Academics

 

At Quarry Lane, we believe that skills for reading, writing, communicating, and listening are the foundations for success in all other areas of learning. The Lower School English language arts program is designed to maximize each child’s potential to cultivate articulate communicators and thoughtful, independent readers and writers. This strong foundation creates a seamless transition into the Upper School curriculum.

We adopt a workshop model approach that incorporates reading, writing, spelling, phonics, grammar, and vocabulary. The workshop model fosters independence and ownership of work. It instills confidence in our readers and writers by equipping them with the skills to make decisions about their work. As our students progress through our program, they focus on both the skills and process of writing—learning to draft, revise, edit, and proofread their work. At each grade level, students compose narrative, informational, and opinion pieces and are expected to apply their writing skills in literature analysis, compare and contrast pieces, as well as research papers in science and social studies.

Our goal is to develop lifelong readers who are able to demonstrate a proficiency in the interpretation and analysis of a wide variety of texts, authors, and genres. Through these skills, we believe our students can better interpret the world around them, while crafting their own unique voice as communicators.

 

 

At Quarry Lane, the goal of our mathematics department is to develop confident problem solvers that have a solid understanding of mathematical concepts. We accomplish this by teaching and supporting our students to think creatively and independently as they discover and explore mathematics, while ensuring our students’ mastery of each concept.

 

Beginning in Junior Kindergarten, students are taught mathematics skills and concepts a year above their chronological grade level. Our faculty employs strategies in the classroom that help students develop a curiosity, motivation, and excitement for math. Using the globally recognized, Singapore Math curriculum, our faculty aims to instill a deep understanding of mathematical thinking and strong math foundation. As opposed to rote memorization of rules and formulas, students learn to think mathematically learn to build meaning to understand concept and skills.

 

 

By fifth grade, our students are prepared to walk away with a strong foundation for Pre-Algebra and Algebra, allowing them to excel and pursue higher mathematics courses in the Upper School.

 

Below is a sample of mathematics competitions Quarry Lane students compete in throughout the year. Please note, it is not an exhaustive list and is subject to change.

Lower School

• Noetic Math Learning Competition (Grades 2-8)
• Continental Math League (Grades 2-8)
• Mathematical Olympiads for Elementary and Middle School (Grades 4-6)

Middle School

• Noetic Math Learning Competition (Grades 2-8)
• Continental Math League (Grades 2-8)
• Math Counts (Grade 6-8)
• Mathematical Olympiads (sixth grade only)
• AMC8 

High School

• Berkeley Math Tournament
• National Assessment and Testing (Fall Startup)
• Math Madness
• Mathleague
• AMC 8/10/12
• Stanford Math Tournament
• ARML Power Contest
• HiMCM (High School Mathematical Contest in Modeling)

 

 

 

 

 

We believe students learn best by doing. The Science program at Quarry Lane takes an experiential approach, giving students an opportunity to advance their scientific knowledge and understanding through observation and hands-on experiences. 

At Quarry Lane, Science is viewed as the exploration of the biological, chemical, and physical aspects of the natural world and the relationships between them. The Science curriculum is driven by concepts and skills rather than by content and the view that a scientific thought process strives for a balance between the construction of meaning and the acquisition of knowledge and skills. Investigation, experimentation and analysis are interwoven into hands-on experiences.

Field trips throughout the year complement our science curriculum and provide our students with firsthand experiences in their areas of study. By actively participating and engaging with scientific concepts and materials, our Lower School students gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for the sciences.

 

 

The social studies curriculum at Quarry Lane provides our students with a historical and current perspective about their local community, state, country, and other countries and cultures throughout the world. Our program strives to connect our students to the world around them and encourages them to be active and responsible global citizens.

Studies begin with a focus on communities, families, and cultures from around the world, expanding our students' global view. In grade four, students focus their studies on the state of California, learning about the state's rich history, Native American culture, geography, government, and regions. Students in fifth grade explore the history and origins of the United States, from the native peoples of North America to the colonization of the thirteen colonies through the American Revolution.

We enrich our students' knowledge through engaging, hands-on learning experiences and field trips, including an overnight experience through the Coloma Outdoor School in fourth grade, that make studying the past come alive in the present for our students.

At Quarry Lane, we have developed a robust and challenging engineering and technology program. Utilizing real-world, hands-on teaching models, our specialized engineering and technology courses are weaved into our curriculum throughout our students' academic experience.

