Program : Curriculum Overview

Our curriculum represents best practices in education. The standards and goals used by teachers in the classroom were developed using extensive resources including national and state standards from across the country, documents from the Erickson Institutes Omnibus Guidelines, and the authorship of our own experienced faculty. The curriculum is designed to provide students with important skills that are basic to all learning, critical to success in the workplace, essential to life as productive citizens, and joyful and enriching to the child.

The curriculum reflects a comprehensive, challenging program appropriate for average and high-ability students.

Children love to learn, and our job as a school is to give students opportunities to deepen their knowledge and to reinforce the natural joy of learning. Students are challenged and nurtured in a home-like atmosphere where teachers know each child and expect the best from them.

Small class size and dedicated teachers make individual attention and support of academic excellence possible. Weekly faculty meetings keep curriculum goals and objectives fresh and clearly defined for teachers. They are flexible in their instructional techniques and understand the value of differentiating curriculum and using a variety of teaching strategies to address the variety of learning styles found in any classroom. Co-curricular teachers and core subject teachers communicate regularly the progress of each class, enabling them to better integrate curriculum and meet the individual and group needs.

Character Building Qualities, individual growth and development, and a growing awareness of community are other key elements teachers incorporate into their planning and presentation of lessons and enrichment.

The curriculum is coordinated across the grades in meaningful ways, and within each grade there is inter-disciplinary work. The learning experience is further enriched with art, music, environmental education, Spanish, and athletics, including weekly swim classes.

View / Download Curriculum Guide

Faculty Background [top]

Our Preschool teachers all have degrees and/or certificates in early childhood development, as well as teaching experience that directly correlates with their current assignments. Teachers in Kindergarten Grade 8 have four-year degrees in the fields of education, childhood development, or their particular specialty, such as history or environmental science, and a number of our staff hold graduate degrees. Most of our teachers also have Illinois certification. All take part regularly in a variety of professional development opportunities such as conferences, seminars, and internet presentations. Teachers are also encouraged to present workshops to our faculty on a regular basis and keep abreast of best practices in education.

Members of our community are expected to demonstrate a love for children and a passion for their profession. Colleagues maintain a high standard of interpersonal interactions, professionalism, and character, realizing that, in their capacity as role models, children learn valuable life lessons from them every day.

Language Arts [top]

Language arts includes reading, writing, speaking, listening and the study of literature. Students must be able to study, retain and use information from many sources. Through the study of the English language arts, students should be able to read fluently, understanding a broad range of written materials. They must be able to communicate well and listen carefully and effectively. They should develop a command of the language and demonstrate their knowledge through speaking and writing for a variety of audiences and purposes. As students progress at Fox River Country Day School, a structured study of literature will allow them to recognize universal themes and to compare styles and ideas across authors and eras.

Math [top]

Mathematics is a language we use to identify, describe and investigate the patterns and challenges of everyday living. It helps us to understand the events that have occurred and to predict and prepare for events to come so that we can more fully understand our world and more successfully live in it.

Mathematics encompasses arithmetic, measurement, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, statistics, probability and other fields. It deals with numbers, quantities, shapes and data, as well as numerical relationships and operations. Confronting, understanding and solving problems is at the heart of mathematics. Mathematics is much more than a collection of concepts and skills; it is a way of approaching new challenges through investigating, reasoning, visualizing and problem solving with the goal of communicating the relationships observed and problems solved to others.

As a result of mathematics instruction at Fox River Country Day School, students will have an understanding of how numbers are used and represented. They will be able to use basic operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division) to both solve everyday problems and confront more involved calculations in algebraic and statistical settings. They will be able to read, write, visualize and talk about ways in which mathematical problems can be solved in both theoretical and practical situations. They will be able to communicate relationships in geometric and statistical settings through drawings and graphs. These skills will provide students with a solid foundation for success in the workplace, a basis for continued learning about mathematics, and a foundation for confronting problem situations arising throughout their lives.

Science [top]

Science is a creative endeavor. It offers a special perspective of the natural world in terms of understanding and interaction. The aim of science education at Fox River Country Day School is to develop in learners a rich and full understanding of the inquiry process; the key concepts and principles of life sciences, physical science, and earth and space sciences; and issues of science, technology, and society in historical and contemporary contexts. Students who have the experience of doing science have greater understanding of the conventions and nature of the scientific enterprise and the interplay among science, technology and society in past, present and future contexts. Students learn to make connections between life science, physical science, and earth and space science. Through varied on-going experiential opportunities they gain a life long appreciation for inquiry, investigation and critical thinking.

Social Science [top]

The instruction of social sciences at Fox River Country Day School is rich in narratives, legend and culture. Instruction is informed by essential questions that lead students to a greater understanding of the topic. Grade level themes focus learning on these greater understandings, i.e., change, diversity, community, freedom, conflict, adaptation to guide the learner to a larger expanse of thought. The themes intertwine throughout the Kindergarten through Eighth Grade experience.

The integrated study of the social sciences and humanities promotes civic competence. Within the school program social science provides coordinated, systematic study of such disciplines as anthropology, economics, geography, history, law, political science, and sociology, as well as appropriate content from the humanities, mathematics and natural sciences. The study of social science helps people develop the ability to make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world.

The individual disciplines that comprise social science are often taught independently, yet all of these disciplines recognize that they owe much to the others. As a result of social science education at Fox River Country Day School, students will have a broad understanding of political and economic systems. They will better understand events, trends, personalities and movements in local, state, national and world history. They will know local, state, national and world geography. They also will grasp how the concepts of social science can help interpret human actions and prepare them for careers and lifelong learning.