LOWER SCHOOL: THE WORD IS OUT

The Word is Out.

Enrollment at the Lower School is up nearly 20 percent, with waitlists at several grade levels. Led by Director of the Lower School and Montessori Programs Jay Fowler ’00, the Lower School experience is one-of-a-kind, and people are taking note. When you combine small class sizes, incredible facilities and personalized instruction, all within a Holy Cross community, the result is a school experience that can’t be found anywhere else in the area. Here are just some of the highlights.

LOOPING

Each grade level teacher remains with their students for two years, eliminating the need to acclimate at the beginning of the new year, and allowing students and teachers to pick up right where they left off the previous year. The result is a truly personalized experience, in which the teacher knows students’ strengths and challenges and can tailor the experience to their needs, whether that is pushing them to achieve beyond grade level or providing additional support.

SPECIALS

Each special at the Lower School is taught by one teacher, specifically trained in that area of expertise, and he/she teaches across all grades. Students experience each special at least two times a week, allowing them the opportunity for sustained growth in each area. Spanish classes focus on both the language and culture of Spanish-speaking countries. Robotics classes, which combine coding and tech design skills, begin in Kindergarten. In music, students explore a wide variety of instruments, culminating with participation in the fifth- and sixth-grade band program. In addition, students in Grades K-6 enjoy presenting two large concerts every year in our beautiful Center for the Performing Arts. Art classes are hands-on and engaging and the incredible projects line the halls of the Lower School all year. Religion classes focus on our Holy Cross mission and the small class sizes allow for great discussion. This year, the Lower School is looking to build in combination retreats and service days by grade level. Finally, PE classes include an extended PE option, during which students enjoy skating and swim lessons right on campus.

WELLNESS

Each grade level meets weekly for a wellness lesson taught by Lower School counselor Mr. Teisl. The social emotional learning curriculum is also shared with classroom teachers so they can build it into their lessons. Students have the opportunity to read to Gilmour’s therapy dogs from Guiding Eyes Cleveland. Additionally, all grade levels learn financial literacy, developing an understanding of the value of money and the differences between wants and needs and spending and saving. One way this is brought to life is through the Lancer Bucks program. Students have jobs in the classroom and can earn “Lancer Bucks” if they complete their jobs well. Once they have earned enough, students have the opportunity to spend their “Lancer Bucks” in the school spirit shop at the Lower School.

NATURE-BASED LEARNING

Our nature-based learning program features a chicken coop, apiaries, an outdoor learning pavilion, gardens, nature trails and more. Students love the hands-on learning that results from engaging with nature and each grade level features a special area of focus within the program. For example, kindergarteners harvest lettuce and kale from the Giving Garden on campus to feed the chickens. Second graders visit our Pollinator Garden to see the traveling monarch butterflies on our milkweed plants and the hummingbird clearwing moths on our wild bergamot. They plant these and many other important native species here on campus to assist our honeybees and important native pollinators. Third graders enjoy the “Trout in the

Classroom” project, which teaches them about the life cycle of fish as they raise and, ultimately release, trout from eggs. Fourth graders study the weather and compare their data with the data collected online by the Gilmour weather station. They then complete an enviroscape activity, creating a little town and lake that mimics our Lake Erie watershed.

COMMUNITY BLOCK

Community Block at the Lower School is held each Friday afternoon. Clubs meet during this time and provide students a host of opportunities to choose from. Each is run by a Lower School teacher and options range from Crochet for a Cause (members crochet hats for area NICUs), Minecraft Club, Boardgame Club, Baking Club, Gilmour Singers and many more. The meetings allow for cross- grade interaction and provide leadership opportunities for students. Once a month, Community Block is used for a Student Recognition ceremony, during which the Lower School celebrates those students who have best lived out the Holy Cross charisms.

AFTER-SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

In addition to club meetings during Community Block, there are a variety of after-school activities for students as well. One day a week, students in Grades K-3 meet for after-school sports and another day Grades 4-6 meet. (Sixth graders also have the option to participate on the Middle School teams with the seventh and eighth graders.) There are also a variety of after- school enrichment activities - Arts at the Academy private music lessons, dance lessons on campus through the Cleveland Ballet, Girls on the Run, Chess Club, Homework Club, swim instruction through Great Lakes Sailfish (which is run out of Gilmour’s natatorium) and skating and hockey lessons at the Ice Center. Students can also meet with teachers after school for private tutoring.

ONE CAMPUS

Gilmour’s three divisions - Lower, Middle and Upper School - are all housed on our 144-acre campus and students from all three divisions utilize the campus’s incredible facilities. Lower School students also enjoy regular visits from Upper School students through a variety of programs. The Todd Squad is a group of Upper Schoolers who come to the Toddler classroom to work with students on late-start Mondays. Penpals Across the Pond is a penpal program between Upper School students and their Lower School friends. Homework Club is staffed by Upper School students who come to the Lower School to help with homework. The divisions come together for an all-school Mass to start each year, for pep rallies and for family events for students of all ages.

A SENSE OF COMMUNITY

Thanks to the small class sizes and the opportunities to engage with students from other grade levels as well, the Lower School is a tight-knit community. Not only does this create a sense of belonging, it is also an important part of how we keep kids safe. Teachers know not only their students, but all the others in the building, as well as their parents, and look out for all students, throughout the school day. But, that sense of belonging isn’t limited to the school day. The Lower School Parents Organization plans and hosts a number of gatherings for the whole Lower School family outside of school hours. Families kick off the new school year each August at the annual Back-to-School Picnic. Just before Halloween, they meet on campus on a Friday night, complete with costumes and decorated cars, for Trunk-or-Treat. Christmas Family Gathering is another annual favorite, featuring games, activities, shopping and a visit from Santa! This past spring, LSPO hosted its first Spring Carnival, which was a huge hit, and will now be an annual favorite.

The result of all these opportunities is a robust, engaging school experience with teachers who know and care about their students and are able to help them reach their potential academically, emotionally, spiritually and physically.

Some used to call the Lower School the area’s best-kept secret. With waitlists at several grade levels, it’s clearly not a secret anymore!

Interested in learning more? Visit gilmour.org/admission