Lower School

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Beginning a lifelong

Love of learning

The Lower School provides a strong foundation for learning and discovery for our youngest Spartans. From an early age, Steward students discover that the world is a fascinating place. Hands-on learning, engineering challenges, field trips, and performances are all integrated into the academic curriculum at every level to ensure deep learning and meaningful connections.

The journey of a Lower School student spans a wide range of skills and development as the children learn about themselves, their communities, and the world through social studies, mathematics, reading and writing, science, and more. The core academic content is complemented by a deliberate integration of our specials: Spanish, engineering, art, music, theatre, character education, library, physical education, and computational thinking. Students in the Lower School develop a strong sense of themselves as learners and thinkers.

Our experience shows that with our small classes and high degree of personal attention, students can be introduced to a broad spectrum of content at a young age. In the process of gaining skills and mastery, our students learn to ask questions, apply reason to their problem solving, and think critically about their learning.

By the end of Lower School, your child will have learned how to read, calculate, navigate challenges, and more. More than anything else, they will have established a love of learning that should persist throughout their remaining years in school.

Tour the Lower School!

Questions? Contact Us

List of 2 members.

Becky Groves

Acting Director of Lower School

(804) 740-3394 x2311
Jay Parrish

LS Division Assistant

(804) 740-3394 x2310

List of 2 items.

Activities
The Lower School incorporates many exciting festivities and traditions through the year including:
- Beach Day
- Destination Imagination
- Lower School Spirit Night
- Fall Carnival
- Field Day
- Fifth-Grade Leadership Program
- Grandparents and Special Friends Day
- Holiday Program
- Minds in Motion
- Oratorical Program
- Student Talent Night
Facilities
Dixon Hall houses the Lower School with 18 classrooms, a dining commons, library, the Innovation Station, a conference room, staff offices, tutoring areas, nurse’s clinic, and the offices of the Center for the Advancement of Learning. In addition to Dixon Hall, the Lower School students use the Athletic Center for PE and the Cramer Center for the Arts on a daily basis. These state-of-the-art facilities enhance our programs and offer more opportunities for advancement.

Highlights of Dixon Hall include:
- Administrative Wing: The primary entrance for the Lower School houses offices for the Director of Lower School, the academic dean, and the division assistant
- 18 classrooms each equipped with Smartboards, document cameras, and ipads
- Conference room for meetings
- Innovation Station: A dedicated space, complete with full kitchen, for hands-on projects, making, and Computational Thinking for all Lower School students
- Library: Expanded facility with capacity for 15,000 volumes
- Charlotte’s Corner: A special reading nook, honoring former Lower School Director Weezie Wiltshire
- Dining Commons: A dedicated eating facility for Lower School students (Grades K-4), also utilized as a home for the AfterSchool Care program, as well as Lower School assemblies and the Minds in Motion program
- Center for the Advancement of Learning