The Upper Elementary classroom offers a strong community in which students encounter not only superior academic standards but are also part of an atmosphere where they develop a solid sense of who they are and become independent, self-confident, and self-disciplined individuals. Time management, organization, and reasonable goal setting are critical skills acquired at this level. This is a time of transition from concrete lessons and materials to the more abstract understanding of challenging concepts. Students begin working in collaborative groups and hone skills of cooperation and negotiation. With mixed age groupings, our children engage in individualized and small group instruction and cooperative learning opportunities. As in all our classes, these groupings provide the opportunity for the older students to act as role models for the younger students and encourage older students to assist the younger students which help them to solidify core concepts in their own learning. In keeping with the Montessori philosophy, an individualized approach to learning is offered. The core curriculum for our upper elementary students consists of the following areas of learning: Language Arts (including reading, writing, and grammar), math, science, social and cultural studies, humanities (art/music), physical education, sign language, and world languages.