© 2009 Foothills School of Arts & Sciences. All Rights Reserved
Lower School (K-3)
Foothills School has a unique approach to creating classrooms that is grounded in our focus on differentiation of instruction. The school is composed of multi-age groupings of students called dyads; the Lower School is made up of the Primaries (ages 5 to 7, or traditionally grades Kindergarten and First grade) and the Juniors (ages 7 to 9, or Second and Third grades). These dyads allow fluid groupings that change throughout the day that are sometimes ability-grouped, sometimes purposefully heterogeneous, and sometimes driven by student-choice of activities. Providing students avenues to grow intellectually, socially, emotionally, and creatively with a variety of peers in multiple settings (which meet their specific academic needs) maximizes opportunities for student growth and satisfaction within the learning environment at Foothills.
The strength of Foothills School’s mission lies in the equal weight given to personal, academic, and social responsibility. The school does not simply educate so that a student can excel on an end-of-year exam. Foothills is dedicated to providing an educational experience that inspires and creates passionate citizens of the world, who have all of the skills needed to effect change in their lives and in their changing communities.
Academic Priorities in the Lower School
Academic instruction in the lower grades at Foothills is focused on developing the core skills in mathematics and reading that ensure a student's success throughout their academic life. Reading instruction permeates the curriculum and the nationally-renowned mathematics curriculum, Investigations, is deployed throughout the school. Because the school's schedule is created to enable students flexibility in classroom assignment, students are able to be placed in the right group for learning in these vital curricular areas - in other words, students are encouraged to learn at their pace and are assigned in the math and language classroom that best fits their personal learning needs.
Foothills is an educational leader in helping students learn to learn, and that begins in the early grades. The inquiry learning methodology permeates the classroom - we ask big questions and explore them across the curriculum - and there are "wonder walls" in every classroom that allow students to reflect their curiosities.
Another major area of focus for the Lower School is ongoing social and physical development for young children. Physical education is a curricular area at the lower grades and music instruction at these levels includes significant work in rhythm and movement. At the level of interpersonal development, much of the instruction at Foothills is in small groups or teams and students develop shared community expectations that are consistently communicated throughout the year.
© 2009 Foothills School of Arts & Sciences. All Rights Reserved
Lower School (K-3)
The unique educational approach at Foothills School provides a balance of instruction in math, language and literacy, social studies, history, environmental education, science, physical wellness, art, music, and Spansh. The school also features an electives program (learn more about CHOICE) that enables students to identify their passions early, and explore them often! Finally, there is a constant focus on students' development as members of a greater community and personal growth is as important at Foothills as is educational achievement. There is no more broadly based, open curriculum offered in the Treasure Valley.
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Our low student-teacher ratio of 9:1 permits personalized attention to student needs.
We hire, train, and retain outstanding faculty who are committed to our unique approach to education and to learning about each student - the relationships our faculty have with students is part of what makes the Foothills experience markedly different from other schools.
Our faculty teach in teams so that we are able to bring a breadth and depth of perspectives in each dyad's instruction.
Unlike all public and charter schools, we are not "graded" in the public sector and are not required to spend classroom time preparing students for or administering standardized tests; our alumni have proven time and again that their skills as thinkers and problem solvers enable them to succeed at test taking - we simply don't believe it's a way to encourage the love of learning that drives our daily experience at Foothills.
Our classroom curricula is benchmarked against national standards in each academic area.
What Distinguishes Us
SCHOOL IS JOYOUS!
At Foothills School, we celebrate our learning community every day!
Foothills School uses national standards to benchmark its academic curricula. Learn more about the curricula at the school by exploring the school's Curriculum Maps, charted in a collaborative effort of faculty schoolwide.
Maps in Additional Content Areas:
