The Unquowa School :Our Programs
Academics
Early Childhood
Our early childhood faculty never underestimate the intellectual curiosity of children and recognize that pre-school (ages 3, 4, and 5) offers educators the unique opportunities to reinforce and build upon the natural curiosity and love of learning that children are born with. Intellectually, the research is overwhelmingly convincing that children who arrive in kindergarten and first grade with a strong verbal and mathematical foundation have a far greater likelihood of success. How far this introduction goes varies greatly among children, and our teachers work to make sure that children who are ready for reading or math enrichment receive that challenge, while those who are still in the predictable stage of readiness skills are given the same attention and support. In partnership with parents, our early childhood teachers address the socialization issues of a wider society than family and siblings, inculcating through play and games the notions of taking turns, negotiating with words rather than actions, and coping with the reality of sharing and cooperating.
As an integral part of a Pre-K through eighth grade school, our Early Childhood Program has the advantage not only of offering our pre-schoolers visual and performing arts, daily P.E. and Spanish taught by faculty of those disciplines, but also the opportunity to interact formally and informally with older children. "Play with a purpose" is the mantra of our Pre-K 3 Program. Functional and constructive play, games with rules, and dramatic play all help children to learn the skills and adopt the attitudes necessary for later academic success — all done within the construct of having fun and using their imaginations. Children leave the classroom for P.E. and music and have Spanish and visual arts within the classroom.
The Pre-K 4 Program continues to focus on the development of the whole child, with continual emphasis on learning through play, and exploration of academic readiness with positive reinforcement. Language arts, mathematics, social studies, science, music, Spanish and art are all integrated throughout the day. Children work independently and as part of a group. Assessment of students takes place through teacher observations, portfolio assessment, and a profile check. Parents receive formal interim and progress reports each trimester. Parent conferences are scheduled twice a year, and additionally at the request of the parent.
The Kindergarten Program is a well-rounded and integrated full-day program, providing balanced experiences in language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, art, Spanish and music. Emphasis is on the social, physical, emotional, and intellectual development of each child. Our approach is success oriented with real life applications and hands-on experiences. Children participate in groups as well as work independently. As in PreK 4, assessment of students takes place through teacher observations, portfolio assessment, and profile check. Parents receive formal interim and progress reports each trimester. Similarly, parent conferences are scheduled twice a year, and additionally at the request of the parent.
Lower School
The Lower School curriculum emphasizes and integrates reading, writing and mathematics. While instructional groups are small and are adapted to individual needs, teachers' methods are flexible and focus on both addressing the learning style of each student and providing the intellectual stimulation and growth of group discussion and collaboration.
A balanced language arts curriculum for the early grades combines instruction in phonics with sight vocabulary and context clue development. In the third grade, the focus is on independent learning, reading comprehension and inference. Process writing is an integral part of the language arts curriculum for all grades PK and up. Mathematical experience using manipulatives is offered as a foundation for abstract thinking and problem-solving and is combined with the traditional algorithmic approach to arithmetic.
Because of the developmental needs of the elementary-age child, the academic program emphasizes exploration and experimentation in both the arts and science. Social studies and science are taught by the classroom teacher, and related field experiences happen throughout the year. All grades have specific subject teachers from the larger school faculty in library, visual and performing arts, Spanish and technology. Daily physical education classes promote individual fitness development in all grades, provide mental stimulation and introduce the skills of team sports in a developmentally appropriate exposure. By the time team sports are offered, our children are familiar with them and confident about participation.
From Pre-K through all Lower School grades, regular and meaningful field experiences reinforce the classroom experience, breathe life into the lessons learned there and expose our children to the people and resources—both natural and artistic—about which they learn in school.
Assessment of students continues to take place in Lower School through teacher observations, portfolio assessment, and profile check. As in Early Childhood, parents continue to receive formal interim and progress reports each trimester. Similarly, parent conferences are scheduled twice a year, and additionally at the request of the parent. Letter grades in academic subjects are introduced in fourth grade as a transition to Upper School.
Upper School
The transition to Upper School is gradual and smooth. While still somewhat self-contained, the fifth grade experiences a moderate change in classroom organization which reflects the beginning of a departmentalized system characteristic in grades six, seven and eight. The Upper School curriculum includes English, mathematics, social studies, science, technology, Spanish, visual and performing arts, and daily P.E. Athletics and other co-curricular activities occur at the end of the school day.
Mathematics is taught in small groups. Fifth and sixth grade math instruction focuses on fundamental number operations with whole numbers, fractions and decimals. Problem solving strategies and strong math logic continue to be emphasized through the use of manipulatives and challenging word problems. A pre-algebra program is presented to seventh-graders, and eighth graders study algebra, with the more advanced students completing Algebra 1. Beginning in sixth grade, students may participate in Mathcounts, a national math coaching and competition program for middle school students.
Upper School English focuses on developing and improving the student's reading comprehension and vocabulary skills, introducing and developing a more sophisticated understanding of literary analysis and the conventions of literature, and developing the student's writing skills, both in the area of composition and editing. Literature classes use classic and contemporary trade books—both fiction and non-fiction—and combine the practice of full-class reads, group choices, and individual reading. The writing workshop model informs the writing classroom, and students compose both fiction and non-fiction directly on computer beginning in the fifth grade. While research is an integral component of all Upper School classes, its methodology and style are most closely guided by the English teacher and are encouraged as is developmentally appropriate from fifth through eighth grades.
The Science program in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades includes the study of earth, life, chemical and physical sciences, which provides the students with an excellent background for entering high school. While a text provides the basis for each year's curriculum, labs and field experiences breathe real life into the science program. River study in our school's brook, morning data collection for Project Bird Feeder, and trips on Long Island Sound aboard the Maritime Museum's research vessel connect textbook knowledge to authentic learning.
In fifth grade social studies, students learn about exploration, government and early American history. Sixth graders continue to study world regions and ancient civilizations, and seventh grade is devoted to the study of geography of the world. The social studies program in eighth grade includes a more in-depth study of American history, and current events are discussed in all grades. Again, to bring life to historical and geographical concepts, field experiences occur at each grade through our relationship with both The Fairfield History Center and The Maritime Museum. In grades five through eight, students are gradually given more long-term assignments, and there is an increasing expectation for independent work. It is a time when student responsibility increases to ensure not only a positive self-image but also a respect for peers and understanding of the value of collaboration.
Adolescence is a pivotal point in the academic and social life of a child and the success of each is inextricable from the other. Consequently, sixth, seventh and eighth grade students are assigned a faculty advisor who meets weekly with their advisory as a group and with each student to discuss individual concerns—both social and academic. The particular needs and characteristics of the pre-adolescent and adolescent child, as well as individual academic, social and emotional progress, are addressed by the faculty in homeroom with students, just as they are during the weekly grade-level and faculty meetings. Having placed equal importance on both the cognitive, social and emotional growth of our Middle School students, we feel confident that we send them on to both day and boarding high schools prepared to do their best academically and prepared to navigate the sometimes choppy waters of late adolescence.
