Elementary School

At Stamford American International School, we recognize each child is an individual with unique abilities, experiences and interests. Our inquiry-based, integrated Elementary Years curriculum for students aged 6 to 11, makes learning relevant and meaningful, irrespective of background. Recognizing the distinct potential of each child, teachers adopt an inclusive approach to accommodate different learning styles and needs.

With students from more than 75 nationalities on our campuses, Stamford American students enjoy a well-rounded approach to learning that incorporates and encourages cross-cultural communication and understanding.

The combination of high-quality standards for learning and holistic, student-centered education frameworks means we provide a rigorous and balanced educational experience, which serves students well as they progress through to Secondary School and beyond.

The Elementary School at Stamford American takes student well-being very seriously and it is culturally embedded in everything we do. We encourage students to take leadership and ownership of various aspects of well-being in order to create a positive campus environment and encourage their implementation throughout the wider community.

A number of different wellness initiatives have been initiated across Elementary School, including:

• Art of Brilliance with Dr. Andy Cope (UK) – Positivity, the importance of a smile, showing gratitude, the culture of care and more
• Peer to Peer Counseling – Students learn to help others through common problems
• Random Acts of Kindness – Ideas to inspire kindness
• Chimp Management Model, Dr. Steve Peters (UK) – Helping Students to understand and manage their emotions, thinking, and behavior through 10 helpful habits
• Peace Patrol – Students help serve as mentors to their peers and brainstorm other ways to improve the climate and culture of our school. Goals include presenting at assemblies, taking an active role in the promotion and effective implementation of the Buddy Bench (among other things). Peer mentoring is a very positive tool in school communities and the kids involved would be given an excellent opportunity at leadership.

We also use a number of different tools throughout the Elementary School to monitor students’ emotions and feelings, including AS Tracking and Skodel check ins. We then know what’s going on with our students both in the moment and over time, and are better positioned to support them.

“My teachers care about me.”

– Ruby, Grade 3

Stamford is an IB World School and is authorized to offer the Primary Years Programme (PYP). IB World Schools share a common philosophy – a commitment to high-quality, challenging, international education.

The PYP is an international curriculum framework designed for children between the ages of 3 and 12 years, taught through guided inquiry and concept-based teaching and learning approaches. The program focuses on the development of the whole child, so in addition to academic achievement, the program strongly emphasizes the social, physical, emotional and cultural growth of all students.

“My classmates are so nice. I have a room full of friends.”

– Helen, Grade 1

“I love learning about new things. My classes make me really happy and I get excited about school.”

– Matthew, Grade 3

The Elementary Bilingual program is offered from Grade 1 to Grade 5 and sees students learning the same content as students in mainstream classes. However, 50% of the content in Math and Unit of Inquiry (UOI) is delivered in Mandarin.

Our unique one-bilingual-teacher approach in the program is facilitated by our bilingual teachers and teaching assistants who are fluent in both languages and demonstrate bilingualism as role models. This single bilingual teacher model ensures the seamless transition and translanguaging during learning, and provides the opportunity to explore content more deeply in both languages. This allows for learning experiences to be more adaptive and supports student-led inquiry. Classes also have a dedicated Mandarin language lesson daily, to help provide an immersive exposure to Mandarin.

Bilingual learners need to feel a deep sense of belonging to take risks and make mistakes. Our one-bilingual-teacher approach builds trusting relationships between students and teachers. To ensure continuity of curriculum programming, teachers regularly collaborate with their grade level colleagues to design lessons and share in best instructional and assessment practices.

Students from all over the world make up the nationality mix in a Bilingual class, helping to support the development of international mindedness.

“Being in the bilingual class allows me to learn more languages and be more creative when it comes to learning. Whenever I go somewhere with my mom or dad, they encourage me to speak to Mandarin speakers in Chinese and it always makes their day.”

– Lawrence, Grade 5

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Visit our Applications Page for student enrollment requirements for Stamford American Elementary School.