Academics

Early Years (Grades K-3)

Early Years

Kindergarten through Third Grade

Dynamic learning is an exhilarating (and sometimes messy) process as children explore and connect with the world. Early childhood is the time when children’s attitudes about education are forming. To nurture this, our Early Years teachers cultivate Kindergarten through Third Grade students’ natural curiosity and provide them with tools and opportunities to learn through discovery, supporting and guiding them along the way.
Our experiential and developmentally-driven classrooms offer students a variety of valuable experiences while allowing for a child-centered approach to academic and whole-child growth.

Our Early Years curriculum focuses on core subject content, critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity. Through the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP), students inquire and learn in classrooms rich in experiential materials, global perspectives, and transdisciplinary learning. They learn to identify components of the IB learner profile in their own actions and in others; experiment with new processes, perspectives, and activities; and reflect on their learning and how it can be applied.

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List of 5 items.

  • Language Arts

    During these early elementary school years, students learn to read books across a variety of genres at their own pace and level of understanding. Our vibrant language arts program employs a combination of phonics instruction, individual reading experiences, small reading groups, and writing workshops. Student writers thrive at High Meadows with informational writing, creative writing, and student-directed journaling. Comprehension, decoding, spelling, grammar, and handwriting skills are reinforced through instruction
    in which children learn by doing.

  • Mathematics

    Through a program called “Contexts for Learning Mathematics,” math skills are taught, supported, and practiced to serve as tools for reasoning, real-world application, and problem-solving. Students use physical models to connect concrete and abstract
    mathematical concepts such as logic, space, measurement, and estimation. Concepts are introduced and then revisited regularly to ensure the greatest depth of understanding.

  • Whole Child Focus

    Children thrive most when their physical, social, emotional, and academic needs are all considered in their daily school experience. High Meadows students are respected as learners, community members, and individuals capable of great things. Their development and growth are supported by the intentional integration of physical movement, play, social and friendship skill-building, and mindfulness practices alongside academic work. High Meadows teachers use Positive Discipline principles to assist with classroom management and individual growth, with a focus placed on problem-solving and self-awareness rather than punishment and rewards.

  • Outdoor Education

    Connection to the natural environment is a cherished component of our school mission. Our entire 42-acre campus is used for daily student experience, with a focus on outdoor play and exploration, environmental sustainability, gardening, and interaction with our campus animals. Kindergarten through Third Grade students regularly take their learning outside to the many outdoor classroom spaces around our campus. We embrace outdoor experiences even on cold and drizzly days. Rain boots, parkas, and clothes that can come home muddy are staples for our young learners!
    Outdoor Learning

  • Family Participation

    High Meadows is a school for you to enjoy alongside your child. Plentiful opportunities exist for family members to volunteer and share in the joy of their child’s school journey. Families enjoy being part of our community by participating in our family association, cooking and gardening, attending family events and campouts, and surprising their child as the “mystery reader” in class!

Kindergarten

High Meadows is a school that places high value on the experience and preservation of childhood. Our goal is not to rush students into a high-pressure academic setting but rather to create an environment where school and learning are synonymous with joy, discovery, and growth. Visit our Kindergarten classrooms, and you will see students who feel at home and comfortable in their space, who feel confident in their developing skills, and who are at liberty to let their curiosity guide their learning. Our developmental approach to early childhood education and low student-teacher ratios allow each child to reach his or her academic potential, feel empowered as a learner, and grow as a well-rounded individual who cares deeply about connection and community.

Our Kindergarten students spend bountiful amounts of time enjoying our beautiful 42-acre campus, learning and playing in nature. Young children need movement, play, and time to develop friendships to grow and thrive. Our daily schedule provides ample recess and free-play opportunities to meet these social and physical needs. A wide variety of Connections Classes provide an introduction to experiences that augment their daily school experience.

    • Kindergarteners are outdoors exploring and learning every day--rain or shine!

Visit our Kindergarten classrooms, and you will see students who feel at home and comfortable in their space, who feel confident in their developing skills, and who are at liberty to let their curiosity guide their learning.
With hands-on exploration and individual and group inquiry projects, each student has the opportunity to develop an “expertise” on a number of topics.

First through Third Grades

Our First through Third Grade students build on the academic and social-emotional skills they have learned in younger grades. In addition to expanding their core academic learning, students continue to practice problem-solving, conflict resolution, collaboration, empathy, and leadership skills. Students in early elementary grades have a growing sense of independence and responsibility–both for themselves and their classroom and school communities–while continuing to enjoy a child-centered and developmentally driven program. Play, exploration, and creativity remain vital components of every school day. The typical 10 or 11:1 student-teacher ratio enables various individual, small group, large group, and peer learning experiences.

With hands-on exploration and individual and group inquiry projects, students can develop an “expertise” on several topics. They research and learn individually, as well as with peer and teacher support, and have many opportunities to share what they learn through multiple forms of self-expression, including writing, visual arts, and public speaking. Technology is mindfully incorporated into the classroom learning environment, giving opportunities for skill development and understanding how and when technology can support learning.

Connections Classes

One of the most unique features of our Early Years program is the diversity in experiences students encounter through Connections classes. Connections classes provide learning experiences that enable students to link academic and extra-curricular disciplines in meaningful ways. At High Meadows, these classes aren’t “extra,” they are critical to the full educational experience of our students and are closely tied to the classroom curriculum and units of inquiry.

Students participate in Visual Arts, Theatre Arts, Music, Library, Tech Lab, Spanish, Physical Education, Environmental Sustainability, and Barnyard/Animal Care classes and activities weekly or bi-weekly, depending on their grade level.

Learn more about our Connections Classes.
The High Meadows community celebrates and perpetuates each individual’s quest for knowledge and skill, sense of wonder, and connection to the natural environment. We empower each to be a compassionate, responsible, and active global citizen.
Age 3 through Grade 8 | Authorized IB PYP World School
1055 Willeo Road, Roswell, Georgia 30075 | (770) 993-2940 | info@highmeadows.org