Beginning & Lower School

all school assembly in Davis-Grant Varsity Soccer Field fall 2021
2nd graders doing basketball drills in mini-gym

In the Beginning and Lower School, we honor childhood. We give students the time and space to be young and provide the framework for them to develop confidence in who they are, inspiring them to be big. Our teachers are masterful experts at attending to every child’s cognitive, emotional, and physical development while harnessing the power of curiosity.

Students at Catlin Gabel learn the power of their questions and develop the skills and confidence to uncover the answers while our experiential, inquiry-based curriculum sparks a joyful relationship to learning. Students learn to listen to others, appreciate different perspectives, and work together to solve problems. We place an emphasis on understanding the lived experiences of others and acting with kindness. While becoming strong community members, students establish an appreciation for the diversity and complexity of the world.

The curriculum includes not only reading, writing, math, and social studies, but also modern languages, the arts, technology, and sciences, which are taught by specialty teachers. Classes are taught both as single-subject areas and in combination with each other, as they are in the real-world. This means students have classes that integrate social studies and sciences with music, the visual arts, and woodshop.

Curriculum Overview

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Experiential Learning

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The Outdoors

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Community Engagement

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