Lower School

     A strong elementary education program is the foundation for later academic success at Albemarle School. Through a low teacher-pupil ratio and emphasis on mastering the "basic" of the core curriculum, the elementary school stimulates the student’s intellectual development. Supplemented by fun and creative extracurricular activity programs, this course of study offers every student a positive experience.

     Academics for the first through fourth graders center on developing crucial language, math, science, and social studies skills. The Open Court reading and language arts program integrates reading and spelling, grammar, vocabulary development, and composition. Math goes beyond memorizing facts. It encompasses the more complex concepts of fractions, decimals, and percentages. Student interest is maintained by constant acquisition of news skills through the use of creative manipulative activities. Science, too, stresses the "hands on" interactive approach, with students, designing, participating in, and evaluating simple experiments. Social studies classes move from an understanding of the community and state to the nation and the world at large. Core studies are enhanced through supplemental instructional services. Experiences in music, computer science, library skills, health, physical education, Spanish, and art, broaden each child’s development. Teacher-parent communication goes beyond the report cards sent home every nine weeks. Through progress reports, phone calls, conferences, and class visits, parents enjoy a close working relationship with their child’s teacher.

     Student Life is exciting and challenging for elementary students. They come to feel a part of the Albemarle School family through participation in athletic events and special assemblies. High School students assisting with physical education, tutorial, and library classes, or just giving encouraging words as younger children pass through the hall to lunch, provide positive role models for elementary students. Within their own small classes, Albemarle School children put learning into action through creative play and class projects.