
building self-awareness, empathy, and positive contributions to our community.
Social and emotional learning is integrated into daily life and learning. Through community time, collaborative activities, guided discussions, and explicit social stories, students develop self-awareness, empathy, emotional regulation, and positive relationship skills.
Children learn to communicate effectively, solve problems respectfully, and navigate social situations with confidence. By embedding these experiences throughout the school day, we foster a caring community where every child feels valued, connected, and supported in their growth.
Explicit Literacy Foundations
laying the groundwork for successful, happy and confident readers!
Early literacy skills are built through explicit phonics instruction combining the best of the UFLI (University of Florida Literacy Institute) framework, Jolly Phonics, and the Heggerty approach. Students are screened on an ongoing basis, allowing us to identify strengths and areas for growth early. When needed, we provide individualized 1:1 interventions and targeted support to ensure every child develops strong phonemic awareness and foundational skills for confident engagement in a rich variety of reading comprehension experiences and structured writing instruction.
Foundational Years Math
making practical connections to the world around us
In Grades 1-3, math instruction balances hands-on, visual exploration with structured, traditional learning. Students build number sense and foundational skills by counting, sorting and patterning with manipulatives, and through engaging in deliberately designed math-rich play. With solid math foundations in place, students develop collaborative problem-solving to deepen conceptual understanding, while also building fluency through direct instruction and purposeful practice. Lessons move from concrete to pictorial to abstract, ensuring students not only know how to solve problems, but understand why strategies work. This balanced approach builds confidence, accuracy, and strong mathematical skills.
Outdoor Learning
bringing the classroom into nature!
Weather permitting, Foundational Years students enjoy some of their core subject lessons with additional time outdoors; they explore topics such as ecosystems and habitats, gardening, photosynthesis, map making, journaling and story telling, drama and fine arts, as well as indigenous culture, traditions and beliefs. Our goal is to build strong conservationists and advocates for the environment by making connections to nature and bringing our classroom to the outdoors!
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In addition, students have two 40-minute recess breaks each day, as well as a 30 minute end-of-day break at dismissal, to support physical well-being, collaboration, and experiential learning.
Technology in the Classroom
asking questions, finding answers, thinking critically!
Technology is limited and purposeful in the foundational years. It is used selectively to reinforce skills through targeted phonics or math applications, to support research in developmentally appropriate ways, or to mark a special occasion with a shared class film. Our focus remains on discussion, critical thinking, handwriting, reading, and authentic problem-solving.
