Each day St. Michael’s ushers in a world of incredible possibilities for our Lower School students. Through small class sizes and an emphasis on personal care for the individual student, our Lower School program helps establish the roots and foundational competencies for lifelong learning.
Pre-Kindergarten
Preschool at St. Michael’s is referred to as Transitional Kindergarten and represents the first year of a two-year Kindergarten experience. The program serves our youngest learners on campus, children who do not yet meet the age requirement to begin Kindergarten (five years old by or before September 1) as well as children who are age-eligible for Kindergarten but who may benefit from extra time and support for school readiness.
Strong Development and Foundational Academics
The primary goals of Pre-K are to promote strong social-emotional development, oral language development, and foundational academics. Multiple opportunities for purposeful play are an important part of the daily routine. Students have supervised free time inside and outside of the classroom. Student-initiated work is balanced with teacher-directed learning experiences that are shorter in length and infused with integrated learning and movement.
Early Literacy Skills
Early literacy skills will be introduced through exposure to Heggerty Literacy curriculum. Students will also receive enrichment activities through our specials curriculum, including physical education, art, music, science and STEM, and Spanish. Children will also spend time once a week participating in chapel and Mass with the St. Michael’s Lower School students to encourage and build a sense of community and belonging.
At St. Michael’s Lower School, we warmly welcome you into a community that cherishes each child and values the unique journey they embark upon. Our program is thoughtfully crafted to nurture personal growth, foster leadership skills, and instill a deep commitment to service, all within a supportive and inclusive environment. Here, your child will not only excel academically but also flourish spiritually and socially, learning the importance of compassion and respect for others.
As your family considers the journey ahead at St. Michael’s, we invite you to envision the countless opportunities for growth that await your child. From engaging classroom experiences to enriching extracurricular activities, our Lower School program is designed to cultivate well-rounded individuals who are prepared to lead and serve in their communities.
“From the moment we walked through the doors, we felt welcomed and valued as part of the St. Michael’s family. The school has been foundational to our kids’ well-rounded development and confidence. We feel fortunate to have found such a wonderful place for our child’s early education and highly recommend it to other families!”
Our Teachers
St. Michael’s Lower School is committed to upholding high academic expectations. Our best asset, aside from our students, is our highly educated, caring and professional team of educators. Our teachers truly know each of their students and maintain those relationships as students grow. This gives kids a sense of belonging and promotes success by identifying areas of growth and supporting their individual strengths.
A Dynamic Lower School Program
Teachers and students are able to forge authentic, lasting relationships in this supportive environment that ultimately maximize student potential. Grade-level classroom teachers oversee curriculum, instruction, and assessment for language arts, mathematics, social studies, and life skills. This Lower School ‘core’ curriculum in grades Pre-K-4 is enriched through the study of specials classes—including music and art, science and STEM, physical education, and Spanish language.
Lower School Students
Average Class Size
Student to Teacher Ratio
Median Years Teacher Tenure
Music
Our dynamic and engaging music curriculum for Lower School (Grade Pre-K-4) is designed to inspire young learners through an exploration of music using the Orff-Schulwerk approach and Kodály methodology, enriched with hand signs for an immersive and joyful learning experience.
Each year, our Lower School students showcase their learning and celebrate the holiday season with a joyous concert that features traditional and contemporary holiday music. And in the spring, our year-end concert gives students the opportunity to perform pieces they have learned throughout the year, encapsulating the growth in their musical journey.
Our Music Program is committed to nurturing creativity, building musical skills, and fostering a love for music that will last a lifetime.
Science and STEM
STEM program at St. Michaels School provides the foundations for the key science literacies needed for success in STEM. Our curriculum allows students to experience a variety of pedagogical approaches designed to create, develop, and strengthen the neural pathways necessary for scientific literacy.
Students explore various STEM topics in each grade to broadly include biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, and environmental sciences.