Our Lower School faculty are specialists in developing young learners’ academic and critical thinking skills while supporting their social and emotional growth.
In 1st through 4th grade, our students dive into literacy, math, social studies, computing and design, science, and the arts. Much of our curriculum unites several disciplines, taking an interconnected approach to an interconnected world. Our Lower School students’ learning is regularly celebrated through presentations, publishing parties, and performances, which families are invited to attend.
Each Lower School classroom has two full-time teachers.
Lower School classes follow a 7-day rotating cycle.
Students visit the Hart Library once per cycle, and every classroom has its own extensive library.
Students have twice weekly science classes in our dedicated Lower School lab.
Music, art, dance, and, in 3rd and 4th Grades, theater classes take place throughout the cycle.
In 4th grade students choose among music electives in chorus, woodwinds, brass, or strings.
Students enjoy 30 minutes daily of unstructured play time in the Packer Garden.
1st and 2nd Grade: 8:45am to 3:15 pm
3rd and 4th Grade: 8:30am to 3:15pm
Early morning drop off runs from 8 to 8:30 am and is free of charge.
Afterschool options run until 6pm.
I have a tendency to want to move quickly and it is important to cherish small moments and take time reflect, look deeply, uncover complexity, and enjoy the here and now. Particularly working with such little children, we are sometimes eager to look ahead and want time to pass to reach the next age and stage, but truly each developmental step has its own joys that should be savoured.
We believe that the best learning happens in a strong, joyful community. In everything we do, we ask students to care for each other, listen to each other, and be active and responsible members of their school community. In and out of the classroom, we cultivate empathy, inclusion, and kindness. Annual community-wide events, such as the May Day Arts Festival, seasonal Sings, and the Immigration Celebration are formative experiences and treasured memories.
We believe that academics should incorporate immersive experiences that extend students’ learning, and so our Lower School teachers lead more than 100 excursions and field trips each year! We encourage students to find their voices and discover the impact they can have on the world around them, and we provide a framework for identifying issues of interest, then developing and executing plans to address them. Grade-level engagement and service projects with Packer’s neighboring partners include weekly baking for the First Presbyterian Church Food Pantry and reading with English-language learners at the Arab-American Family Support Center.
Get to know Packer's unique and historic campus and neighborhood using our interactive map.
For students in Kindergarten, options include daily drop-in Packer Afterschool and weekly, semester-long Packer Plus classes.
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