Merrill Lower School Building
Toddler House Third and Fourth Grade Classrooms
LOWER SCHOOL NORTH YARMOUTH ACADEMY
The North Yarmouth Academy Lower School cultivates the values of integrity, character, and intellect to help children grow into adults who will be learners and innovators throughout their lives.
The Lower School embraces the Montessori method through kindergarten. Montessori education nurtures the intrinsic desire of children to learn and work collaboratively across age groups as they develop a wide range of intellectual, social, and emotional skills.
The first and second grade programs provide an active and engaging learning experience built on the Montessori foundation. In the third and fourth grade, students’ curiosity and motivation to learn is encouraged, while they are prepared for a smooth transition to our Middle School.
Throughout the Lower School, students
develop skills through academics, athletics, and the arts that are closely aligned with NYA’s values of respect, responsibility, compassion, perseverance, and honesty. Teachers throughout the Academy work closely with one another to prepare students as they move from one part of the school to the next.
Lower School students have full access to NYA’s 20-plus acre campus, which includes playing fields, a gymnasium, ice arena, a music building, academic buildings and labs, and more. Experiential learning and frequent field trips are integrated within classroom instruction.
NYA’s Lower School welcomes children from 18 months to fourth grade. Our program is designed to cultivate and encourage a sense of curiosity and wonder. It serves as a natural foundation as children develop into students with a deep understanding and respect for learning and knowledge.
Our co-curricular programming includes classes in creative movement, physical education, Spanish, visual arts, music, and theater.
Children learn to play the ukulele in grades 1 and 2, the violin in grades 3 and 4, and they even take skating lessons at NYA’s Travis Roy Arena and Fitness & Wellness Center.
TODDLER PROGRAM
The Toddler Program provides a warm, inviting setting for our youngest students, age 18 months to 3 years, and welcomes them to the Montessori classroom. The nurturing environment supports each child’s physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development as they continue their growth toward independence. Learning is child-directed and focuses on social-emotional learning.
All areas of the Montessori classroom are present including practical life, sensorial, math, language, cultural, geography, science, and peace.
The Montessori materials, which are slowly introduced to the children in small group lessons, are on shelves in their respective locations for the children to choose at will. Working with these materials fosters concentration, independence, and the development of gross and fine motor skills. Circle time, which builds a sense of community, includes songs and fingerplays that support emerging language and math skills. Additionally, the children enjoy creative movement, music, art, and Spanish.
PRIMARY PROGRAM THE
The Primary Program embraces Montessori methods of teaching and welcomes children ages 3 and 4.
Embedded within the heart of this approach is the daily Great Period, a block of time dedicated to independent work and individual or small group lessons on a wide variety of topics, from environmental science to writing and storytelling.
Teachers gently guide children, who are free to work at their own pace, as the overarching educational goal remains to inspire rather than instruct. Children learn by exploring and manipulating materials designed to provide the opportunity to think, feel, and learn. These activities help lay the foundation for increased abstract thinking, all within the context of connecting with teachers and other students.
The small class sizes enable our teachers to know each student well, and comfortably work with the children one-on-one and in small groups.
KINDERGARTEN PROGRAM
In our full-day Kindergarten Program, Montessori philosophy meets formal group instruction in a welcoming environment to lay a strong foundation in literacy and numeracy skills.
Games, shared reading, demonstrations on phonological awareness, the alphabet, and phonetics are a large part of each day, as literacy is a major focus of the program. Through this, students build reading and listening comprehension skills, learn author and illustrator tasks, and analyze book concepts. They also learn to discover patterns, make predictions, and learn new reading strategies.
Another major focus, mathematics, allows children the unique opportunity to see and feel numbers.
They initially use concrete materials to work with mathematical concepts and then transition towards abstraction. By connecting the concrete objects to abstract pictures, diagrams, and models, they learn to model the concepts with symbols on paper.
In addition to mathematics and literacy, students learn science and culture through interdisciplinary projects, activities, and games. They also team up with older elementary students for weekly Book Buddy visits to practice and share reading skills.
Kindergarten students begin our ice skating program at NYA’s Travis Roy Ice Arena and Fitness & Wellness Center as part of physical education and also enjoy weekly enrichment in music, visual arts, and Spanish.
ELEMENTARY PROGRAM
The Elementary Program at NYA includes a curriculum that emphasizes social and academic growth, while promoting a sense of community within the classroom and campus.
The first grade program provides a smooth transition for students from the Montessori classroom, building on that strong foundation and preparing students for the second grade. In second, third, and fourth grade, the teachers guide the students through an exploration of culture, language, mathematics, and science, as well as concepts that shape social learning.
The classroom offers a rich and open learning environment incorporating class meetings, individual and group work, full-class instruction, and varied learning and discovery centers. The classes are structured to meet the needs of each individual, as the students are given the opportunity to work at their own level and pace.
Our Elementary students participate in frequent field trips and classroom projects that are integrated into the curriculum. Enrichment classes include music, visual arts, Spanish, science, and physical education with ice skating at NYA’s Travis Roy Ice Arena and Fitness & Wellness Center. First and second graders learn to play the ukulele, while third and fourth graders receive instruction in the violin.
One of the benefits of the Lower School at NYA is our students take advantage of the specialized facilities and programs on our 20+ acre campus.
Middle and Upper School students work closely with the Lower School, providing mentorship and establishing an eagerness for their years ahead.
MISSION
North Yarmouth Academy is an independent, college preparatory, co-educational school. The Academy offers a structured program that establishes clear standards and high expectations in an environment that emphasizes values of mutual respect, trust, and community.
From arts to athletics, community service, and campus traditions, the Lower School embodies the Academy’s mission statement to the same extent as the Upper and Middle Schools. For Lower School students, however, the mission is emphasized in a structure and environment that’s tailored to them.
