Lower School
Our Lower School provides an inspiring, nurturing, and joyful environment rooted in a foundation of faith and spirituality, where students develop a profound love of learning and the confidence to achieve ambitious goals. Our approach to teaching and learning is grounded in the belief that every child has unique gifts and a valuable perspective. Teachers cultivate a deep sense of belonging and children develop friendships that last a lifetime.
As you walk through the halls of the Lower School you will hear the buzz of children’s voices engaged in discovery: asking and answering questions, working on a group project, debating ideas, telling a joke, sharing a family tradition, and communicating their insights about our world. Our dedicated faculty work in partnership with families to ensure that HCA students develop the academic and social skills that will guide them to lead lives of great purpose.
- Small class sizes empower children to develop their voice and take risks in their learning as they embark on new challenges. Teachers provide individualized support that honors the learning style and development of each student. Our curriculum is interdisciplinary in nature with science and social studies concepts embedded throughout.
- We take a holistic approach to literacy that includes explicit instruction in phonics and grammar, as well as a robust reading workshop that includes interactive read aloud, shared reading, guided reading, and independent reading with teacher coaching. Students engage with a wide range of genres and texts that spark their interest, support fluency and comprehension, and ignite a love of reading.
- At HCA, we believe in the power of writing! Through a daily writing workshop, students engage with a variety of writing genres including narrative, informational, and opinion writing. In upper elementary grades, students work on literary essays, persuasive writing, research strategies, & discipline-based writing. Our goal is to give students the tools, skills, motivation, and opportunity to discover their voice as a thinker and writer.
- Our dynamic approach to math instruction is focused on cultivating a deep, conceptual understanding of big ideas through fun and engaging lessons. A key feature of our program is the CPA (Concrete, Pictorial, Abstract) learning progression. Different from rote memorization, students are introduced to new concepts through concrete, hands-on materials. As they gain new understandings, they move onto pictorial or visual representations of the concepts. Ultimately, children apply their skills to abstract representations and equations. We promote flexible thinking, emphasize process over product, and invite children to make their thinking visible.
- We nurture student’s spirituality through daily prayer, monthly Mass, and ongoing service projects. Students participate in a scripture-based social-emotional program called Friendzy. Second grade students prepare for and receive their First Reconciliation and First Communion on campus.
- Lower School students participate in a myriad of enrichment classes including visual arts, music, performing arts, physical education, library, technology, and language – including Spanish, French, & Italian.
