Start Curious. Stay Curious.
Lower School is where Curiosity, Creativity and Confidence grow.
In Lower School, students learn to internalize, apply, and have a solid foundation and understanding of the PREP Values: Perseverance, Respect, Empathy, and Personal Integrity.
The Rutgers Prep Pre-K to 5th grade program provides a hands-on approach that brings learning to life. Our teachers create a specialized curriculum that broadens our students' scope of learning in the areas of S.T.E.A.M, world language, guidance and physical education . Students are able to engage with teachers, collaborate in groups and participate in integrated learning opportunities.
Our expert faculty, intimate class setting and individualized attention allows us get to know our students—their strengths, weaknesses, interests and dreams—and work as a team to provide what they need to achieve their goals.
We are so pleased to announce that Namita Tolia will join Rutgers Prep as Lower School Principal this summer in preparation for the 2021-2022 school year, and we hope you will join us in welcoming her to our community!
It All Starts Here..
We realize that the first years of a child's academic life are crucial in establishing positive attitudes and dispositions towards learning. Beginning in Pre-Kindergarten we nurture the social adjustment and school skills of a young child. Fostering self-help, listening, organizational skills and developing a love for learning are goals of the program. These goals are met with the guidance of dedicated professionals who plan and provide innovative, high interest activities within an encouraging and caring environment.
The program, a thematic-based approach, encourages students to make choices in the classroom according to their interests. Students are offered small and large motor activities, book selections, pre-math and pre-reading instruction, music and dramatic play that encourage learning around a theme and a letter of the week. We are able to broaden the young student’s scope of instruction with teachers who specialize in the arts and physical education and who teach a wide range of ages.
Learning Through Leading
During their time in the Lower School, through responsibility at every level. Fifth Grade students are challenged to be role models for younger students and deepen their capacity for empathy and understanding of others, a key component of effective guidance. They also participate in a retreat at Stony Acres filled with physical, skilled verbal, and group dynamic challenges allowing students to become closer to one another and begin to cohere as a group.