Lower School Signature Experience

Outdoor Classroom

The Outdoor Classroom is a natural extension of our Lower School program where Sensorial and Practical Life skills are considered the foundation for academic success. The Outdoor Classroom is a prepared environment — similar to the indoor classrooms — with a variety of works rich in discovery and interest from which to choose. Activities address the specific developmental needs of Lower School students — gross and fine motor refinement, and creative expression and language development, to name a few. Students may tend to the Outdoor Classroom’s flowers, vegetables and herbs, or they may choose to work the water pump and watch the water spill down the sluice and into the sand. They may take turns jumping rope, or they may “paint” the patio with rollers soaked in water. See pictures from the Lower School Outdoor Classroom.

Partner Classes

Promoting fellowship and responsibility among a wider range of ages, the Partner Class Program is a long-standing tradition at WMS that enhances the benefits of mixed-age classrooms. The program pairs Lower School classes with Upper Elementary classes and Lower Elementary classes with Middle School classes. The Partner Class program helps establish a sense of community among the different ages of students.

Community Meetings

Community Meetings provide valuable practice for becoming responsible, respectful and resourceful members of a community. Taking place in classrooms Lower School and up, Community Meetings help students of all ages recognize and respect differing perspectives, develop the ability to work through problems, and to realize their own significance within a community.