Grades PK-4

From the moment our youngest students walk through the door, we want them to feel loved, celebrated, supported, respected, and excited to learn. Each morning, they are welcomed with a handshake at the lower school entrance, and while it may seem like a small thing, a morning handshake or special greeting says, “We care about you and we are so happy to see you today.”
 
Each day, our lower school classrooms are filled with joyful and engaged learning where children’s natural curiosity and individual interests and talents can shine. Norwood students question and interact with the world around them through active participation in cooperative, hands-on, and project-based learning. We believe that students gain deeper knowledge and valuable skills by exploring and responding to real world questions, problems, and challenges. A typical moment: kindergartners are building a bridge in Guided Discovery; first graders are celebrating being real writers by sharing original books at a publishing party; second graders are using recycling materials to create a lush and colorful rainforest on a hallway wall; third graders are creating Native American dioramas to represent the landscape of each Nation studied; and fourth graders are digging for artifacts in the School’s archaeological excavation site.
 
Our teachers do a great job of masking the rigor of the curriculum. They set high standards of achievement, and through differentiated instruction, they provide different routes, environments, resources, and pacing for each child. The goal is for every child to feel successful and to love learning so that when they leave Norwood at the end of the day, they can’t wait to return in the morning.
 
Norwood’s Lower School is a fun and vibrant learning community where every child is celebrated, loved, and encouraged to reach higher and farther than they thought possible. They move on to Middle School after fourth grade with the confidence, skills, maturity, and voice to achieve exciting new goals in the second half of their Norwood journeys.

Mike Risen
Associate Head of School & Head of Lower School

Lower School News

-Nuria, '17

Norwood is a very safe place where you can grow, learn who you are, and be your best self.

Located in Bethesda, MD, Norwood School develops students in grades PK-8 into confident lifelong learners who have the academic, character, and leadership skills to succeed in high school and beyond. Recognizing that children are multi-faceted, Norwood provides many opportunities for safe risk-taking, exploration, discovery, and growth in a nurturing, supportive, and inclusive school community.