Lower School

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I love our personal approach to education. We truly do take each child where they are and take them as far as they go. We offer a variety of enrichment activities for those who are performing above grade level and give extra help and support to those who need it.

- Marcy Driskill, Retired Oakhill 1st Grade Teacher

Discover Lower School

Students in Kindergarten through Fourth grade are part of the Lower School division at Oakhill. These students are just beginning to exercise independence by learning time management and organization skills while taking more intellectual risks in their academic work. In addition to the core subjects of Science, Math, Communication Arts, and social students, students also engage in Physical Education, Art, Spanish, Music, and Techbrary, which are not just special classes but are a vital piece of Lower School core curriculum.

Start Your Journey

Join us at Oakhill's Lower School Program and unlock a world of possibilities. Ignite your curiosity, pursue your passions, and embrace the exciting opportunities that await. Discover an education that is as distinctive as you are, and embark on a transformative experience that will shape your future. Your journey starts here, at Oakhill's Lower School Program.

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Grade Level Highlights

Kindergarten

Kindergarten is full of special curriculum days that make a student's first year of elementary school memorable and fun!

Scarecrow Day
50th Day Celebration
Grinch Day
70's Day
100th Day
Bear Day
Hatching Chicks
Graduation

Reading buddies is a special time for kindergarten and 8th-grade students to build relationships throughout the school year.

Kindergarten students become more independent and responsible for much of their learning.

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First Grade

Integration is extensive in First Grade. First grade uses social studies projects as a way to motivate and drive instruction. These units also lend themselves to the application of communication arts and math skills.

Examples of this include:

Flat Stanley

Students read the Flat Stanley book and discuss the characters, cause, and effect, etc. Then students send their own "Flat First Graders" out to our friends and family worldwide. Each student's flat first grader's journey allows the class to study climates, geography, map skills, and the culture of the different states and countries of travel.

First graders also need appropriate times for meaningful social interaction throughout the day. We provide time for this during lunch, recess, partner work, and cooperative classroom activities.

Second Grade

Students get their first introduction to cursive and learn proper posture, paper placement, and formation. This helps prepare them for further cursive instruction in third grade. Students are always excited to learn this new skill!
Second grade students integrate reading, writing, and social studies skills extensively throughout the year combining skills and projects. One major highlight of this integration includes learning about the history of Negro League Baseball and Kansas City area Jazz Musicians. This unit culminates with a research project that includes student choice, technology, writing, and presentation. There is also a field trip to the Kansas City Jazz and Negro Leagues Baseball museum that is part of the unit.
There is a strong emphasis on phonics, spelling patterns and syllables in combination with the Pathways to Reading program in second grade, which prepares students for further spelling and vocabulary instruction in third grade.

Third Grade

Third Grade is a transitional year at Oakhill as we prepare to send these students off to our Intermediate Division in the South Campus Building.

Our goal during the third-grade year is to:

Provide daily enrichment opportunities
Foster critical thinking skills
Teach upper-level math and problem-solving skills
Foster independence
Create a healthy and welcoming classroom family where kids can be their authentic self and feel known
Individualize instruction

As the oldest students in the Main Campus Building, these students have taken on leadership roles amongst their peers.

Curriculum Overview

Lower School in Action!

Lower School Staff

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Kaylyn Clevenger

LS Second Grade Teacher

Summer Craven

2nd grade teacher

Jodi Egbert

LS First Grade Teacher

Kristin Forsen

LS Teacher, Director of Curriculum

The mission of the Lower School Division at Oakhill Day School is to provide a student centered curriculum where students in Kindergarten through 3rd grade develop knowledge, character education, and critical thinking skills to become life-long learners in a nurturing environment.