EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
Elementary School (K-5)
Elementary School
At Sant Bani School, a student’s elementary school years are spent learning and honing foundational skills. Our hope for our students is that they look forward to coming to school every day. To achieve this, we value imagination and creativity that allows students to explore the world around them, while connecting what they are learning in class to real-life experiences. Concepts are taught according to age-appropriate developmental readiness, building toward the skills a student will need in the next year’s grade. Student growth is measured not through grades, but by various standards and narrative reports that provide a more detailed picture of a student’s strengths and areas for improvement than a letter grade can indicate.
Our elementary school students are grouped into two separate cohorts, grades K-2 and grades 3-5. Curriculums for each cohort are designed to be complementary and comprehensive, combining elements of a traditional classroom with place-based, experiential learning. Click on the boxes below to learn more about each cohort.
Sant Bani School’s K-2 curriculum focuses on teaching students foundational learning skills, developing social-emotional skills, and honing fine motor skills. Students achieve this through a combination of individual and collaborative work, both in the classroom and outside throughout the school day. Students can expect to take part in fun, engaging, and hands-on activities to help stimulate the learning experience.
- Three highlights for K-2 students include: Partnering with Middle School students for Reading Buddies and the Monarch Migration. Students are paired with a sixth grade buddy in Kindergarten, and remain with that student throughout the next two years. In the Monarch Migration, sixth graders help Kindergarteners act out the migration cycle of the Monarch Butterfly to conclude the Kindergarten’s fall term study of the butterflies.
- Taking part in the Mock Caldecott program, and then watching the actual Caldecott medal ceremony. Throughout the fall and early winter, we read books that have been chosen as potential Caldecott winners, and then choose our own Caldecott winners. The event culminates when we watch the Caldecott awards and see which of our picks won an actual medal.
- In late-May, the K-2 Museum is the culmination of a year of study about a particular theme. Students prepare displays that relate to the theme, and share what they’ve learned with their families and other students. Second graders serve as the museum tour guides.
By the end of second grade, students are ready to make the transition to the Upper Building for third grade.
Grades 3, 4, and 5 are located in the Upper Building, which represents an increased independence and responsibility for students as they travel to-and-from the building throughout the day without an adult. The curriculum and learning objectives for these transformative years are designed to hone the skills developed in grades K-2 while preparing students for middle school. The first opportunity to take on formal leadership comes in fourth grade, when students begin leading the daily Morning Meeting. Fourth grade also is the first year students can become an older “buddy” to a younger student, as they will occasionally partner with Little Swans, Kindergarten, and first grade.
Students in grades 3-5 gain additional options to participate in extracurricular activities: third grade is the first year students are permitted to participate in the Enrichment Play, and in fifth grade students may join the School’s interscholastic sports teams.
A focus of the 3-5 cohort is beginning to connect with the community around us. In fourth grade, students make the 30-minute trip to Concord to visit the state capitol building and learn about the local government. Fifth graders participate in the annual Kid Governor contest, and even if a SBS student is not selected, the class will often opt to support the cause chosen by the Kid Governor; for instance, one year the class collected 500 pairs of socks to donate to a local homeless shelter.