Elementary (Grades 1-5)
Recognizing the unique interests and developmental levels of each child, we strive to build solid academic, aesthetic, social, and spiritual foundations. Children are actively involved in academic learning, technology exploration and application, science investigation, conversational French, music appreciation and performance, physical activity, and an integrated art/classics program. Our uniquely small class size contributes to our success in providing appropriate instruction to meet the interests and developmental levels of our students.
Weekly trips to the Enoch Pratt library promote reading as a life long habit and extend our dedication to develop in each student an appreciation of the independence, power, and pleasure brought about by competence in reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Active inquiry and problem solving, in addition to skill and knowledge aquisition, are integral components of our mathematics, science, and social studies programs.
For Grace and St. Peter's students, our Mount Vernon neighborhood provides the ideal setting and inspiration to begin exploring the influence of ancient cultures and our classical roots. Through our art/classics program, for example, third graders explore the wonders and intrigue of ancient Egypt through activities at school, at the Walters Art Museum, and the Enoch Pratt Library. As our fourth graders study Greek civilization, they observe the influence of Greek architecture, identify the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian columns on the Mount Vernon square, and apply their knowledge in drawings and prints designed to illustrate classic Greek symmetry and proportions Geometric patterns, mythological heroes, and sports figures found on exquisite Greek vases inspire students to create their own clay pieces in the style of the ancients. The links of Ancient Roman culture also abound in our Mount Vernon neighborhood and throughout the city, and our fifth graders learn to recognize the Roman influences in the design of buildings, parks and cities, coins, and the influence on our form of government. They identify and manipulate Roman numerals and explore the roots of our language through Latin vocabulary study and simple translations. Creating curricular connections strengthens both conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge acquired and stored through multiple pathways.
Today, as in the past, Grace and St. Peter's embraces character education as a shared responsibility with the child's home and religious institution. We believe that virtues are learned by example and that building social awareness and a sense of civic pride and duty can be sensitively advanced even in our very youngest students. It is the role of our faculty and staff to model and promote both a love of and respect for learning and love and respect for one another.