Elementary

List of 6 items.

• Kindergarten

  A Kindergarten Experience Designed for This Important Year

  Kindergarten should build more than academic skills. It should build confident learners.
  At Good Shepherd, children begin their elementary years in a warm, engaging classroom where they are known as individuals, challenged at the right level, and encouraged to become curious, capable and increasingly independent learners.
  
  

  With a small class, experienced teachers, strong foundations in reading and math, and weekly enrichment in Spanish, art, music, STEM, PE and library, our kindergarten students get the individual attention of a small school with an incredibly rich school experience.
  And just as importantly, they love coming to school.

• 1st Grade

  First Grade: Exploration, Engagement and Foundations

  The first grade classroom at Good Shepherd is a lively, child-centered environment where students are actively engaged in meaningful learning. With both a dedicated lead teacher and a teacher's aide, children benefit from more individualized attention, small-group instruction, and responsive support throughout the day. You’ll find students reading in small groups, writing in journals, solving story problems with partners, and using hands-on math tools to deepen their understanding.
  
  

  Instruction is carefully integrated across subjects, blending authentic reading and writing experiences with foundational math concepts. Throughout the year, students learn to read fluently, craft their own stories, master addition and subtraction, and build critical thinking and problem-solving skills. First graders experience important transitions as they grow in confidence, independence, and academic ability.
  
  

  Each day also includes a specialist-led enrichment class, offering opportunities to explore Art, Music, Spanish, STEM, P.E., Garden, Chapel, and Social-Emotional Learning. These classes expand students’ horizons, nurture creativity, and support the development of the whole child.
  
  

  Inquisitive minds are encouraged to ask questions, seek solutions, and engage deeply in a richly integrated curriculum that reflects our commitment to curiosity, character, and community.

• 2nd Grade

  Second Grade: Confidence, Curiosity, and Connection

  Second grade is a year of growing independence—academically, socially, and emotionally. In a classroom supported by both a lead teacher and a full-time aide, students benefit from responsive instruction and meaningful guidance as they learn to navigate friendships, build confidence, and take ownership of their learning.
  
  

  Social-emotional growth is woven into the day through our schoolwide SEL Toolbox, growth mindset practices, and values rooted in faith. On the playground and in the classroom, students build skills that help them relate to others with empathy and resilience.
  
  

  In literacy, second graders focus on comprehension strategies they’ll use for years to come. With a mix of teacher-read mentor texts and independent reading, students learn to make predictions, use context clues, compare and contrast, identify lessons, and more. Phonics skills are sharpened through targeted instruction and weekly spelling practice. As writers, they learn to craft strong leads, organize their ideas, and express themselves clearly in personal narratives, opinion pieces, and informational writing.
  
  

  In math, students solidify their understanding of number sense by adding and subtracting three-digit numbers with regrouping, identifying geometric shapes, using money, telling time on an analog clock, and laying the groundwork for multiplication. Their growing curiosity about the world is nurtured through units on history, geography, and cultural exploration—from the Founding Fathers and Martin Luther King Jr. to Jane Goodall and global communities.
  
  

  Science taps into their natural wonder with topics like animal classification, how matter changes form, and the environmental forces that shape our landscape. Weekly enrichment classes, including STEM, Art, Music, Spanish, P.E., Chapel, and Social-Emotional Learning, further enhance their learning and keep engagement high. This is also the year students begin learning cursive handwriting, adding an exciting milestone to their academic journey.

   

• 3rd Grade

  Third Grade: Taking Ownership, Exploring the World

  Third grade is a pivotal year of growth and greater independence. With the guidance of a lead teacher and a teacher's aide, students begin to take more ownership of their learning—building confidence, developing personal responsibility, and learning to solve problems collaboratively and creatively.
  
  

  Instruction becomes more project-based and student-driven, as learners delve into reading, writing, math, science, and social studies through hands-on experiences, research, and reflection. They keep science and math journals, write thoughtful reader responses, and explore the world around them through field trips, writing units, and collaborative projects.
  
  

  Third graders also discover the joy of inquiry—researching people, places, and events to better understand their world and their place within it. With a growing sense of global and social awareness, students begin making meaningful connections across subjects.
  
  

  Each day includes a specialist-led enrichment class, with weekly rotations through STEM, Art, Music, Musical Theater, Spanish, P.E., Chapel, and Social-Emotional Learning. These experiences allow students to express themselves, build new skills, and stay actively engaged throughout the week.

• 4th Grade

  Fourth Grade: Discovery, Voice, and Deeper Learning

  Fourth grade is a year of self-discovery—academically, socially, and personally. Students begin to explore their own preferences, interests, and identity as learners and individuals. With the support of a lead teacher and a teacher's aide, they’re empowered to take greater initiative and ownership of their education.
  
  

  In math, students rise to new cognitive challenges such as long division, multi-step multiplication, fractions, and geometry—concepts perfectly suited to the developing 10-year-old brain. Their problem-solving abilities grow alongside their confidence.
  
  

  Language Arts comes alive through rich, novel-based instruction. Books like Zia, Island of the Blue Dolphins, By the Great Horn Spoon, Sylvia and Aki, and Riding Freedom are used to strengthen fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension, while also connecting to the California History curriculum. Students hone their writing skills through opinion essays and informational reports, all while developing mastery of cursive handwriting for practical and creative use.
  
  

  California history is a key focus in fourth grade. Students explore the lives of the state’s earliest inhabitants, the impact of Spanish and Mexican rule, and California’s journey to statehood. These lessons are brought to life through hands-on projects and meaningful field trips, including visits to the state capital, Sutter’s Mill, the Golden Gate Bridge, and a multi-day outdoor education experience in Columbia, CA.
  
  

  Each day also includes a specialist-led enrichment class, with weekly rotations through STEM, Art, Music, Musical Theater, Spanish, P.E., Chapel, and Social-Emotional Learning. These classes complement core academics and support whole-child development through creativity, movement, and reflection.

• 5th Grade

  Fifth Grade: Leadership, Independence, and Depth

  Fifth grade marks a significant step toward independence as students begin to see themselves as capable leaders and critical thinkers. With the support of a lead teacher and a teacher's aide, students are guided to take greater responsibility for both their learning and social behavior. A restorative approach to peer engagement helps build empathy, accountability, and strong community values.
  
  

  In academics, students explore the growth of America—from the early colonial period through the Civil Rights movement—making meaningful connections between history and the present. In math, they deepen their understanding of foundational concepts introduced in earlier grades, now applying them to multi-step problems and more advanced operations.
  
  

  Science learning comes to life each spring during the three-day, two-night outdoor education experience at Camp SEA Lab in Monterey Bay. There, students engage in the scientific investigative process, explore marine environments, and even kayak along the coast—bringing classroom learning into the natural world.
  
  

  Fifth graders also step into leadership roles through Student Council, where they collaborate with the Elementary Principal to lead weekly school-wide assemblies and coordinate service projects that benefit the larger community.
  
  

  Each day includes a specialist-led enrichment class, with weekly rotations through STEM, Art, Music, Musical Theater, Spanish, P.E., Chapel, and Social-Emotional Learning. These classes offer creative outlets, physical activity, and opportunities to grow in character, confidence, and collaboration.