Lower School News

Third and Fourth Grade Gratitude Project Warms Hearts Throughout Campus

January 12, 2021 / Lower School

On Thankful Thursday, third and fourth graders reflect on the people and things they feel grateful for. They write their thoughts in gratitude journals, and on some Thursdays, they write their thoughts in letters to the people they are thankful for. “Ms. Love has started doing Thankful Thursday each week during her morning message to the Lower School,” Fourth Grade Teacher Abbie Cox explained. “In conjunction with this, many teachers have discussed being thankful more in depth on Thursdays in their morning meeting. Now more than ever, it is so important to recognize the many blessings we have been given.”

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Fourth Grade Math Curriculum Measures ‘Just Right’

January 5, 2021 / Lower School

Yesterday, JA fourth graders looked at their math classrooms from a new perspective. Rulers in hand, they searched out items to measure, learning the length of desks, books, and even floor tiles as they studied measurement.

At JA, our fourth graders do math a little differently. Around 2005, Head of the Lower School Sarah Love heard of another school that had started dividing boys and girls into same-sex classes for mathematics. Love began doing research on her own and implemented gender-based math classes in 2006.

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JA Carnival Delights Students

October 27, 2020 / Lower School

Last Friday, students in K3 through fourth grade took turns visiting the Brickyard to participate in the annual JA Carnival. Volunteers from the Jackson Academy Association, JA’s parent organization, had transformed the area from a field of competition to a field of celebration, with traditional carnival games ready for all to enjoy! Members of the JAA planned and prepared for months to provide a carnival like no other this year, resulting in a fun, memorable success.

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Lower School Math Gets an Upgrade

August 18, 2020 / Lower School

Same concepts, new style. That’s what our kindergarten through fourth-grade students discovered in their math classes when they returned to school last week.

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JA Creates Ways to Keep Teachers and Students Connected

May 19, 2020 / Lower School

The Lower School end of year drive-through Friday at Jackson Academy was a shining example of how JA teachers love teaching and cherish their students. The evidence was on the faces of teachers and students as they shared all the affection possible while maintaining social distancing.

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Competition and Creativity Highlight Enthusiasm for STEM in Lower School

March 31, 2020 / Lower School

Spring break was one hour away as third graders made their way into the activities building to watch three teams compete in the final round of the third grade coding competition. Lower School STEM Teacher Cliff Powers welcomed family members who joined the audience of students and described the rules of the competition before announcing the beginning of the race for first place.

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