In our Lower School, engineering and technology is built into our curriculum; the goal being to create an excitement about engineering through the use of hands-on, practical lessons and application. Students have regular access to our STEM Labs throughout the course of the school week.

• Personalized Project-Based Learning Curriculum: Students follow a unique curriculum that adapts to their interests and skill level as they design and build hands-on projects to solve real-world problems.

• FIRST Robotics: Students in grade 5 who are interested in designing and engaging further in robotics have the opportunity to enroll in an optional extracurricular robotics program that utilizes the FIRST Lego League platform.

Technology is integrated into all of the Lower School classrooms and is used at developmentally appropriate levels to enhance our students' learning. Our computer science curriculum focuses on introducing and developing digital literacy skills including typing, navigation, online research strategies, ethical online practices and internet safety, and digital collaboration, as well as programming and design.

A variety of computer and web-based applications are utilized including Scratch Jr. and Scratch, a programming application developed out of MIT for young children.

Over the course of their Lower School academic experience, students are given the tools and resources to become responsible, fluent, respectful and effective digital citizens.

Through both group and independent projects, students are challenged to use critical thinking skills to solve problems - building and learning both technical and interpersonal skills.

• Hard skills: simple circuits and principles of electricity, structural engineering, mechanical engineering and simple machines, sensors and interactive electronics, electromagnetism, motors and speakers, material sciences
• Soft skills: design thinking, collaboration, time management, communication, organization

STEM Education at Quarry Lane

Our STEM programs begin at Jr. Kindergarten and progress throughout our grade levels through Grade 12, providing students with a comprehensive and robust foundation in the STEM subjects.

We believe in the important role that art plays in the development of the mind and in training the mind to think creatively. Our comprehensive arts curriculum provides our students with the opportunity to develop their creative expression and learn how to express themselves through a variety of visual mediums, such as painting, sculpture, and collage.

Beginning in Jr. Kindergarten, students learn the basic principles and elements of design and begin building an artistic foundation through mediums. In third through fifth grades, students build upon their artistic foundation by applying real-world concepts as they explore projects in graphic design, industrial design, architectural design, and more.

The Lower School art program takes an interdisciplinary approach - weaving in concepts from science, language arts, social studies, mathematics, and engineering into projects. Global and cultural learning are incorporated into our students' art experiences through the use of mentor works of art from an array of artists and cultures. Throughout the art curriculum, students are introduced to the works of influential artists and movements, including Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet, Piet Mondrian, and Henri Matisse. Through this approach, students gain a deep understanding and appreciation of the historical and social contexts of art and are able to extract meaning and context into their own work.

Music is an essential part of The Quarry Lane School experience and is offered to all Lower School students. Students experience the world through music, as they learn about different music genres, cultures and artists, and how to create their own music. Students begin their exploration through listening, singing, and movement. Beginning in second grade, each student learns to play the violin and as students advance through our program, other instruments, including the ukulele and recorder, are introduced. The Lower School music program culminates in the fifth grade with students participating in the band, where they select and learn an instrument of their choice.

During the year, students have the opportunity to showcase their learning at select performances, including our annual Lower School musicals. Through these performances, students build self-confidence and learn important cooperation and communication skills.

The world languages program begins in our Lower School because we believe that learning languages in the early years builds better language proficiency and expands our students' global learning. Students begin their world language journey with exposure and instruction in both Mandarin and Spanish, which allows them to make an informed decision about which language to pursue further study as they progress through our program. Quarry Lane's engaging world languages curriculum includes the use of songs, games, and hands-on projects. Throughout the curriculum, students are assessed for their oral language proficiency while an emphasis is also placed on reading, writing, and grammar. Additionally, we teach students about the culture, history, and traditions of the people and countries that speak the language, expanding their global knowledge and appreciation.

The world language curriculum takes an interdisciplinary approach that reinforces topics and concepts covered in other subjects. For example, students learning about flora and fauna of a region in science will learn related terminology in their world language class. We believe this approach affords a deeper and more meaningful learning experiences.

Our Mandarin program follows simplified Chinese, all materials used are in simplified characters.

At Quarry Lane, we believe that physical fitness and activity are essential components to our students' success and overall well-being. The Lower School physical education program strategically builds students' physical skills as well as provides valuable cognitive, emotional, and social skills, such as teamwork, collaboration, and sportsmanship. Utilizing Quarry Lane's gymnasium and outdoor playing field, students are introduced to a wide variety of individual and team sports. They learn important concepts and skills to improve their personal health and wellness.

Lower School Curriculum Overview >>