Lower School

A Message from Alan Lenz, Head of Lower School

Thank you for your interest in Charlotte Preparatory School’s Lower School! With more than 160 students in the Lower School, Charlotte Prep is a close community of educators, students and families. We have two sections of each grade level, kindergarten through fourth grade, and the small size ensures that every single student is a special member of our Charlotte Prep family.

The rigorous curriculum in the Lower School helps to lay a solid foundation of skills upon which the students build each year. Mathematics, language arts, science and social studies are all emphasized. The math curriculum is advanced a year to provide an excellent challenge. In kindergarten through second grades, language arts skills focus on the development of reading comprehension, fluency, grammar, vocabulary and writing. In third and fourth grades, students utilize their dexterity in critical thinking and reasoning to further develop their language arts skills through curriculum materials, novel studies and research projects.

Science and social studies follow the Core Knowledge Sequence. By using Core Knowledge, the students build a broad framework of knowledge based upon prior learning. Kindergarten through second grade students take music, art, computers and physical education classes at least once each week, and Spanish twice each week. Students in third and fourth grades take chorus, recorder, art, computers and physical education once a week, and Spanish twice a week. In addition, third grade students have a keyboarding class once a week.

Each grade level looks forward to special curriculum-driven activities throughout the year. For example, each fall the kindergarteners produce a Native American Pow Wow; first graders study the human body; second graders read the novel Flat Stanley and create their own flat likeness that travels to far-flung locales; third graders create imaginary islands to hone their map-reading skills; and fourth graders make simple and parallel circuit projects to present to classmates and parents.

All students participate in our guidance curriculum that includes monthly lessons on our four pillars of character: respect, integrity, courage and perseverance. This fall’s lessons on respect have included exercises designed to emphasize empathy and conscience.

Outside the classroom, our students are playing on Charlotte Prep soccer teams, participating in clubs like Chess or Girls on the Run, and enjoying a whole host of After School Studios from Martial Arts to Yoga.

This is a place where learning is truly fun, and exciting things happen every day. Please come visit so you can see the fruits of our dynamic curriculum and small setting. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Sincerely,

Alan Lenz

Head of Lower School