Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade comprise our Primary School. Children of this age are little sponges, eager to absorb life experiences and information. To that end, the school is a breeding ground for and promoter of exploration, curiosity, questioning and discussion. We believe that children need to enjoy, appreciate and be enthusiastic about learning. Because of our longer school day and year-round calendar, we do not have the unnecessary pressures of testing and end of the year deadlines. With this in mind, our students are taken outside for activities and/or free play 1-3 times per day. The teachers determine what is best for their students, when and how often. The SAE School administration does not.
There is no more important task for the educators at The SAE School than the Reading/Literacy skills of our students. Project-based learning is secondary in the Primary School, as it is our philosophy that students must become excellent fluent readers in order to become successful students and adults.
We stand by this commitment by allocating any personnel, financial, and physical resources necessary in order for our students to strengthen their reading/literacy skills so that once they leave 2nd grade, they are either on or above grade level readers.
All of our literacy and English Language Arts (ELA) teacehrs are trained in and utilize Orton-Gillingham strategies and methods to enhance the reading skills of our students.
To understand more about Orton-Gillingham, please click the following link – https://www.orton-gillingham.com/about-us/orton-gillingham/