Lower School |New Canaan Country School

Lower School: Grades 1-4

Country School celebrates the exuberant curiosity of children. We believe true understanding is acquired when children have time to experiment, converse and create.

Engagement, Curiosity, Motivation and Hard Work

In Lower School, our students are developing focus and self-control. They are capable of a higher level of academic challenge while still experiencing the joy and wonder of learning. Our curriculum builds upon the foundational skills of literacy and computation through the exploration of literature, math, science, social studies and Spanish.

Just as important, through the use of class discussion, teachable moments and individual attention, our faculty helps students negotiate their budding social, emotional and behavioral growth.

Introduction, Practice, Mastery

Teachers intentionally design hands-on experiences and direct lessons to provoke thinking, engage conversations, foster relationships and connect ideas and concepts.

In Lower School, students continue to practice and master foundational skills while tackling more difficult concepts in deeper, more advanced levels of the same subject or in different situations in new subject matter.

Our subject-specific curricular objectives in the Lower School include:

Language Arts: Learn to read effectively and write skillfully through a balanced approach that combines literature and phonics instruction.
Mathematics: Learn math concepts using hands-on materials before being introduced to the corresponding abstract algorithms. Students use geometry, surveys, graphing, games and everyday problem-solving to make mathematics relevant to them.
Science: Explore a variety of scientific fields, learning to observe and investigate the world around them.
History and World Culture: Study cultural traditions, history, celebrations and stories which are integrated to complement social studies curriculum.
Art/Music: Engage in movement, song and instrument play and begin to lay the groundwork for music literacy and aural skills. Older children play recorders and Orff instruments , sing in weekly chorus and are introduced to traditional band instruments.
Foreign Language: Continue the study of Spanish, which is integrated into stories, songs, games and skits.

List of 1 members.

Meaghan Mallin

Head of Lower School

Bio
Meaghan Mallin became the Head of Lower School in 2016. Previously, Meaghan spent 14 years at The Stanwich School in Greenwich, CT, most recently as Associate Head of School for Grades PreK-12 and Head of Lower School, for Grades PreK through 6. Though she has served as a school administrator for the past 11 years, Meaghan’s background also includes classroom experience ranging in age from early childhood through Grade 4 at both Stanwich and Brunswick School. She earned her B.S. in Accounting from Boston College Carroll School of Management and her M.A. in Teaching from Manhattanville College. Meaghan and her husband, Zack, have two children. Her son, Connor, is a first grader at Country School and she has a two-year-old daughter named Rose.

Mrs. Mallin's Corner

Lower School Shares Silver Linings

Meaghan Mallin, Head of Lower School

When Distance Learning began in Lower School, I gave my students an assignment: Have you ever heard the expression every cloud has a silver lining? It means that even during challenging situations, good things can come. The fact that we cannot be at school together is certainly a cloud! Your job is to think about what the silver linings are of our school buildings being closed.
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Hopes and Dreams in Lower School

by Meagan Mallin, Head of Lower School

What a wonderful beginning we have shared! It has been a pleasure to welcome your children into our spaces and to have our classrooms and hallways properly buzzing with the joyful laughter and excited chatter of children.

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The Starfish Story: Making a Difference

by Head of Lower School Meaghan Mallin

At a recent assembly, I shared The Starfish Story with your children. For anyone unfamiliar, the story (adapted from The Star Thrower by Loren Eiseley), goes like this:

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The Gift is in the Giving

Head of Lower School Meaghan Mallin

I wanted to share our latest Lower School community project with you, as we will be carrying it out in these weeks before break. If you have been to LS assembly, you have likely noticed that we always open our gathering with important messaging of community. We talk overtly about what it means to be kind, how we can practice gratitude, and what it means to be our best selves.
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Only One You Project Rocks Lower School

Meaghan Mallin, Head of Lower School

Lower School has engaged in an inspiring and dynamic community-building project that quite literally rocks. This project, stemmed from the book Only One You, by Linda Kranz, has culminated with the creation of a meaningful and child-centered Lower School rock garden, which has our mission at its heart.

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Grade 1 Immersions – Beginning with Mindfulness

Meaghan Mallin, Head of Lower School

Immersions is a new curricular initiative for our Grade 1 students designed to offer enrichment learning experiences and a deeper-dive into aspects of our program.
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Making Maker Comes Alive in Grade 1

Meaghan Mallin, Head of Lower School

Innovative, hands-on, challenging, and engaging. These are just a few of the words that can be used to describe the Grade 1 Maker Program.
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Curriculum Guide

Visit & Explore

Before & After School Programs

Lower School News

Tapping into Tradition: A Sweet Celebration of the Season

“It’s really surprising how much sap is in these buckets. I totally didn’t expect this.”

Fourth grade student Henry Macon of Norwalk is peering underneath the silver lid of an aluminum bucket. He and his classmates are partaking in the long-standing New Canaan Country School tradition of collecting sap from the tapped maple trees which line the school’s front driveway and dot the landscape of its 75-acre campus. (view video)
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Worm Wrangling and Snail Observing: First Graders Learn How to be Scientists

“I am trying to find the mouth and am also studying the design of the shell,” explains first grade science student Dylan Shah of Stamford, carefully examining the grove snail in front of him. “I also want to find the respiratory pore.”

“The snail has different colors on its shell. It is so slimy!” exclaims classmate Lily Burnes of Darien, holding her specimen in hands dampened with water, making it easier for the snail to move across her outstretched palms.
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Lower School Remembers Dr. King's Life and Legacy

Country School’s Lower School (Grades 1-4) celebrated the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with curricular activities, reflections and gatherings culminating in an assembly, Jan.15, held using online platforms.
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Music Class Takes a Twist This Year

Music teacher Ellen Baer has tackled the challenges of teaching during coronavirus with the kind of creative problem-solving that New Canaan Country School students are encouraged to practice. The Lower School music curriculum is typically based around singing which involves a high level of aerosol emission. So, this year our Lower Schoolers will instead focus on improving their rhythm and listening skills in their general music classes.
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Grade 1 Present Community Helpers

The Grade 1 Community Helpers video is the culmination of the students’ social studies unit. This year, the scripts particularly focused on essential workers on the front lines of the pandemic. These community helpers include delivery workers, grocery and food service workers, healthcare workers, firefighters, facilities staff, educators and police officers. We are proud of our students for recognizing the good and vital work of these important community helpers.

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