Academics
Lower School | PreK - 3rd Grade
Courtney & Boley Greenwood
"Sending our four children to MV has been the best decision we have made. The sense of community, the individualized attention, and the compassion and dedication the teachers give each student is remarkable."
Children are born with an innate drive to learn. In the Lower School, we set out to provide an environment that promotes this philosophy through play and a Forest School-inspired program that values process over product and provides adults with whom they develop trusting, caring relationships.
Our Lower School is unique in that we have full use of our 75-acre campus that includes woods, creeks, fields, and trails for teachers to implement the curriculum and our Forest School-inspired program. The Lower School engages, nurtures, and supports young children in their pursuit of knowledge and meaning through inquiry, social-emotional development, child-centered curriculum, and creative expression. This is where our students begin their journey toward becoming competent, compassionate, collaborative, and creative global citizens.
The Maumee Valley Lower School places children based on their development, which allows for classroom groupings that best meet each child's needs. Our team of expert educators focuses on “whole child development,” ensuring that each student’s cognitive, social-emotional, and physical needs are being met while paying careful attention to the many unique communication and learning styles of young children.
Our Lower School is unique in that we have full use of our 75-acre campus that includes woods, creeks, fields, and trails for teachers to implement the curriculum and our Forest School-inspired program. The Lower School engages, nurtures, and supports young children in their pursuit of knowledge and meaning through inquiry, social-emotional development, child-centered curriculum, and creative expression. This is where our students begin their journey toward becoming competent, compassionate, collaborative, and creative global citizens.
The Maumee Valley Lower School places children based on their development, which allows for classroom groupings that best meet each child's needs. Our team of expert educators focuses on “whole child development,” ensuring that each student’s cognitive, social-emotional, and physical needs are being met while paying careful attention to the many unique communication and learning styles of young children.
2023-2024 Lower School Viewbook
LS Clubs & Activities
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Athletics
Soccer: K-3Cross country: K-3Basketball: K/1 after spring break and 2/3 fall basketballField hockey: Grade 3 starting in NovemberTrack and field: Grade 3 after spring break -
Clubs
- Art Club: Students can join the LS Art Club to work more closely with teachers and fellow students.
- Kid Kouncil (Grade 3)
- Green Team (Grades 2 & 3)
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Music
Lower School Strings is offered to students beginning in 2nd grade. Students have the option of learning to play the violin, viola, cello, or bass. In strings, students will learn proper playing techniques, how to read music in the staff, how to be independent on their part, and how to play with a large ensemble. LS Strings provides students with additional performance opportunities including Lower School assemblies, music concerts, and outreach opportunities. LS Strings rehearse once a week after school. -
Private music lessons
Maumee Valley's program for creative arts provides students with the opportunity to take private music lessons during the school day and after school. We currently provide instruction for strings (violin, viola, cello), guitar, and piano. Students are scheduled for one 30-minute lesson per week at some point during or shortly after the conclusion of the school day. Lessons are held weekly September-June, excluding school breaks.
The cost is $23 per 30-minute lesson, and $35 per 45-minute lesson, paid directly to the instructor. End-of-semester recitals are usually scheduled for December and May and provide students an opportunity to perform what they have learned. For more information on our instructors, please visit the “lessons & tutoring” tile on MyMV under the resources tab.
Forest School Inspired ...
Our Lower School is a Forest School-inspired program that infuses student-directed nature-based learning with an academic and social-emotional program. Maumee Valley is home to more than 75 acres of forest that is just waiting to be explored. Our program helps our youngest learners connect with the beautiful natural spaces that surround us.
Giving all children time to explore nature, however they choose, is a high priority. Children gain a sense of pride and grow through self-led and deeply engaged play. Our program incorporates the traditional Scandinavian philosophy with our developmentally appropriate curriculum. You can find our teachers conducting their morning meetings outside, our students planting in our garden beds, and our parents talking to their children about their learning experiences via their child’s digital portfolios.
We encourage awareness in the children by engaging their senses with the environment around them. We often ask questions such as “What has changed since our last visit?”, “How does the water feel today?”, “Can you smell an acorn?”, “Do you think that is one bird calling?”, or many?”, and “Who do you think lives in our park?” These questions serve as a way to foster a connection with nature, encouraging the children to think about what is happening around them while they are playing.
Our 75-acre campus allows us to take our learning outside. Our children can be found strengthening fine and gross motor muscles and social-emotional skills through climbing, building, digging, working together, and problem solving in the forest. We also bring the outside into our classroom to incorporate nature in our play-based learning activities. Children can be seen sorting rocks, counting acorns, making letters, writing words or ordering sticks from shortest to longest, among other nature-inspired activities. At Maumee Valley, we are not afraid to get dirty while learning.
Review the Lower School curriculum
Our Philosophy
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Multi-Age
Younger students are eager to learn from peers in higher-grade levels; older students develop empathy, leadership skills, and responsibility by working with younger students. At MV, Lower School classrooms are multi-age. With two grade levels working together, each group is benefiting from the other and learning essential skills for success. Flexible groupings allow teachers to meet students at their level and to provide just the right level of challenge. -
Open Classrooms
Lower School classrooms are open for learning. Open classrooms without walls allow for flexibility of learning spaces. Students extend their learning into our Blakey Resource Center with access to computer pods, maker materials, and a fully equipped resource center. In our Lower School, you will find students working collaboratively in small groups with teachers and other students.- Opportunities to connect with other areas in the LS.
- Facilitates with project-based learning.
- Technology teacher and media specialist dedicated to working with students to provide resources and individual attention.
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Community
Lower School students and faculty gather as a community each month in the Millhon Auditorium for a Lower School Assembly. Assemblies are times to connect and hear school announcements and view student presentations. They allow students to present in front of a supportive audience of friends and teachers. -
Character Development
Students in Lower School will grow to become caring global citizens equipped with high levels of empathy understanding. Growth mindset and inclusivity are core philosophies that drive the Lower School's character development program. Attention to character education results in caring and accepting students, which in turn, makes for a learning environment where students feel safe being themselves and feel supported taking academic risks. -
One-of-a-kind curriculum
Lower School teachers are curriculum designers. As experts in education, teachers take an innovative approach to developing the curriculum by studying international and national standards to create a dynamic and experiential program in each subject of the Lower School.Learning is individualized and student-centered. Lower School core teachers craft customized units of study for English Language arts, math, science, social studies, and human growth and development. Starting in 2nd grade, Spanish and technology instruction is taught every other day. Lower School students attend classes for music, art, physical education, and library.
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Your Educational Journey Begins Today
Welcome to Maumee ValleyFor more information contact us at admissions@mvcds.org or by calling 419-381-1313.
Maumee Valley Country Day School is the only PreK-12th grade accredited, co-educational, and independent school in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan.
