Academic Program & Curriculum

The Academic Program

Presbyterian Day School provides learning opportunities for two, three, four, and five year-old preschool students through a learning centered approach. Emphasis is placed on providing experiences that foster development appropriate to the child's maturational level. Our purpose is to develop the whole child as he is introduced to his place in God's world. The three, and four-year-old curriculum introduce numbers, letters, and writing skills. The five-year-old curriculum introduces our Pearson Reading Street Language Arts curriculum used in 5K through sixth grade. The 5K language arts pro-gram teaches phonemic awareness skills, reading and writing skills. In addition, our five-year-old kindergarten program also introduces our math curriculum which is used through sixth grade.

Our first and second grade curriculum focuses on language arts with emphasis on instruction in word recognition skills, phonemic awareness, oral and silent reading, comprehension, spelling, grammar, manuscript, cursive penmanship, and creative writing. Also included in the curriculum is a strong emphasis in mathematics as we introduce number concepts, operations and critical thinking skills. Science and social studies are also included in our first and second grade curriculum.

Curriculum in third through sixth grade provides a strong language arts program which provides emphasis in comprehension and reading skills, grammar, vocabulary, creative writing, spelling, and handwriting. Our mathematics program challenges students to reason and think critically. A social studies and science curriculum, with an emphasis in problem-solving techniques, completes our third through sixth grade curriculum. Bible is taught in three-year-old kindergarten through sixth grade. There is no denominational emphasis in our Bible curriculum. All students learn a weekly Bible verse.

Students in first through sixth grade utilize the Accelerated Reading and Accelerated Math pro-grams. First through sixth grade students also attend and participate in our STEM Lab twice a week. Students in 3K-sixth grade benefit weekly from a specialist in the areas of physical education, music, library, and art. Enrichment opportunities in 4K through sixth grade also include introduction to computer skills and foreign language. All classes take part in field trips, and resource speakers are used to enhance the classroom curriculum. SOAR, a reading/vocabulary enrichment program, is offered to students in 5K through sixth grade at an additional cost.

The school's academic excellence is exemplified by its students' outstanding performance in scholastic and creative competitions, achievements in community and civic programs, and by achievement test scores that are consistently above the national average.

At Presbyterian Day School, the curriculum is the medium through which the child is oriented to a life in Christ and to the culture of his world. We seek to provide an education in a wholesome Christian environment in which the child can learn and grow in a school that genuinely offers academic excellence. It is our purpose at all times to meet and to exceed, whenever possible, all the academic standards set by the state. In addition, the elementary child is guided to develop intellectual processes, physical skills, study skills, communication skills, mathematical and scientific skills, good work habits, and aesthetic appreciation.