Classrooms

The classrooms at Chesterfield Day School are full of life, enthusiasm, and hands-on learning. You may walk into a class to find students concentrating on rugs with Montessori math materials, gathered in small groups to discuss literature, or exploring the scientific method through lab-based experiments. You are also likely to find students engaged in cross-grade projects, perhaps with a sixth grade book buddy reading to a preschooler, or to find a grandparent volunteer listening to a first grader read, or a parent presenting a cultural lesson to a class. Learning should be alive to students, whether they are doing it in a classroom, on a field trip, or outdoors, and we provide opportunities for them to learn across settings and content areas.

CDS serves children from toddlers through grade six. Divisions within the School include Early Childhood (toddler and preschool), Lower Elementary (kindergarten through grade 3), and Upper Elementary (grades 4 through 6). The CDS curriculum implements both the Montessori philosophy and methodology in early childhood and lower elementary grades, making a transition to more traditional, departmentalized approaches in the upper elementary grades while still adhering to the Montessori philosophy. Please explore the pages listed on the left for an overview of our classrooms at each grade level.