Lower School Viewbook

milton academy lower school

milton academy

Our mission: Dare to be True

Milton Academy cultivates in its students a passion for learning and a respect for others. Embracing diversity and the pursuit of excellence, we create a community in which individuals develop competence, confidence and character. Our active learning environment, in and out of the classroom, develops creative and critical thinkers, unafraid to express their ideas, prepared to seek meaningful lifetime success, and to live by our motto, “Dare to be true.”

Students:

Intellectual and social development in a nurturing environment

Children at Milton are curious, joyful, independent, and capable. They care about, collaborate with, and learn from their peers. Classes are small, so adults get to know every student well, developing relationships that nurture students’ confidence and courage. Skilled, caring faculty members create an environment that encourages children to take safe risks—experiencing public speaking, responsibility, leadership and community engagement, which promote intellectual and emotional growth. School is an exciting and welcoming place for the 162 students in Milton’s Lower School.

Faculty: Developing skills, fueling growth

The Lower School thrives with the commitment of skilled and experienced teachers. Working with their colleagues from all parts of the school, including dedicated instructional coaches and learning specialists, Milton’s teachers are curriculum developers. Our faculty are experts in connecting research-based approaches with the individual learners in their classrooms. The Lower School program is built on a foundation of emergent curriculum, and research in elementary education informs all pedagogical decisions. Milton’s faculty love learning. Year in and year out, they develop their personal and professional talents to bring new energy, ideas, and skills to children. The adults at Milton care about every child. They make sure that each child embraces new opportunities, grows through challenges, and develops self-confidence. They maintain a balance of nurturing students’ social-emotional development while fueling academic growth.

Academics: A passion for learning

Milton’s Lower School curriculum is interdisciplinary, flexible, and rich with hands-on experiences that prepare our students for a lifetime of joyful learning. Students’ work in science, literature, mathematics, writing, Spanish, and social studies correlates with projects in art and woodworking, music, technology, and physical education. Children come to a nuanced understanding of these subjects, and they make connections across disciplines. Students learn at the natural pace of childhood as they discover the depth and value of the content and how it relates to the world around them.

Arts:

Creative Expression at Milton

Both in and out of the classroom, Milton’s culture celebrates creative expression—in music, painting, gardening, woodworking, writing, drawing and performing arts. Faculty connect academic coursework with artistic lessons and projects each day. In music, students develop their voices and understand their natural inclination toward movement, rhythm, and pitch. They are introduced to various music, instruments, and dances from around the world. In visual art and woodworking classrooms, creations bring to life topics that students explore in literature or social studies. In performing arts, students have dynamic opportunities to become confident presenters, performers, and public speakers. The arts are alive at Milton and every child is an artist! Growing in creativity and discovering new passions are every day parts of the Lower School experience.

Physical Education: Action that shapes attitude

Physical education is an essential aspect of learning and development. Lower School students exercise daily— whether it is formally through our robust P.E. program where they are introduced to a variety of team and individual games and sports, or informally during daily recess. Students enjoy the many fields, courts, and gymnasiums on campus. They look forward to ice skating on the campus rink in the winter and competing in field day events in the spring. With their teachers and classmates, students learn and appreciate teamwork, persistence and dedication. They learn resilience, and develop a healthy appreciation and respect for what their bodies can do.

Lower School in a K–12: Community within a community

Milton’s Lower School students enjoy the best of both worlds: they learn and grow in developmentally appropriate groups and spend their time in comfortable and manageable spaces. At the same time, our students enjoy the resources of the larger K–12 school. Older and younger children join together in science experiments, assemblies, community engagement, and dance performances. They share playing fields, courts, gyms, performing art stages, music studios, and the school’s skating rink. They enjoy special school traditions like our annual Pep Rally and Winter Concert. Middle and Upper School reading buddies and homework helpers volunteer in Lower School classrooms. A connected scope and sequence prepares students for each divisional transition. Familiarity with Milton’s Middle and Upper School helps our students reach high and prepare for the next step. Before that, they gain confidence in their own spaces and become leaders themselves.

Respect for others: A safe place to grow

Students at Milton care for one another. They support their classmates and schoolmates, letting one another know that it’s safe to try something new, and to try again. Deep in our school culture is the idea that each one of us brings something unique and valuable, and that together we create something bigger than the sum of the parts. We love the differences among us. In our classrooms and our hallways, we nurture an interest in and knowledge of the world beyond our walls. Care, respect, sharing, and the importance of helping others are all lessons of the day.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Justice

Fifty-seven percent of our Lower School students identify as students of color. Milton Academy’s Lower School is committed to infusing our dedication to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) into all that we do. A comprehensive curriculum in Lower School focuses on several key areas of elementary DEIJ learning, including anti-bias concepts and skills, racial literacy, and social justice. Weekly time has been set aside in the K–5 schedules for this curriculum. Faculty and administrators, including a dedicated Lower School Director of DEIJ, work together to connect this curriculum with students’ learning experiences in social studies, specialist classes, reading, writing, and mathematics. The Lower School offers a robust student affinity group program, scheduled during the school day, that seeks to engage all K–5 students in age-appropriate activities related to healthy identity development.

After School Program

Milton Academy’s After School Program is an option for all Lower School families. It is a fun and nurturing space where students are able to choose how they spend their afternoons. Among other selections, our After School students can participate in enrichment clubs, private music lessons, homework time, outdoor play, arts and crafts, and small and large group games. After School care is available until 5:45 p.m. each day.

Admission and Financial Aid

Milton Academy seeks to enroll students who are motivated and eager to learn. Our principal entry points are Kindergarten and Grade 4; we also accept applications for Grades 1, 2, 3 and 5, as spaces become available. Milton maintains a generous financial aid budget. Aid is need-based, and Milton strives to meet 100 percent of the demonstrated need of each student offered admission.

We encourage families to begin the admission process well before the January 15 deadline for initiating an application. Beginning the process early affords greater flexibility to schedule appointments, more time to complete paperwork, and, most importantly, time to reflect on the Milton Academy environment and your child. We look forward to getting to know your family through the admission process.

Please scan the QR code below for a detailed admission timeline.