Our elementary program is supported by a faculty of professionals who specialize in early childhood development and are dedicated to teaching children with enthusiasm and eagerness. These faculty members strive to recognize the unique strengths of every student and encourage open communication with parents, who are the primary teachers; to collaborate in providing a delightful, wise, and exceptional education for the children in Christian families. This partnership aims to complement godly parenting at home.
Helpful details: School Day: 8 AM – 2:50 PM, Before Care: as early as 6:30 AM, After care: as late as 6:00 PM, Busing is based on local school districts within 10 miles.
The basic skills of Bible, mathematics, reading, and writing form the core of the elementary program. Textbooks are used in conjunction with iPads, manipulatives, games and hands-on experiences to promote mastery. Students learn problem-solving techniques and reading strategies and are challenged to express themselves clearly in written language. The program of instruction is rounded out through the inclusion of specials instruction in music, band, physical education, art, library and computer skills. The historically rich area in which we live permits our programming to extend through field trips and involvement to historic and community destinations. Class by class details are provided below, and you can also click here to view the Elementary Curriculum Overview.
Students in some elementary grades also have support available through our Learning Center
Elementary Grade Overviews
Phil-Mont’s youngest grade level is our Pre-Kindergarten. This program is designed for children turning 4 prior to December of each school year.
- Full and Half-Day options for 4-year-olds (must be 4 prior to Dec. 31 to start)
- A structured hands-on learning environment
- Early drop-off available
- Full school facilities
- Weekly specials: PE and Music
- Bible time & chapel
- After-school care available
- Competitive Pricing
- Safe school environment
- In-class bathroom facilities
- Preferential placement for Phil-Mont Kindergarten and beyond
- 2 Adults at all times (teacher & aide)
Phil-Mont’s Kindergarten program is not only academically structured for student success, but is also an environment of love, safety, and community growth. Students learn from the Bible, from a structured curriculum in math, language arts, science, and social studies, from multiple special classes, but more importantly, students learn from a caring, Christian teacher who is certified and experienced in helping young students grow in their own, God-given way. Students learn to use their creativity and vocabulary to express themselves and ultimately, to bring God glory. Kindergarten is where Phil-Mont starts to shape young hearts and minds to understand that this is God’s world and we are called to do our best for Him.
The basic outline of the Kindergarten curriculum
BIBLE
- Memory and application of Bible verses and stories
- Praise and worship in music – Hymns and Scripture songs
- Formal Program: “Walking With God and His People – Kindergarten level” (CSI, details)
- Weekly Chapel
LANGUAGE ARTS
- Learn to write “the kindergarten way”
- Listen to stories and learn poems
- Formal Language Programs – Journeys (details).
- Develop interest in reading/writing with Fundations
- Develop decoding strategies using phonics skills
- Explore language patterns through poetry and nursery rhymes
- Develop comprehension skills
- Writing and spelling correctly consonant/vowel/consonant words
MATH
- Formal Program: My Math (McGraw-Hill, details)
- Simple addition and subtraction
- Dreambox (iPad application)
SCIENCE
- Our focus is cultivating a sense of wonder at the world God made. Each week, we enjoy using our five senses in hands-on activities. Units in science also focus on various fields including basics in environment/climate, zoology, and astronomy.
SOCIAL STUDIES
- This is a teacher-directed area, taught in connection with calendar events, holidays, and seasonal activities.
- As we discuss God’s world, we will utilize our maps in connection with Bible stories, children’s books, current events, and student (family) background.
SPECIALS
These special classes are taught by other teachers at Phil-Mont
- Physical Education (PE) 2 days per week for 30 minutes. Students should wear PE uniforms to school and should be wearing sneakers.
- Art – 1 day per week, 45 minutes
- Music – 2 days per week, 30 minutes
- All-elementary Chapel on Friday begins at 8:30.
Typical Class trips include: Styer Farms, Elmwood Park Zoo, Morris Arboretum, locals parks
Special events include: Grandparents Day, Thanksgiving Feast, Buddies program with 5th grade, 100th Day celebration, Christmas program, Dr. Seuss’ Birthday celebration, Walks in the park and a number of other unique classroom activities. Parents often are very active in these events.
A Christian World and Life View
In first grade, students discover and enjoy God’s creation through hands-on outdoor activities and field trips. First graders begin to explore history and to see how God was faithful to his people in Bible times, in our own country’s beginnings, and how he continues to be faithful today. Students recognize and celebrate events on the calendar that reflect biblical events, such as Christmas and Easter. They learn to give thanks in all things not only at Thanksgiving but throughout the year.
