Cliff Valley School Elementary Program
Cliff Valley’s Elementary Program consists of a Primary Program, Kindergarten through grade 2, and an Upper Elementary Program, grades 3 through 5.

The objective of the Primary Program is the development of fluency in the basic skills through the exploration of rich and relevant subject matter.  The curriculum, teaching strategies, assessments, daily schedule, class size, and student-teacher ratios are based on research, proven developmental guidelines, and our faculty’s collective experience.

In the Upper Elementary Program, students become increasingly independent as they synthesize and apply acquired basic skills to new and more complex knowledge and understandings.

Assessment
Assessment in the elementary program is ongoing and performance-based assuring that each student can apply new knowledge and skills independently and with mastery.  Teachers assess student learning through observation, student work, projects, program assessments such as unit quizzes and tests, and outside assessments such as independent reading inventories and standardized testing.  Standardized tests are used only in the upper elementary grades to assess student achievement and our educational programs.  Results of all assessments are communicated regularly with parents.

Differentiated Instruction
Cliff Valley School uses differentiated instruction to meet the variety of students’ academic needs.  Differentiated instruction is a process by which teachers assess and identify students’ readiness, interests, and learning styles in order to tailor instruction to meet those needs.  Using differentiation, teachers can modify the content – what they are teaching, the process – how they are teaching, and assessments in order to challenge students appropriately and allow them to demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways.

Communication with Parents
Parents receive regular feedback from teachers regarding their child’s class and progress.  Weekly newsletters from teachers let parents know what has happened and what to expect in terms of academics and curriculum, while a weekly individualized progress update lets parents know how their child has done in class.  All of this is communicated via the Friday Folder, which travels between the school and home each week and serves as a communication tool between parents and teachers.

Progress Reports and Parent Conferences
In addition to weekly progress updates, parents receive three formal progress reports from teachers each year.  The progress reports are divided into sections for academics, social and emotional, work habits and study skills.  Students’ progress is communicated by checkmarks for skills and, more importantly, narrative comments from teachers.  There are two formal parent conferences each year, one in the fall and the other in the spring.  Teachers are also available to meet with parents throughout the year as needed.

Daily Elementary Schedule
While each classroom at Cliff Valley School is unique, the teaching teams establish a daily class schedule to meet the developmental and learning needs of the students.  In general, morning activities include warm-up activities and/or centers, Language Arts, Math, a snack break, and recess.  Following lunch, afternoon activities include science, social studies, and enrichment classes.

Field Trips and Other Educational Experiences
Throughout the school year, students have many opportunities to enrich their studies by taking field trips.  Teachers thoughtfully seek out museums, performances, exhibits, and locations that relate to the topic of study and enhance students’ learning by providing a meaningful field experience.  Guest speakers, workshops, visiting poets and authors are other interesting and engaging educational experiences for students that help them make connections between their background knowledge, what they are learning in class, and the real world applications of their learning.

After School Clubs and Programs
Learning does not stop when school ends.  Many elementary students participate in after school programs and clubs such as Mad Science, Scrabble Club, Math Pentathlon, art, drama, chess, dance, yoga, piano, Girl Scouts, and more.

Student Community and School Spirit
Students develop bonds and build community within their classrooms throughout the year, but they also have opportunities to participate in, contribute to, and build the community and school spirit throughout the entire school.  Friday Assemblies bring all students K-5 together for cheering, sharing, presenting, singing, and acknowledging one another – a special time to build community and school spirit.  There are Reading Buddies and Lunch Buddies between classes at the elementary and preschool levels.  This allows older students to mentor and serve as role models to younger students, while giving the younger students some special “big kid” friendships.  Elementary Student Council meets once per month to discuss students’ issues and concerns, to find ways to solve those issues or concerns, and to develop projects and plans to contribute to our communities – school, local, and global.

Social and Emotional Development
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