Academics

Lower School Pre-K-4

Your child needs and deserves a strong, diverse academic foundation. Children also need just to be kids and have their childhood protected and nurtured. Everything we do in our Lower School at Mason Prep is designed to support both goals.
How your child learns to learn in these early years of school can affect their entire academic career. Mason Prep uses tested and trusted pedagogical tools and programs to give each child the best start possible.

List of 3 items.

  • Reading & Comprehension Skills

    Reading and comprehension skills are primary goals for young students. We use the SRA Open Court Reading program in grades K-2 at Mason Prep because it is phonetically based and flexible enough to allow children with different learning styles to succeed. We then transition to the Reading Street program in grades 3 and 4 as it continues to apply strong phonetics skills and further strengthens our students’ comprehension and application skills.

  • A Strong Grammar Foundation

    As they progress, our students are introduced to the beginnings of a strong grammar foundation through our language arts curriculum with projects and assignments that include:
    • Creative writing
    • Spelling
    • Book talks
    • Journals
    • Pen Pal correspondences

  • The Sadlier-Oxford Math Program

    The Sadlier-Oxford math program at Mason Prep introduces new foundational skills and concepts at each grade level. Along the way, students build a deep conceptual understanding of how math works as they refine their growing critical thinking and application skills. Once again, this system offers students multiple ways of solving a problem so they can choose a strategy that meshes with how they learn best.

Learning Enrichment

Academics are much more than core skills in language and math. Many of the fundamental skills students need can only be genuinely mastered as children experience the arts or play as part of a team. Each of the following has a critical role in how we educate the whole child in elementary school:

List of 4 items.

  • Technology

    Your child will learn computer and technology proficiency, proper keyboarding skills, proper and safe internet usage, computer coding, writing and publishing, and more.
    Learn More

  • Global Language

    From Pre-K through second grade, students have a semester of Spanish and another of French. As they enter third grade, they choose a language to study in more depth. Your child will develop communication and language skills while also learning a great deal about another culture.
    Learn More

  • The Arts

    Exposure to visual arts and music help develop artistic expression and confidence. Lower school students create works of art in different mediums, play instruments, and have opportunities to perform.
    Learn More

  • Physical Education

    Our program is designed to help shape confident, growing children who will go on to enjoy a lifetime of healthful physical activity. Pre-K-3 students have the opportunity to participate in an instructional basketball program. By the time he or she reaches grade 4, your child will have the opportunity to participate in organized team sports. Along the way, they will be strengthening their psychomotor, cognitive, and affective skills and learning to love an active lifestyle.
    Learn More

Citizenship

There is another significant emphasis at Mason Prep School from Pre-K through graduation.
We strive to develop curious, lifelong learners who understand the importance of being thoughtfully involved citizens in their communities.

To strengthen our school community, each student is part of our castle system, has a pen pal in a different grade, and may participate in City Council (our student government). We also focus on our larger community through community service activities and grade-level, year-long service learning projects that put the goal of teaching engaged citizenship into action.

Many schools claim to value teaching citizenship, but at Mason Prep this emphasis is threaded throughout each class from Pre-K onward. We gather for bi-monthly Morning Meetings where stories, guest speakers, skits, music, and more teach our students about character, inclusion, and diversity. Each Monday morning, our students recite the Mason Prep Pledge. This pledge is not simply something we say - we put its lessons of kindness and respect into practice in our school community, our local community, and our global community.

Get a Better Understanding of Academics in our Lower School

This high-level overview of the academic structure, core strategies, and goals for our Lower School only hints at the depth of our curriculum. The best way to truly understand our learning environment here is to experience it for yourself. Please come for a visit and tour Mason Prep with your child and family. Call us at (843) 805-6015 or use our convenient online form to request a tour today.
56 Halsey Blvd, Charleston, SC 29401
Phone: 843.723.0664
Fax: 843.723.1104
Mason Preparatory School is committed to the education of the whole child in preparation for secondary education through the cultivation of respect, integrity, and personal responsibility within a nurturing environment that results in a productive citizen of a global community.
©2020 Mason Preparatory School