The Lower School (Grades 1-5)

With small classes to permit close personal attention, the Lower School curriculum flows with the child’s intellectual development. There is an emphasis on achieving proficiency in and enthusiasm for reading, writing, and mathematical concepts. “Young ones should not sit still too long but move about the class,” Cornelia Connelly wrote. In the Lower School, the lessons engage students’ active young minds and bodies.

You might come upon second graders in the hallway carefully laying out pieces of string to help them visualize how truly enormous the blue whale is, or doing math problems that have real-life connections: “How minutes old are you right now?”

Music, French, computer studies, hands-on science, social studies, physical education, and religious instruction give richness and variety to the school day. There is an intramural sports program after school for children in third and fourth grade. Field trips to local attractions like the Cold Spring Harbor Labs and the Planting Fields Arboretum add to the excitement of learning that is so visible at Holy Child.