Lower School | Gr. 1-6
Primary, Lower Intermediate, & Upper Intermediate
Maumee Valley’s Lower School is where children thrive on a rich, challenging curriculum delivered by compassionate teachers in an intimate classroom setting. Our teachers pay close attention to each individual’s needs and learning styles, and take special care to reach out to every child--exercising their senses, their hearts, their imaginations, their bodies, and all their diverse intelligences.
The Lower School is divided into three areas:
Multi-age classrooms also intentionally consider the importance of a smooth transition for students from one year to the next. Providing students with the opportunity to spend two years with the same group of teachers allows for an understanding of consistency in daily routines, which is important for young children. Teachers have the opportunity to identify and address individual student needs, in addition to deepening the teacher-student bond over a longer span of time.
Maumee Valley’s Lower School program lays a strong foundation for developing the skills and content that students need to excel academically. Each year, beginning in the 2nd grade, students take the rigorous, and highly regarded, Educational Records Bureau Comprehensive Testing Program (CTP) that is used nationally by independent and suburban schools. These tests help monitor student progress, and the outstanding results tell us that we are doing a great job.
The Lower School is divided into three areas:
- Primary (Grades 1 and 2)
- Lower Intermediate (Grades 3 and 4)
- Upper Intermediate (Grades 5 and 6)
Multi-age classrooms also intentionally consider the importance of a smooth transition for students from one year to the next. Providing students with the opportunity to spend two years with the same group of teachers allows for an understanding of consistency in daily routines, which is important for young children. Teachers have the opportunity to identify and address individual student needs, in addition to deepening the teacher-student bond over a longer span of time.
Maumee Valley’s Lower School program lays a strong foundation for developing the skills and content that students need to excel academically. Each year, beginning in the 2nd grade, students take the rigorous, and highly regarded, Educational Records Bureau Comprehensive Testing Program (CTP) that is used nationally by independent and suburban schools. These tests help monitor student progress, and the outstanding results tell us that we are doing a great job.
Consistent Reading Preparation
Reading proficiency is the single greatest factor in measuring student performance as well as opening future academic doors. At Maumee Valley, students excel in reading with 95% reading at or above grade level standards.
Lower School teachers differentiate instruction so that students are sufficiently challenged and supported in developing their reading skills and habits. They use materials and instructional strategies that were developed by the Fountas and Pinnell Continuum of Literacy Learning, Columbia University’s Teacher’s College Reading and Writing Project, and Bonnie Campbell Hill, an internationally recognized reading consultant. Teachers provide options for students to read at each child’s appropriate level, so that students have the opportunity to read various genres at a level with which they are comfortable, and continue to find joy in reading.
Lower School teachers differentiate instruction so that students are sufficiently challenged and supported in developing their reading skills and habits. They use materials and instructional strategies that were developed by the Fountas and Pinnell Continuum of Literacy Learning, Columbia University’s Teacher’s College Reading and Writing Project, and Bonnie Campbell Hill, an internationally recognized reading consultant. Teachers provide options for students to read at each child’s appropriate level, so that students have the opportunity to read various genres at a level with which they are comfortable, and continue to find joy in reading.
We use a balanced reading program that is supported by several assessment instruments allowing us to frequently monitor the growth students make. The Lower School uses a reading continuum that permits teachers to effectively differentiate the reading instruction in order to support students at every grade level.
World Languages & Cultures
The World Language Program in the Lower School is designed to introduce Lower School students to the key components of learning a language: listening, speaking, reading, and writing, through which they gain an appreciation for cultures and an understanding of the benefits of communicating in another language.
100% of students take Spanish every year of Lower School. Students begin to communicate in Spanish using 1-2 word responses and they learn to identify key vocabulary words in listening and reading. By the end of sixth grade, students engage in conversations, write short paragraphs, and read multi-paragraph stories. Culture is embedded throughout the curriculum as students travel virtually to various Spanish-speaking countries, taste different foods, and meet members of our local Hispanic community.
Character Development
While academic and intellectual development are top priorities at Maumee Valley, equally important is developing caring citizens who demonstrate high levels of social skills and empathy for others. At Maumee Valley, we value cultural difference and individual personality.
The Lower School uses the nationally recognized Stop and Think Social Skills program and All Kinds of Minds material to assist students in developing the attributes of being responsible, respectful, caring, and trustworthy community members.
Maumee Valley frequently provides students with opportunities to apply these skills in the greater community by participating in various community-related activities. Our attention to character results in caring and accepting students, which in turn, makes for a learning environment where students feel safe taking risks and being themselves.
LS Curriculum
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Exceptional Results
90% of our Lower School students read at grade level with 74% of these students reading at least one grade level above their own. -
Highest Honors
47% of 6th graders who took the 2016 Level 1 National Spanish Exam received an award at or above the Honors level and two students received the highest Level 1 scores in the region. -
Outstanding Scores
Maumee Valley’s lower school CTP average testing scores were equivalent or higher on 70% of the test scores compared to 2017 Independent School average results.
Head of Lower School
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Questions?
For more information or to schedule a tour, contact us by email at admissions@mvcds.org or call 419-381-1313 x117.
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Maumee Valley Country Day School is the only Preschool - 12th grade accredited, co-educational, independent school in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan.