Lower School

Dr. Alyssa Johns

Interim Lower School Director and Director of CAST

Dr. Johns has enjoyed a range of work experiences, from prestigious medical centers such as the NYU Child Study Center (since renamed to The Child Mind Institute), to the Youth Anxiety and Depression Clinic and the Psychological Services Clinic, both at Rutgers University, to school settings, such as Watchung Hills Regional High School. She earned her master's degree in Psychology from NYU and her doctorate in School Psychology from Rutgers' Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology. Dr. Johns is interested in areas of child development and the dissemination of evidence-based practice in schools so that kids can thrive in high performance settings.

"The energy that radiates from our student body makes it exciting to come to work every day, and I am constantly challenged and inspired by all members of our community."

Important Information

Philosophy

We believe that the first years of a child’s life are critical in establishing a lifelong love of learning. We encourage a child’s innate curiosity about the world and desire to learn through exploration, play, and creation. We instill in our Lower School students a spirit of collaboration through dynamic experiences that are built on caring relationships between students and teachers. The result? A strong, balanced foundation in core academic skills and the possibility for limitless intellectual growth.

Curriculum

Lifelong curiosity is nurtured by making learning an exciting and engaging process. For our Lower School students, that’s precisely our goal.

We offer traditional coursework in language arts, mathematics, science, Spanish, and social studies, supplemented by activities—both inside and outside the classroom—that emphasize experiential learning. Every minute of the day is looked upon as an opportunity for new understanding and growth. Art, music, and performing arts classes provide outlets for student creativity and self-expression. Technology and library classes impart foundations in research and literary skills. And newly modernized STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) classrooms offer valuable opportunities for interdisciplinary study, furthering creativity, critical thinking, and problem solving among students.

Daily physical education classes and plenty of outdoor time on our recently redesigned playground give students the chance to play, interact, and learn valuable lessons in teamwork, sportsmanship, and leadership.

Year after year, our Lower School students experience a seamless transition to the Middle School on the Basking Ridge Campus. Why? Our fourth- and fifth-grade departmentalized curriculum meticulously readies students for the class schedules and intellectual and organizational challenges that await them in the Middle School. Additionally, two cornerstone courses, “Decisions" and "Study Skills," expose them to the problem-solving, note taking, and learning strategies they’ll need for Middle School level coursework. Filled with happy memories, our fifth-graders depart for the Middle School furnished with the building blocks they need to be successful in their new learning environment, in a nurturing community they know well.

For a closer look at the Lower School Curriculum see the Curriculum Overview and Curriculum Guide below.

Lower School Schedule

Enrichment and Before/Aftercare

We encourage a child’s innate curiosity about the world and desire to learn through exploration, play, and creation.

Curriculum Overview

Reading, Writing, and Language Arts

The goal of our balanced literacy program is to develop engaged, independent readers and writers who can acquire and evaluate information and express ideas with clarity and eloquence. The program emphasizes the relationship between reading and writing and the developmental nature of each. In the primary grades, students learn the connection between real experiences and the written form.