Lower School
Pre-kindergarten through grade 4
The Lower School provides an active, joyful elementary education and foundation for girls entering pre-kindergarten to grade 4.
The Importance of a Strong Beginning
As a parent of a young girl, you’ve probably found yourself imagining your daughter’s future and who she might grow to be. You’ve wondered how the experiences she has today will influence her path in life.
In the Ellis Lower School, we have more than 100 years of experience guiding girls through their formative years of elementary school. During this important stage of life, your daughter is just beginning to develop ideas about herself as a learner, a friend, and a citizen. Now is the time to surround her with people who believe in her worth and support the notion that the possibilities for what she can do and who she will become are bound only by the limits of her imagination.
Culture of Growth
We nurture a girl’s belief in herself by providing opportunities to grow into a competent, capable individual.
Every day, in our classrooms, on stage, in the STEM lab, the art studio, and the gym, our students put themselves out there, work hard, and learn to see mistakes and failures as opportunities to grow. This culture of effort and persistence doesn’t happen by accident. It flourishes in the Lower School because we emphasize the idea that you might not be able to do something YET, but if you keep practicing, if you try a new strategy, if you consider looking at it from different perspectives, you will grow and improve. It happens because we remind students of past defeats that didn’t stop them and point out ways their peers have overcome obstacles.
Learning in Community
As your daughter’s confidence in her abilities grows, her willingness to try new things and take healthy risks increases as well.
Whether it’s comparing fractions, researching rainforest animals, or navigating a conflict with a friend, the school day presents a variety of challenges that an Ellis girl is ready to tackle with her teachers and classmates cheering her on. Strong, supportive relationships play an important role in our all-girls environment. Girls thrive when they feel known, respected, and appreciated. We build relationships through daily team meetings, weekly assemblies, and collaborative learning experiences that give our students the opportunity to express their ideas, listen to each other, challenge each other’s thinking, and problem-solve together. In all of these ways, we create a strong, connected community.
What Is the Lower School Like?
Lower School News
List of 8 news stories.
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Ellis Welcomes New Faculty and Staff for the 2024-2025 Academic Year
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Six Things We Love About Spring at Ellis
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For Ellis Second Graders, “Fighting for a Cause” Begins in the Classroom
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Beyond Fun and Games: Language Learning Begins Early at Ellis
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Ellis History Helps Second Graders Learn About Themselves
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Fine Arts Festival Returns to Ellis
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Lower School Students Share Important Message Through "Seussical: The Musical"
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From Cheese to Chili Peppers, Tour of Pittsburgh’s Strip District Highlights Fourth Grade Cultural Studies
