Academics
Lower School
Elementary Education at Trinity
For the Whole Child: Social, Emotional, and Academic
Trinity’s Lower School encompasses Grades One through Four, and is filled with children who are highly motivated and excited to become lifelong learners.
Our community provides an ideal setting for each of our young students to build a solid foundation by placing a strong emphasis on the development of the whole child socially, emotionally, and academically. Our faculty ensures that each child is known and valued, and that each student is able to learn and grow in an environment where risk taking is encouraged and mistakes are viewed as opportunities for growth.
In the Lower School, we create an environment where each child is excited to come to school each day, and that they are eager to see the new learning adventures that await them.
The Curriculum
Trinity students are taught to value the learning process and are provided with academic choice in their learning throughout each day.
Our Lower School children are happily engaged as they are busy selecting writing topics based on individual interests, discovering new ways to tackle math concepts, or creating a plan for how they will present their knowledge on a favorite science or social studies theme.
Student choice in learning provides our students with the opportunity to think deeply, articulate their thinking, and become expert problem solvers. Our dedicated faculty provides children with a warm, nurturing environment. The Lower School classroom focuses on building skills in cooperation, assertiveness, responsibility, empathy, and self control, and we support our children daily as they become confident, resilient, and increasingly independent throughout their Lower School years.
We are committed to educating the whole child while also celebrating individual differences. Throughout the Lower School years, children gain personal responsibility, empathy, and learn to respect multiple viewpoints. We pride ourselves on stimulating both minds and hearts.
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First Grade
As our students enter First Grade, increased emphasis is placed on academic skills in language arts, math, social studies, and science.First Graders begin their year by learning how to build good reading habits and begin to find joy in reading a variety of children’s literature each day. They also quickly blossom into beginning authors, as they have daily opportunities to express themselves in writing by working in small groups with teachers and with their peer writing partners.Thematic study in First Grade includes a study of New Orleans neighborhoods and architecture, a study of Louisiana, the rainforest, China, and Egypt. First Graders also have many opportunities to perform for the community throughout the year as they work hard to build skills to become fluent communicators. -
Second Grade
As children enter Second Grade, they are ready to expand their knowledge base and are blossoming socially as well.Second Graders at Trinity gain confidence as they continue to excel in reading, writing, math, science, and social studies. The Second Grade hallways are filled with an energy that instantly brings smiles to the faces of all who visit.Second Graders enjoy studying animal life cycles, weather, and prehistoric life. The students take a virtual trip to Paris after their study of France and proudly demonstrate their public speaking skills for the Trinity community during Second Grade Biography Day each year. -
Third Grade
Moving to Third Grade at Trinity brings even greater independence. Our Third Graders broaden their knowledge of math and begin to deepen the connections they make in their classroom learning to life outside of school.Third Grade thematic units include the study of simple machines, space, Greek mythology, colonial life, and much more. -
Fourth Grade
Our Fourth Graders continue to thrive in their education with novel studies that help them to expand their understanding of the world around them. Small reading groups allow them to dig deeper into their readings, and daily small math groups allow each child’s educational needs to be met at his or her individual level, maximizing their potential to excel.As Fourth Graders, Trinity students begin to learn to manage their time wisely and start to take true ownership of their learning. These upper elementary students are often able to present their ever-expanding knowledge to one another through the use of technology, group work, and creative presentations.Teachers strategically assemble student groups based on individual learning needs, interests, and learning styles. -
Electives
Children in the Lower School also have the opportunity to participate in elective classes often throughout the school year.These elective classes are student-driven. Children work within a multi-aged setting during electives, allowing them to expand their friendships and learn how to work collaboratively with children of different ages.Specific elective classes might include:- Robotics
- Specialized art & music experiences
- Cooking classes
- Health & fitness
- And more
Additionally, the curriculum is broadened with many special subjects including French, daily physical education, library, religious studies, science lab, and Skills for Living.
Chapel
Every day in the Lower School begins with Chapel, which is then followed by classroom Morning Meetings, where each child is greeted, has an opportunity to share, participate in a group activity, and hear the news and announcements for the day.
Beginning our days in Chapel is a wonderful experience, where the daily message becomes an important part of our lives as we strive to be a community of upstanders prepared to make a positive difference in the world. Our school community is focused on living a life based on a foundation of faith and moral responsibility.
In Chapel, and throughout each school day, we do our best to live the words of our school prayer by being “gentle, generous, truthful, kind, and brave.”
Mrs. Laura Charbonnet
Assistant to the Head of PreSchool and Lower School
Our Faculty & Staff
In the Lower School, teachers use the same Responsive Classroom approach practiced in Preschool. Clear expectations are stated for the students, and a community of belonging, significance, and fun is created in each Lower School classroom.
Each child is well known and valued by the classroom community. We are proud to provide a learning environment where children feel happy, safe, and loved.
“Our students cannot wait to come to school each day!”—Erin Singer, Head of Lower School
Teachers and instructors at the lower school strive to foster a deep, lifelong love of learning that students will carry with them as the progress into middle school, high school, and beyond. Through thoughtfully designed classroom environments and intentionally individualized curricula, children become ardent questioners, empathetic upstanders, and fluent communicators.
Admission
We admit bright, curious children on a first come, first served basis, depending on the completion of the application process. All admission decisions are made in the best interest of each student. Once openings in each class have been filled, qualified applicants will be placed on a waiting list to be accepted as new openings occur.
The Admission Office is open year-round. Please call 504.525.8661 to get more information or schedule a tour, or you can email Sheldon Schmidt at schmidt@trinitynola.com or Steve Salvo at ssalvo@trinitynola.com.
Tuition
Grade 1 through Grade 8: $21,105
Schedule
Early care is available free of charge from 7:15 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.
School Day Hours 8:00 a.m.- 3:20 p.m.
