Elementary School: (grades K – 5) Elementary school students display a wide range of abilities, skills, strengths, needs, experiences and interests that vary from subject to subject and from time to time. Thus, we personalize each child’s education, modifying program content, activities and strategies to respond to issues and interests as they arise, and to provide added challenge, enrichment or support as needed. Classes do not exceed 20 students and often are as small as 16.

Our curriculum is divided into traditional discrete academic disciplines - Humanities (combined Language Arts and Social Studies) Mathematics, Science, Spanish - but our elementary program often employs an integrated thematic approach that spans across several disciplines at once. These themes range in scope, length and depth and may last anywhere from a week or month to a full year. Often, content and skills from the specialty areas (Music, Art, Physical Education) are also incorporated, enriching studies begun in the core classrooms.

Physical Education and the Visual and Performing Arts (Music and Drama) are not simply “add-ons” to education at New Roads; they are integral to all that we do. We believe these disciplines call on focus, skills, intelligences, and perspectives that are not fully engaged in other ways. Most important, these pursuits provide an outlet for joy, exuberance, fitness and fun that are critical to the health of the whole child.

Our Human Development Program also focuses on development of the whole child. Through participation in Council students learn to speak from the heart and to develop skills, attitudes, and practices necessary for community participation and success. Through Community Action initiatives ranging from environmental clean-ups to food drives, students are encouraged to think beyond themselves and to work actively towards improving the lives of others.

We do not assess students using standard letter grading at the elementary level. Our program is geared towards development and understanding of fundamental skills rather than towards competition for grades. Teachers set expectations for skill acquisition and assess students with respect to whether they have exceeded, met, or not yet met the desired skill level. Download Course Catalog Here (PDF)