ELEMENTARY PROGRAM

Our educational philosophy continues into the elementary program with engaging and interactive approaches to teaching and learning. Instruction is delivered in a variety of ways, including hands-on, experiential, and project-based learning; cross-curricular projects; community outreach; and a variety of opportunities for our students to present and perform in front of an audience. To create such meaningful moments of learning, we must provide the bedrock of a solid curriculum. Formal curricular programs such as Everyday Math, Savvas myView, and Science Fusion create a foundational structure, and teachers research and innovate to complement their curricula, making learning robust, engaging, and authentic. Teachers collaborate across grade levels to ensure vertical alignment and appropriate building in content, skills, expectations, and independence.

Wesley Prep faculty and staff honor the dignity of childhood and believe that experiential learning is critical to engaging student curiosity, which leads to the development of life-long learners. Through rich and purposefully designed learning experiences at all grade levels, our students develop the skills and capacities needed to successfully navigate the world in which they live. 

IMPORTANCE OF ENRICHMENT

Wesley Prep places great importance on enrichment outside of the core strands. Beginning at the nursery level, students attend music class. Chapel, physical education, and library are introduced in preschool, and PreK 4 students also attend art and have regular visits from the School Counselor for social-emotional guidance lessons. Elementary students attend even more enrichment classes, adding music, drama/theatre, technology, Spanish, and science lab. Fifth and sixth graders attend human spirituality and test preparation courses. All Wesley Prep students participate in these enrichment classes from the beginning of the year to the end, so that students are surrounded by all enrichment subjects and all enrichment teachers throughout the entire school year. This exposure promotes well-rounded students with a great number of interests and experiences. Enrichment teachers collaborate with each other and core teachers for cross-curricular units and projects. There is also an emphasis on the importance of outdoor play, with outdoor recess twice daily for Preschool and Kindergarten and at least once daily in the rest of Elementary.

Athletic offerings are a key component to the development of the whole child. Beginning in preschool, students are encouraged to participate in athletics with classmates as teammates and parents as volunteer coaches, through organizations such as the YMCA and the Spring Valley Athletics Association. Wesley Prep is a member of the Metro Athletic league, sponsoring volleyball, flag football, basketball, soccer, and track and field for upper elementary. The goal of Wesley Prep’s athletic programming is more experiential than competitive, with any student who wishes to participate being placed on a team.

BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

Each grade level is filled with engaging experiences and curriculum-expanding field trips which allow our students to connect the importance of classroom learning with the world around them. Examples include third grade classes visiting iFly during a physics unit, fourth grade classes taking a three-day trip to Austin and San Antonio to culminate a year’s study of Texas history and literature, and preschool and Kindergarten classes enjoying visits from experts at organizations such as the Dallas Zoo, the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, and the Dallas Fire Department.

“We have phenomenal teachers, small class sizes and a wealth of enrichment classes, providing a rich education for all grade and age levels.  Having taught in public schools for 14 years, I can tell you that as a faculty member, I am able to take my students farther and provide them with more in this setting than in any other classroom setting I’ve experienced.”

-Lori Cousino, Elementary Director