Our Lower School program is guided by our
mission and history. Buckley’s program blends tradition and structure with a developmental methodology that engages students in active learning and allows our teachers to address differences in student learning styles. We place a heavy emphasis on the development of compassionate children.
Talented Teachers
Two teachers manage each classroom in kindergarten through third grade; associate teachers in fourth and fifth grade work with the homeroom classes; and a deep roster of talented specialists teach subjects from science and math to art, dance, and theatre. Our talented teachers are active in professional development and, as a group, are engaged in learning about current brain research and its implications for education and the classroom. Based on this learning, we have reduced the amount of homework we assign.
Focus on Mastery
Our kindergarten program focuses on social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development. In grades one and two, the emphasis shifts to the process of acquiring learning skills and strategies in core academic disciplines. As students gain mastery of reading and writing in the upper grades of Lower School, understanding how to learn and gaining self-knowledge as learners become central as student prepare for the academic challenges of
Middle School.
Literacy & Writing
We have special programs for the development of literacy skills. Our literature-based reading program is designed to develop in students a love of reading and skills in decoding, comprehension, listening, thinking, and understanding story structure. Our writing workshop program spans all grades and has led to a dramatic increase in our standardized WrAP (writing assessment) scores.
Specialized Classes
Across all grades, students are immersed in a rich program of weekly specialized classes, including computer science, dance, theatre, visual arts, music, and physical education. We believe that physical education and arts education are among the core components of academic success.