Academics - Town School

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At the heart of our educational philosophy is the belief that learning is a fine balance of academic effort, social interaction, physical activity, and artistic expression. From kindergarten through eighth grade, we strive to educate the whole child, helping each boy to develop and achieve his potential as an individual and as a student. We want our students to enjoy learning in an environment that is both stimulating and caring. To this end we have created an academic program we feel:

Is attached to the lives and cultures of our learners and to the world beyond the classroom
Attracts students
Is based on the principles of knowledge that support problem solving and knowledge production within a discipline
Consistently fuels understanding by guiding students in making sense of their worlds
Helps students organize and retain the important ideas and skills in a discipline, providing coherence to the knowledge they are acquiring
Moves beyond information to higher level thinking and to better understand about one's own thought processes
Actively involves students as doers and problem solvers
Calls on students to use what they learn in ways that demonstrate the efficacy of the ideas and skills, and
Is designed to support transfer of learning

Lower School
The fundamental mission of our Lower School is to nurture our youngest students' natural intellectual curiosity and excitement about learning and to develop the core competencies that they will need to excel. To fulfill this mission, we have two full-time teachers in every Lower School classroom, which means plentiful one-on-one time with each child.

The curriculum for kindergarten through fourth grades cover a broad range of basic skills in content areas that are interesting and fun for our students. In the Lower School, our boys become proficient readers, writers, and oral communicators, meeting daily in small language arts groups that use phonics-based materials and award-winning children's literature. Our mathematics program integrates manipulatives, standard computation, and innovative techniques, leading to both a mastery of skills and to the confidence that comes from using mathematical thinking to solve real-life problems. The Lower School program also includes social studies, with an emphasis on cultural diversity, and a hands-on science curriculum. Music, art, glee club, and physical education complement the academic program in all grades, and literature club, drama, bells or recorder, woodshop, and photography begin in the third grade. At all grade levels, state-of-the-art technology, including Internet access, is integrated with classroom activities and is used as a learning tool across the curriculum.

Click here to enter the Lower School.

Upper School
Building on the solid foundation laid in grades K-4, the upper school curriculum includes increasingly advanced study in literature, composition, and creative writing, ancient and modern history, mathematics, social studies, geography, economics, and the earth, life and physical sciences. Research, study and time management skills are also developed and refined. Each fifth grade student purchases a laptop in late fall, ensuring that the use of technology is an integrated part of the curriculum within the classes -- rather than existing as a separate thread. Beginning in grade five, students can choose either French or Spanish, and Latin is a required course in grade six. Complementing the core academic program, we provide opportunities for each boy to pursue other areas of interest -- art, music, community service, athletics, drama, student council, desktop publishing, photography and public speaking.

At Town School, the boys do come first. Our teachers continually engage in professional development activities to ensure that they provide appropriate boy schooling in an environment that is supportive and challenging. They serve as guides for our students during class, in small discussion groups, or on the field. Their dedication and caring to the well-being of each boy -- the whole boy -- help us create a community where learning is prized and love of school is essential.