Primary Division Grades 1-3

The day has finally come.

They’re ready for desks, homework, and being in a grade with a number in it. They’re ready for the big leagues – Primary!

In Grades 1 through 3, your child will solidify their fundamental skills in academics, arts, athletics, and citizenship, through a focused and thoughtful program designed to meet the needs of our young learners. They’ll take part in small-group reading lessons, project-based learning experiences, innovative field trips, lots of clubs and teams, and specialist instruction in music, art, French and PE.

The only downside of all this growing up? You have to finally start putting your snowpants on by yourself.

Grade 1

KCS Junior School boy with his book and stuffed animal

Independence and responsibility.

Obviously, Grade 1 is an important time for academics. Throughout the year, students discover, solidify, and master a huge range of key academic skills. But it’s also an essential time for personal and social growth.

We encourage our Grade 1 students to become more independent and self-sufficient. This means everything from looking after their own belongings to getting dropped off in the lobby to solving conflicts with friends. Of course, we don’t expect them to do all this themselves, which is why their teachers are right there to give guidance and encouragement.

This focus on independence and responsibility helps make our students more confident in their own abilities, which in turn helps them to take control of their own life and learning.

Because in Grade 1, it’s not just about reading, writing, and arithmetic. It’s also about growing up.

Grade 2

KCS Junior school students working together on a nature project

Collaboration and curiosity.

In Grade 2, kids are driven by their enthusiasm and curiosity. They are like eager little sponges, excited to explore the world and learn something new. This is the perfect time to show them that when you work together, you end up learning way more than you ever could on your own.

That’s why we spend a lot of time in Grade 2 developing our students’ collaboration and group work skills. We teach them that working together is not about just dividing up jobs – it’s about discussing theories, listening respectfully, and building on each other’s ideas. To help them refine these skills, we give them lots of opportunities to work together on research projects and presentations.

The world is a collaborative place, so we need to make sure our students are ready to join in and get involved. In Grade 2, we help our individual learners evolve into a community of learners.

Grade 3

KCS Junior School boys collaborating on a project

Managing school. Managing life.

By the time they get to Grade 3, those “little kids” are starting to turn into not-so-little-anymore children. So this year is all about helping them manage their increasingly mature life.

Academically, this means producing more complex work and learning organizational skills. They start using student planners to track their work responsibilities. They learn keyboarding and cursive writing to help them create longer pieces of work. And they start using laptops as a tool to enhance their learning.

Socially, this can be a challenging year for kids. Their personalities are evolving and they're beginning to find their own unique voice. Peer groups and friends become very important, which means conflicts can emerge. To help them navigate a more complex social world, we teach them a range of strategies and tools to help with self-regulation and problem-solving in the classroom and the playground.

Growing up can be tricky. But with gentle support and thoughtful mentoring, we can make it a lot easier.

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The day has finally come.

Grade 1

Grade 2

Grade 3

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