Lower School Specialists
Pre-K – Grade 5
Oregon Episcopal School offers an empowering educational experience where students can reach their full intellectual, physical, and creative potential. At OES, we appreciate the unique talents and experiences of each student and provide a setting in which natural curiosity develops into a thirst for knowledge and discovery.
Art
Our Lower School Arts Program offers a dynamic experience designed to ignite curiosity and foster continuous learning. Classes take place in studios, classrooms, and outdoor spaces, providing students with a rich array of materials and techniques. Our passionate art teachers emphasize the value of the arts and the diverse visual languages of children through engaging provocations, varied mediums, and collaboration with classroom teachers. By nurturing children’s ideas and explorations, our program builds skills and deepens their materials knowledge, fostering creative thinking and problem-solving.
We challenge students to think creatively in both 2D and 3D, understanding how visual arts communicate feelings, imagination, and learning. Focusing on the process rather than the product, we prioritize the journey that leads to growth. Ultimately, our students discover their creative voices and the power of the arts to effect change in the world.
Music
The Lower School music program is all about collaborative music-making. Students sing, play instruments, and work together to make joyful, beautiful music. Students develop music literacy through scaffolded activities that help all students develop confidence and skills over time. While voice is the predominant instrument used, other instruments are integrated into the curriculum regularly, including the recorder, xylophone, handbells, and a range of percussion instruments. If students want an even deeper experience, they can extend their music learning through private lessons or ensembles through after-school Extension programming.
Science
The science program expands students’ sense of wonder and curiosity about the world that surrounds us. Using an integrated model for Pre-K and Kindergarten, and a science specialist for Primary to Grade 5, students construct meaning and revise their understanding as they dig into science content and develop science skills through experiments and open-ended explorations. The content and skills students learn are determined by the Next Generation Science Standards, connections to classroom content, and integration of the Social Justice Standards. In cultivating an appreciation for the natural world, students also study the different ecosystems the OES campus has to offer.
Library
Our library program supports and enriches our curriculum and inquiry-based projects. The library provides both print and online resources for research-based projects across the grades. We strive to meet the needs of our readers at all developmental stages of literacy and to provide a collection that both reflects their diverse identities and expands their perspectives about human experience and the world around us. With a rich collection of quality materials and dynamic programming, the library is a center for children to explore various literary genres while developing their reading skills and nurturing their love for reading and knowledge.
Physical Education
Physical activity is critical to pursuing, developing, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Students are taught motor skills and movement patterns needed to perform a variety of physical activities, along with a sense of responsibility for their own personal and social behavior. We work to achieve each student’s optimal physical, mental, and social emotional development for lifelong health. OES has an all-weather track, an artificial turf field, and three indoor athletic spaces to allow for year-round indoor and outdoor activity.
Spanish
In our Lower School Spanish program, the journey of language acquisition is a lively adventure that unfolds each week. From Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 5, children engage in a dynamic exploration of Spanish culture and language. Through music, dance, and hands-on activities like crafting artifacts and creating shadow puppet shows, students actively participate in the learning process. Tailored language games and activities ensure that each child is engaged and learning at their own pace, fostering fluency in an organic and enjoyable manner. As they discover the vibrant cultures of Latin America and Spain, students not only develop their language skills but also gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the world around them.
Technology
Technology is one of many languages that children can harness to explore their world, construct understanding, and communicate ideas. Technology in Lower School is intentionally used as a medium for expression, collaboration, tinkering, and design thinking. Students develop competence and voice in a variety of tech languages, such as programming, robotics, and audiovisual tools. They learn important skills, safety, and responsibilities as digital citizens and community members. Our Technology program helps students and teachers apply skills across disciplines, integrate tools with purpose, and leverage technology for positive impact in a complex world.
Chapel
The role of the Lower School Chaplain is to cultivate an inclusive spiritual environment that fosters gathering, reflection, relationships, and inquiry. The Chaplain not only facilitates Chapel services but also engages with students, families, and teachers through community conversations that reflect our core chaplaincy practices:
- Valuing and honoring each child’s unique spiritual tradition and questions
- Encouraging and respecting the diversity of beliefs and religious traditions within the OES community
- Introducing students to the Episcopal tradition
During Chapel, the Lower School community gathers to share sacred stories from different religions, always with the invitation for families and students to share their own sacred stories and traditions. Through this sharing, we hope to honor and celebrate the many ways our community finds meaning in their lives and to help inspire children to wonder and explore fundamental human issues. Rooted in love and consistent with our mission statement of using our power for good, children explore questions such as what does it mean to love and be loved? How can we better love one another? How can we dream big, especially in serving one another? Additionally, the Chaplain offers connection and pastoral support to children and their families during times of change or transition, ensuring they feel supported and understood.
Math Specialist
The Lower School Math Specialist supports students as they build their mathematical thinking and confidence and helps them to make connections to new content. In addition, the Specialist supports all teachers through collaboration and coaching to use instructional practices that encourage deep, connected thinking. We value student understanding that moves beyond knowing procedures to conceptually understanding why those procedures work and when to apply them.
Reading Specialist
The Lower School Reading Specialist supports our striving readers with the skills and space to build confidence and foster a love of reading. Through an explicit, multi-sensory, structured approach students gather in small groups that focus on developing the foundational skills of reading. In close collaboration with families and classroom teachers, the Reading Specialist helps to guide students’ literacy growth throughout the year.
Learning Specialist
The Lower School Learning Specialist coordinates internal and external learning support for our students. This includes observing students to determine appropriate supports, working with teachers and families on learning plans, facilitating school implementation of recommendations from outside providers, assisting in locating additional learning support, and when able, leading small academic skill groups. The Learning Specialist works closely with our Reading and Math Specialists and is a lead member of our Student Support Team.