Academics at Chesterfield Day School
Welcome to Chesterfield Day School, and I’m delighted that you are here to learn more about our school. The moment you step through the front doors of CDS, you are a member of our community: a community focused on the development of the whole child, “heart, head, and hands." Each young child comes to us with unique gifts and a passion for learning, and we believe that our foremost responsibility is to utilize that passion to develop every student into an excited, independent learner who also plays an important role in supporting and strengthening our community. Our unique framework incorporates the best aspects of Montessori and traditional classroom philosophies for this educational journey, and the members of our faculty are our experienced guides.
Because we believe in developing the child academically, socio-emotionally, and physically, it makes sense that our curriculum is integrated and experiential. In the younger classes, from toddler through third grade, Montessori materials allow students to explore the building blocks of language and mathematics in concrete ways through practical life, sensorial, math, cultural, language, music, and art activities that allow even complex concepts to make sense. When our students transition to a more traditional, but still student-centered, approach for second through sixth grades, they take their foundation of knowledge from the Montessori years and use it to continue their explorations in language arts, social studies, mathematics, and science in a hands-on and personalized way. Our classrooms each have direct access to the outdoors to promote integration of nature into our studies, a fundamental component of the Montessori practical life and science curricula. All of our students practice giving to their community through community service activities, promoting a spirit which wants to share its bounty with those who are less fortunate. Development of strong character occurs through service to others, but also through daily practice of the nine character traits which we believe are most important for our students to take into their adult lives. Public speaking gives our students their voice, a valuable tool to take beyond CDS as they work to strengthen their communities in the future.
The faculty at CDS are passionate about children, about teaching, and about the CDS community. Our teachers are the lifelong learners that we are teaching our children to be, and they are always bringing the curriculum to life in ways that not only engage student participation, but promote student ownership of the learning process. Some of our teachers have been here over 25 years, some are new to CDS this year, and some of them are even CDS alumni themselves, but all of them are here because they love CDS and share a vision of what student learning should be. Our students share this love of CDS and show it through their daily excitement for learning. Their parents are daily partners and participants in their children’s education, who selected us as their choice for private, independent education from preschool through upper elementary grades.
Come and share this excitement with us. I know that you will love what you see!
Alicia Noddings
Interim Head of School
