Elementary School
It is the mission of Our Savior Lutheran School to share God's love with each child as we assist in their physical, emotional, intellectual, and social development. Our elementary grades focus on creating a Christ-centered, developmentally appropriate educational environment. Using a variety of hands-on methods and materials, students are encouraged to grow academically and spiritually. Through their coursework, students work toward independence both academically and socially.
Pre-kindergarten
Our Pre-K is open to students who are age 4 by September 30th. The program runs Monday-Friday and offers either a Full Day or Half Day experience.
Pre-K aged children learn best through play and exploration. The curriculum is designed to stimulate, explore and encourage cognitive learning, critical thinking, fine and gross motor skill development, creativity, social interaction, and emotional development.
We introduce skills that are the building blocks for kindergarten success such as writing their name, cutting with scissors, sharing and taking turns. Play, music, art and physical activity are integral parts of our daily routine. The curriculum is designed around weekly themes such as: teddy bear week, Christmas around the World, life cycle of frogs, moving with magnets, the pilgrim story, penguins, five senses, and dental health.
Kindergarten
We know that Kindergarten is a formative year for your student. Kindergarteners will develop emergent reading skills through phonics, sight words, and quality literature. Hands on activities build a foundation for higher math skills, and students will explore and learn about the world around them through thematic units in science and social studies.
first and second grade
As students progress through first and second grades, they are immersed in literature rich environments that promote reading and writing. Formal reading instruction in first grade builds phonological awareness, extends vocabulary, increases accuracy and fluency, and provides tools to decode words. Second grade is a year to continue to develop a strong foundation in reading and the language arts with chapter book studies in class and monthly home projects to encourage reading at home.
First graders experience firsthand how writing is used as a tool for communication and use it throughout the day. Appropriate spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and grammar are applied when writing, and second graders receive formal instruction in cursive handwriting.
Students expand the world beyond their homes and communities by learning about maps, states, countries, U.S. history, and the rights and responsibilities of being a citizen. Children are encouraged to explore, ask questions, and record observations through units of study such as plants, animals, rocks and minerals, weather, and space. General knowledge is expanded through texts, read alouds, group projects, and hands on activities. Field trips to area locations such as the planetarium, nature center, theater, and art museum complement the learning in the classroom.
Math skills are additive and move from the introduction of addition facts to timed sheets of addition and subtraction and to the introduction of multiplication at the end of second grade. Among many other concepts, students learn real world applications of money and telling time.
third - fifth grade
As students transition into upper elementary school, they are directed to think, study, and make connections to new material taught in all subject areas. Students are encouraged to become more independent and take responsibility for their learning as they prepare for the middle school years.
Third grade learners will develop reading comprehension skills, build vocabulary, and become more independent readers through use of text and trade books. This progresses to short stories and novels in fourth and fifth grade when students learn to think and talk about a text to find deeper meanings and messages and focus on developing writing that has clarity, structure, and correct grammar.
Students expand their science skills through experiences with material, direct observations and experimentation. Fifth graders enjoy hands on experiments in our science lab. In math, students master their multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction skills. Students use these skills to solve real life word problems with multiple steps and prepare for pre-algebra.
Students progressively appreciate the full scope and interconnectedness of social studies through study of past and present United States communities, Virginia history, and world history. Technology is used in the classroom to research past and current events and is used to reinforce skills and may be used to review material taught in the classroom.
Anticipated annual events in the upper elementary grades include field trips to Virginia historical sides, hatching baby chicks, and presenting the much-anticipated Egyptian museum. Students have opportunities to mentor younger students through programs like Pre-K Reading Buddies and third through fifth grade choir.