Lower School

Lower School (PK3–5)

Loving to Learn Through Joyful Engagement

This is where the magic of learning begins.

The Lower School experience at Carolina Day is rooted in teaching the foundational skills required for reading, writing, and math, then building and solidifying these skills through innovative and creative learning opportunities. Our thoughtful and dynamic curriculum asks students to apply skills in challenging ways through project-based learning and design thinking. This powerful approach is supported and enhanced by the spirit of joyful learning that our educators model in the classroom, inspiring a lifelong love for intellectual pursuit.

In addition to our robust academic curriculum, the Lower School experience includes a rich co-curricular program: Spanish, art, music, STEM, physical education, and library. Interdisciplinary teaching methods are used to reinforce learning goals across our curriculum. Equally important is the emphasis we place on the social and emotional growth of students, which is fostered through character development and service learning. In addition, Lower School leverages the principles and practices from Responsive Classroom and the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence.

Educating the whole child in an environment that is nurturing and supportive is our priority.
 

First page of the PDF file: CDS_LS-AdmissionPacket_16pgs_1042023

Lauren Evans

Lower & Middle School Principal

Lower School Tour

Take a virtual tour of the Lower School!

Antarctica Project

Kindergarten students study the continent of Antarctica and build a research station, sparking interest and better understanding of the larger world around them

Creative Writing - Grade 5

Grade 5 Students learn, develop, and apply writing skills to help them communicate their ideas effectively. 

“I can define kinetic & potential energy and have them retell what I just told them or they can experience and experiment with it themselves and show and tell me about stored energy, transference of energy and energy in motion. Which model creates more understanding?" Grade 4 Teacher Jan Brabham
 

K Teacher Betsey Gaddy in the classroom
Two LS students smiling at one another outside
LS Student working outside
LS student reading in Oreck Library
a PK student high fiving US students during monarch migration
LS students helping each other with work