LOWER SCHOOL
THE LOWER SCHOOL: I DESIRE TO KNOW THE WORLD.
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K–5 PACT FAMILIES
Leading the PACT in Character Development Programming for Lower School Students.
PACT families consist of students from grades K–5 with one teacher at the helm. These families stay together for several years to allow younger students to really get to know students from older classes. This multi-year family approach also enables Kindergartners to immediately belong to a network of support, easing their transition into a structured school environment.
PACT FAMILY FUN DAY
Each Lower School academic year concludes with the PACT Family Fun Day, planned mostly by 5th grade students as their parting contribution to the Lower School community. Activities include games, contests, face-painting booths, and—of course—an unforgettable dance party. Now in its 15th year, the PACT program has become so successful, it has served as a model for numerous other schools that wish to build school-wide connections across grades.
We wanted to create more than just a conflict resolution program. We wanted to focus on character education and core values. A key element is empowering students to be able to talk to one another calmly and respectfully.
– Beth Crowley, Former Bentley Lower School Teacher and PACT Founder
DISCOVERING THE WORLD
| Maker Studio |
| The Maker Studio on our Hiller campus encourages Bentley students to think big by providing engaging design challenges and opportunities to work on guided and unguided personal passion projects. Students have access to and training for a variety of tools, machines, materials and crafting supplies. While working in the studio, they become familiar with the design process and utilize its emphasis on trying novel ideas and learning from failures to create unique solutions to design challenges. |
| Hiller Garden |
Down the hill below the playground, lives our beloved community garden, filled with chickens, flowers, and vegetables. The mission of the Hiller Garden is to augment classroom learning by getting outside and into the dirt. Through hands-on experiential learning, students begin understanding how nature’s ecosystems are directly related to our daily lives. Students learn to apply their connection with the garden to their immediate community. Every student from Kindergarten–5th grade spends a portion of their time learning what it takes to maintain the community garden. This includes planting, weeding, caring for the animals, maintaining fruit trees, turning compost, raking leaves, spreading mulch, and many other engaging activities. We call this time "Giving Back to the Garden" or GBG for short. Performing these tasks is an important and meaningful way for students to work as a community, to improve the space that is shared by every Bentley student. Garden programming focuses on:
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| Hiller Library |
At the heart of the Bentley School Lower School campus is the Hiller Library. With its high ceilings and inviting book nooks, students in grades K–8 expand their minds through the gift of literature. Whether reading for pleasure, or meeting for a group project, the library is open all day to serve the Bentley School promise of making learning a lifetime pursuit. The space hosts a weekly library class for K–5 students where they learn while middle-schoolers come to read for pleasure, collaborate on group projects, and research school assignments. There are iMac computers available for homework or online research, as well as iPads for individual or small group work. The library houses a diverse collection of over 9,000 books, including both works of fiction and non-fiction, as well as a host of digital resources. Whether making friends with Ramona Quimby or learning about mastering Minecraft, Hiller Library opens the imagination of students through a multitude of mediums and resource materials. Library skills instruction is offered to students of all ages where they learn:
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