Academics

Lower School

Welcome to our Lower School

In a distinctly joyful environment, the Lower School program provides a comprehensive educational foundation by focusing on the cognitive, social and emotional needs of the Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 4 students. Lower School educators foster a passion for learning within a blend of core curriculum and special subject (Exploration) classes. In a supportive setting, students deepen their curiosity and creativity, develop critical thinking and group-problem skills, and become contributing members to both their school and local communities.

Pre-K-Grade 4

The Lower School experience begins in the homeroom classrooms. Dedicated teachers work with students in the foundational curriculum of reading, writing, math, and social studies. 

Alicia F., Parent

When you find a community where everyone involved cares about your child as much as you do, you can’t put a price on that.

Strong Student-Teacher Relationships

Berwick Academy’s Lower School teachers are committed to bringing out the joy and passion of each child. This close teacher-student connection in our homeroom and exploration classrooms aids in our primary goal of understanding and supporting each student as both an individual and a group-oriented learner. Teachers are able to give their students personalized attention to ensure every child's academic, social, and emotional needs are being met.

Throughout our well-rounded daily program, a sense of camaraderie and engagement permeates the Lower School learning environment. Regardless of grade level, active group experiences help our students realize that they are essential members of a community in which all are invested in their well-rounded success.

Our Lower School Emphasizes:

List of 7 items.

  • Personalized Attention

    Close parent/guardian-teacher relationships and open communication.
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  • Social-Emotional Learning

    A commitment to kindness, honesty, and readiness to learn.
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  • Project Approach

    Giving students ownership in their learning.
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  • Innovative Experiences

    Experiences include coding, robotics, the interactive sandbox, and an overall emphasis on open-ended homeroom and exploration class experiences.
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  • Nature-Based Education

    Utilizing our expansive 80-acre campus.
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  • World Languages and Cultures

    Development of language skills in Spanish.
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  • Power of Play

    Open-ended play experiences.
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Joyful and Engaging Environment

One of the greatest differentiators of the Lower School program is the individual care and attention teachers are able to provide their students through a personalized and challenging curriculum. Our Lower School teachers believe that creating an engaging environment, where students are known and appreciated, is essential to the growth of our youngest learners. Teachers intentionally foster critical thinking, curiosity, and a joy of learning through a balanced approach to education. They understand that learning is not limited to academic subjects and that every child learns differently. A devotion to helping children learn both from student successes and setbacks also differentiates the Lower School faculty approach. 

Homeroom Curriculum

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  • Literacy

    Reading skills in the Lower School are grounded in the science of reading and built upon the framework of the 95 Percent Group. This structured, research-based approach provides a strong foundation in phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Classroom teachers, with the support of Lower School literacy teachers, use this framework as the core of instruction while also teaching creatively and responsively, blending small-group and whole-class lessons.  Additionally, flexible grouping enables teachers to meet the individual needs of students and maintain a learning environment that is engaging and meaningful.
     
    Teachers strategically use a balance of program resources and student work, such as writing projects, reading responses, and class discussions, to strengthen skills, encourage critical thinking, and build confidence. Additional language arts experiences, including writing, grammar, and handwriting, complement the reading program and round out this crucial content area.
     
    Students read, write, and discuss a wide variety of fiction and nonfiction texts. Our goal is to combine the rigor of evidence-based reading instruction with engaging and creative teaching, fostering both proficiency and a lifelong love of reading and writing.
     
    Essential Question:
    How can a strong, science-based foundation in reading, paired with collaborative, flexible, and creative instruction, help students become proficient, engaged, lifelong readers and writers?


  • Math

    Math instruction is rooted in hands-on exploration, collaborative learning, and the development of strong number sense. Beginning in Fall 2026, students in grades K–4 will use i-Ready Classroom Mathematics, a comprehensive instructional program centered on teacher-led lessons, hands-on activities, rich classroom discussions, and student workbooks. The program emphasizes active learning in the classroom, with students working independently and collaboratively to explain their thinking, explore multiple solution strategies, and apply mathematical concepts to meaningful, real-world situations. Technology is used as a supportive tool when appropriate, but classroom math instruction is driven by direct teaching, hands-on experiences, and collaborative learning—not extended time on devices.

    In addition to classroom instruction, students participate in Wild Math, an outdoor learning program that strengthens mathematical thinking through engaging, nature-based experiences and encourages students to discover math in the world around them.

    Essential Question:
    How can you use mathematical thinking to solve real-world problems?

  • Social Studies

    Social Studies units range from studying our local communities to learning about the continents through classroom investigations and related Project Approach work. These units often connect and integrate with classroom literature, library class research activities, and culminating celebrations. Within this meaningful approach to learning about local and distant cultures, past and present, greater meaning is acquired through hands-on learning and in-depth class discussions.

    Essential Questions:
    What kind of community do we want to 'live' in at Berwick Academy? and What are some similarities and differences between our local and worldwide communities?"

Other Areas of Focus

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  • Nature-Based Education

    Our expansive 80-acre campus allows our teachers to infuse the natural world into our students' everyday learning experience.
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  • The Project Approach

    Our project approach to teaching and learning, which includes studying meaningful and authentic topics, encourages collaboration and deep thinking.
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Exceptional Education and Exploratory Opportunities

The Lower School experience begins in the homeroom classrooms. Dedicated teachers work with students in the foundational curriculum of reading, writing, math, and social studies/project work. Beyond the homeroom academic experience, our students engage in exploration studies in art, library/infotech, music, physical education, science, and Spanish.

In an engaging and purposeful environment, students deepen their curiosity and creativity, develop critical thinking skills, and become contributing members to our Lower School community. The elementary school years are filled with learning; everything is new and curiosities are high. We nourish these meaningful, critical years for students by encouraging joy, excitement, and wonder around learning.

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Berwick Academy

31 Academy Street
South Berwick, Maine 03908

Contact:
Admission | 207.384.6300
Main Office | 207.384.2164
Berwick Academy, situated on an 80-acre campus just over one hour north of Boston, serves 520 students, Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12 and Postgraduates. Berwick students are from Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and several countries. Deeply committed to its mission of promoting virtue and useful knowledge, Berwick Academy empowers students to be creative and bold. Berwick strives to graduate alumni who shape their own learning, take risks, ask thoughtful questions, and come to understand and celebrate their authentic selves.

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