Lower School

List of 6 items.

• Our teachers love their students

  Experienced, dedicated teachers are the heart of our Lower School
  At Highland, our teachers love their students. On average, our Lower School faculty has been at Highland for more than 15 years and they are constantly evolving to keep up with the needs and interests of their students. Our teachers are free to mold their lessons to the interests of the children and their questions, curiosity, and concerns. We also have dedicated learning specialists available in our Learning Center to help identify potential challenges–both academic and social–to help keep the students and their class on track.

• We're proud of our LEED certified Lower School

  Our LEED-certified building creates a healthy environment for students

  The Lower School calls “home” a contemporary, LEED-certified building where bright colors, natural lighting, and numerous “green” features abound. The facilities provide not only a healthy environment but also a beautiful space in which students have the perfect opportunity for learning. We promote conservation of the air, soil, and water, and promote the recycling of plastic, aluminum and white paper through education. Recycle bins and compost collectors are evident everywhere. The compost is spread in the school’s gardens.

• Community service is key to a complete education

  Community service in the Lower School

  Community service is another important component of a Highland Lower School education. Through the Director’s Council, students collect much-needed food and supplies for local charities such as the nearby food bank, emergency shelter, SPCA, Head Start or FISH. During the collection periods, students and faculty discuss the needs and deliver the collections to the charity. Other opportunities include Family Service Day every spring and voluntary contributions for Dig Pink, Finley’s Green Leap Forward and RoboHawks.

• 'Responsive Classroom' Drives Daily Interaction

  Daily interaction is key to 'Responsive Classroom'

  With the philosophy that “When an entire school is infused with a sense of community, the effects of community building in classrooms are enhanced,” students are benefitting from the Lower School Responsive Classroom techniques. Not only do homeroom students gather each morning to greet each other and share ideas, but the entire Lower School gathers once a month for Chilton Chats in which they discuss citizenship and rules and apply the subjects to books they may be reading in the classroom or to real-life scenarios. An important component of the Responsive Classroom is getting parents involved in their students’ learning.

• Our families are involved

  Parent involvement is critical

  Whether parents are invited to be guest readers at lunchtime, Parent Buddy readers during class, or participants in STEAM nights, families are encouraged to be active at Highland. For several years the Lower School has added an emphasis on learning experiences that integrate Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM). Using programs that transfer knowledge across the curriculum makes learning more relevant and fun. Lego, FOSS, MakerSpace, and EduDrone are only a few of the programs we use. Our youngest students are building circuits, designing bridges and launching rockets! And, parents get to help.

• Our unique Village Garden and Outdoor Classroom

  Highland's classrooms are not limited by walls

  Our Village Garden and Outdoor Classroom outside the back of the Chilton Village allows faculty to extend more classroom study to the outdoors. Our Monarch butterfly garden is a great way for the children to experience firsthand what we are teaching in the classroom. They have opportunities to study in these non-traditional environments and participate in meaningful experiences while planting, observing, maintaining or crafting projects.