Elementary
In the Saint James' Elementary Program we believe that the best learning happens through discovery, inquiry, and play. This is why we lay the foundation of play-based learning in preschool, and we continue to foster this attitude through the elementary grades. Childhood is meant for play, and play is meant for learning, whether children recognize it or not, and this is what we value as we develop our students into thoughtful, industrious, and caring citizens of our community. Our teachers work to facilitate discovery through all components of our curriculum. We provide opportunities throughout each academic content area to question, discuss, and deepen students’ acquisition of knowledge.
At Saint James’ we recognize and value the importance of developing and fostering the attitude of problem-solving across all academic content. We focus on working with students to respect others’ opinions and critical thinking methods. Recognizing that there are many ways to solve a problem, and learning to articulate and value their own solutions as well as their peers’ is crucial to the formation of our students as compassionate, open-minded contributors to society. Our students are encouraged and often required to work with others to find not just one, but multiple ways to solve the problem. This type of problem-solving encourages flexible thinking, articulation of thought, and the ability to defend and critique others and oneself in a respectful manner.
Our elementary program has an average class size of 13 students, allowing teachers to foster personal relationships with each child, and family, over the course of the year. Students develop familial relationships with schoolmates across grade levels, and the ability to care for one another further instills the feeling of community and care for others that our school strives to promote.
Kindergarten meets Monday through Friday from 8:15am - 2:15pm and grades 1-5 meet Monday - Friday from 8:15am - 3:15pm. All elementary students are required to wear the SJES school uniform.