Lower School
"My teachers help me get better and better, and they make it fun."
The well-planned pedagogical approach in the Maternelle is maintained and reinforced each year at French American, and continues into Lower School. The curriculum continues in both English and French in a way that makes learning exciting and challenging, while meeting the high standards of the U.S. and French educational systems. Students begin Grade 1 with a great sense of resourcefulness and independence, thanks to their blossoming bilingualism and their increased confidence and self-esteem.
As children progress through Lower School, they begin to see themselves in relation to others and think beyond their immediate emotional needs. They learn self-sufficiency as well as collaboration. They are encouraged to speak for themselves and express their own thoughts and questions logically, as well as actively listen to their classmates and teachers.
Collaborating with classmates and teachers from around the globe introduces our students to different cultures and puts them ahead of their peers and other schools in their understanding of diversity. Our English- and French-speaking teachers collaborate in their teaching to enhance the bilingual experience for our students.
By the time our students complete Grade 5, they have put their bilingual skills into action by staying with a host family in France for two weeks, and are inquisitive thinkers and risk-taking learners. Students enter Middle School with confidence, curiosity, and autonomy.
"Through our social emotional learning program, our students become empathetic listeners, cooperative partners, and responsible individuals."
Pauline Dides,
Lower School Principal
Opportunities for independence, responsibility, and global citizenship around every corner.