The Early Years at SSSAS | St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School

A Look Inside Preschool and Kindergarten

The Early Years program at St. Stephen's and St. Agnes is comprised of Early Saints full-day preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds; junior kindergarten for 4- and 5-year-olds; and kindergarten for 5- and 6-year-olds. SSSAS is an Episcopal day school located in Alexandria, VA six miles from Washington, D.C.

Combining tried-and-true methods with innovative, student-driven projects, our lower elementary school for ages 3 to grade 5 ensures that your child is immersed in essential subjects—and expands their knowledge by putting it into practice. Early Education faculty follow a Reggio Emilia-inspired approach. All our Lower School educators are trained in Responsive Classroom, which fosters important character traits such as respect, compassion, self-awareness, self-direction, and honesty alongside foundational academic skills.

MORE ABOUT OUR EARLY YEARS CURRICULUM

Our Early Years program is an exciting introduction to what school can be. Led by two early education experts and inspired by the Reggio Emilia philosophy, it is student-centered, parent-partnered, and research-based.
Teachers employ the Singapore Math Developing Roots curriculum consisting of interactive activities and games that develop flexible thinking, important in developing mathematical skills.
Students are introduced to Orton–Gillingham which is our phonics program. This literacy approach teaches reading and spelling skills by breaking learning down into smaller pieces involving letters and sounds and then builds on these skills over time. They are also engaged in the Heggerty curriculum which focuses on phonological awareness skills - the sounds of letters.
Our preschool, junior kindergarten and kindergarten faculty are certified in early education, supplemented by specialists in art, library, music, science, Spanish, religion, and PE. Wherever children go—from their homeroom class to the natural outdoor classroom, around the Lower School campus or the local area on field trips—they are immersed in experiential learning.

Pursuing Knowledge+Goodness Together

St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School is an affirming and collegial community committed to our mission to "pursue goodness as well as knowledge and to honor the unique value of each of our members as a child of God in a caring community." We believe that educating the whole child by tending to their individual academic, social/emotional, cultural, and physical needs, prepares them to be knowledgeable, kind, and empathetic citizens in a complex world. Combining a rigorous academic program with outstanding opportunities in the arts and athletics for our students, SSSAS is a community that values diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, and we seek families who share these same values.

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