Upper Elementary

At OCS, we strive to redeem and honor childhood. Our intermediate students benefit from less homework, allowing them to have time after school to play, socialize with family and friends, and have adequate rest. We boast small class sizes and value equipping children with 21st-century skills such as innovation and creativity. This is accomplished, in part, through developmentally appropriate technology that enhances learning in the classroom. We strive to empower our students with appropriate tools for healthy digital citizenship, creativity, and innovation to impact the world for the better. 

Students in the intermediate grades (3-5) move from “learning to read” to “reading to learn.” They are becoming more independent, are better able to understand concepts, and begin to make deeper connections with people and ideas. It is still very important at this level to provide active, concrete learning experiences, which is why our experiential classrooms engage our intermediate students in project-based learning and hands-on activities to make learning engaging and relevant.    

Our 3-5 Homeroom Shepherd guides and directs students in the vitally important executive functioning skills such as impulse control, flexible thinking, emotional control, working memory, self-monitoring, planning and prioritizing, task initiation, and organization. In the intermediate grades, students ask deep spiritual questions. The Homeroom Shepherd gives them a safe space and the opportunity to develop and claim their faith as their own.   

It is our desire that students see learning as integrated and meaningful. We are Christ-centered and teach through a Biblical lens, which we believe is the best way to instill strong, truth-centered, eternal principles and values. It also allows our students to begin to know and understand their identity and worth in Christ.