Elementary
Building on Early Education’s focus on discovery and social-emotional development, our Elementary program centers around exploration. Students delve further into subject matter while developing individual critical thinking and collaborative skills.
In line with this idea of self-led exploration, students are not assessed with ”traditional” grading paradigms. Students are made partners in their educational growth through individual learning targets instead of simple letter grades. Knowing that the goals set for them come from careful observation of their performance gives students a sense of ownership over their personalized education.
Our Elementary program helps students learn the importance of interrogating the world and the self with a strong emphasis on reflection.
What sets our Elementary School program apart?
A gateway to community
- Pilgrim is a small school where our faculty and staff know and appreciate each student. One-on-one conferences between teachers and students are frequent and are used to guide each student’s individual learning.
- Parents are also an essential part of the Pilgrim community. From being engaged partners in student conferences to taking part in campus events, there are many ways for parents to feel a part of their student’s educational community.
- Students take advantage of all LA has to offer. Field trips to cultural centers, lessons from our celebrated visiting authors and artists, talks from local political and business leaders, and service-learning events are all integral parts of a Pilgrim student’s education.
Mixed-age group during our bi-weekly Community Monday sessions.
Learning that starts with play
- Free, open-world play allows students to make meaning for themselves. Teachers use real materials and inquiry based on student interest to guide lessons.
- Lessons are hands-on with a focus on collaboration and conversation-based assignments. This structure gets students comfortable with communicating the steps of their thinking—an essential part of later academic and professional success.
- Our flexible, student-focused approach to learning allows lessons to incorporate what excites students daily.
Education that goes beyond the norm
- Language, Fine Arts, and Music are all important parts of our curriculum. Students study either Spanish or Mandarin starting in Kindergarten, learn to play instruments, and have art classes that integrate topics from other classes into their lessons.
- Our rigorous Math and Science curriculum creates multifaceted learners. Math teachers show students multiple approaches to solve problems and then let each student focus on developing the approach that works best for them. Our Science curriculum focuses on a hands-on, interdisciplinary approach to build students’ confidence in critical thinking, experimentation, and analysis.
- Students participate in weekly STEAM classes where they make connections between five subjects of learning to create one engineering goal. This affords students the opportunity for a new and innovative way to engage with the world of Engineering, which prepares them for our robust and intensive High School Engineering and Robotics programs.
Elementary students working on our inclusivity mural with our Visiting Artist.
A spotlight on emotional development
- Pilgrim believes that strong emotional development during the Elementary school years is crucial to student success.
- Our Amaze program is a social-emotional program led by our School Counselor that helps students explore issues of identity and difference in a safe and supportive environment. Through Amaze students build a supportive community while discussing cultural topics through the lens of family.
- SPARK (Students Practicing Activism and Radical Kindness) is an age-appropriate DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging) group designed to introduce young children to the importance of creating safe spaces to express their identity and learn about each other.