The Primary Program at NCCL
Entering elementary school for the first time is stepping into a new world. Children are making the first real move away from home and parents. It can be a little frightening and difficult but it is also fun and exciting. At NCCL we recognize this important milestone. Children in Group 1 are welcomed into a caring, stimulating environment. Teachers in this group, and throughout the school, are nurturing but always ready to expand a child's educational and social horizons. With our interactive, exploratory approach to education, children in the youngest group are ushered into the wonder of learning. From taking responsibility for home-room jobs (recording the weather, sweeping the floor, attendance and much more) to investigating science, learning to read and write (and listening to and writing stories for each other), to going on field trips, cooking, singing, having their say at All School Meeting, children in Group 1 view themselves as important and viable members of their classroom and the school community.
What is begun in Group 1 continues and grows in Group 2. In this group, children delve into topics in more depth and for longer periods of time. Shakespeare, the California and Yukon gold rush, early America (and Europe during this time) are just a few topics regularly covered in Group 2. Children are so excited to be learning about each topic that it is often hard to move on to the next one! Of course, math, reading and writing form part of our daily curriculum. And, like Group 1 as well as Groups 3 and 4, children in this group are responsible for the physical aspect of the school. We all pitch in for end of day jobs like feeding Puff the Gecko, wiping tables and sweeping floors. At NCCL , the children feel a sense of ownership about the school in every way. NCCL is unique. It is a community. We interact, react, help each other and care about each other. Children become part of that community the minute they walk in the door, but they remain a part of that community for the rest of their lives.