Major Concepts
- Reading foundations: phonics, sight words, comprehension, context clues, and reading fluency,
- Journeys (details)
- Beginning spelling and grammar
- Writing sentences and paragraphs with proper letter formation, capitalization, and punctuation
- Mastery of basic addition and subtraction facts, place value, basic geometry, money, and time – My Math (McGraw-Hill, details)
- Biblical concepts of accepting forgiveness and asking for forgiveness, creation, Kings, Prophets, Judges, the Early Church
- Study of South America, maps, globes, graphs, and the various communities we live in
- Exploring Life Science (teeth, bones, muscles, heart, blood, lungs, stomach, food, mammals, fish, birds, and insects), Physical Science (movement and machines), and Earth and Space Science (seasons, sun, planets, stars, and moon).
- Self-control and independence in a classroom setting.
Grade Level Highlights
- Inter-generational ministry, including Grandparents’ Day and other visiting opportunities
- Trips to the zoo, an apple farm, and the theater
- Building appreciation of literature through story time, independent reading, and theater experiences
- Daily journal writing and illustrating
- A class program in the early winter
- Mystery Reader Program
- Weekly homework packets created for each child’s level
- Various creative homework projects including informational posters, dioramas, written and oral reports, and role play.
- Thanksgiving Feast
Major Concepts
• God keeps his covenant promises to his people
• God is revealed in the Bible and through the person of Jesus Christ
• Mastery of advanced adding and subtracting facts, My Math (McGraw-Hill, details)
• Solving word problems
• Place value; counting money and telling time
• Writing paragraphs, letters, and stories
• Using phonics and other tools to read more independently
• Finding the main idea and summarizing
• Realizing that the world is bigger than ourselves and our families
• The scientific study of animal habitats, energy, light, sound, and hearing
• Learning about our world – the continents and oceans; learning to read maps
• Appreciating the contributions of George Washington Carver
• Learning about the history and culture of Philadelphia
• Appreciating the history and culture of Italy
Grade Level Highlights
• Raising Painted Lady butterflies from caterpillars
• Learning to write in cursive
• Taking class trips to the Nature Center and to the historic district of Philadelphia
• Beginning Daily Math and Language Review
• Incorporating music and multimedia into subject areas
• Math games and activities
• End of the year Run for Fun and water slide in physical education
A Christian World and Life View
In Bible class, we see how God has revealed himself to us and begin to see how the Bible stories that we know fit together. As we memorize Scripture, we apply it to our daily lives working and playing together. We see how God has provided for his creation as we study animals in their habitats and bow in awe before the Lord of Creation as we examine the solar system. God’s orderly nature is reflected in the consistency of mathematics. We begin to learn to evaluate what we read from a biblical perspective.
In third grade, we see even more clearly that God is sovereign over all, including history, language, mathematics, and nature. We evaluate characters’ actions in stories and literature from a Christian perspective. We see how Egypt’s civilization intimately connects to the history of Israel. We see that God reveals himself in history through specific people, places, and events.
Significant Concepts Covered
• Mastery of cursive writing
• Multiplication and division, My Math (McGraw-Hill, details)
• God’s faithfulness to his chosen people
• Exploring character, theme, and plot in literature
• Reading fiction and non-fiction selections
• Writing paragraphs, reports, and stories
• Editing, proofreading and publishing our own work
• Creative problem-solving in mathematics
• Native Americans and 19th-century pioneers
• Australia and Ancient Egypt
• Ecosystems, matter, motion and force, musculoskeletal and nervous systems, solar system
Grade Level Highlights
• Pioneer unit including Old Fashioned School Day
• Pioneer project
• A trip to the Mercer Museum
• Daily practice with grammar and math skills
• Math games and activities
• Map activities
• Learning research and report-writing skills in conjunction with our Ancient Egypt and Australia units
• Science experiments
Fourth grade is a year filled with experiences that help us to mature in a variety of ways. Across the curriculum, students are challenged to stretch their skills and knowledge. Building upon basic skills from the primary grades, but learning to deal with much more content and advanced vocabulary, all within the context of using higher level thinking skills and a biblical world view is consistent. Further development of organizational skills, as well as study skills and relational habits, encourage students to become productive responsible scholars as a reflection of using their talents for God’s Bible: We study the origins of written language and its importance in bringing God’s Word to the masses. We survey the Pentateuch and the early history of Israel. We learn how to use reference/resource tools to study God’s Word as well as become skilled at using the Bible on a daily basis. We see how God is intimately involved in the lives of His people in the past and the present.
4th-grade curriculum overview
Math: We learn to recognize the sovereignty of God in Math as he controls the laws that govern mathematical relationships and brings order to creation. We develop a variety of math strategies and fine-tune problem-solving skills as well as increase accuracy with basic facts in conjunction with larger mathematical equations. My Math (McGraw-Hill, details)
Science: We learn how God is the designer of life, energy, earth, and space as we explore many aspects of his creation.
Writing: Cultivating the use of standard written English to foster mastery in the use of punctuation, in strengthening proofreading skills, and the creation of complete sentences as well as thoughtful paragraphs.
Reading: Exploring a variety of literature as we seek to strengthen essential skills help us to expand our vocabulary, enhance comprehension, develop research techniques, and cultivate summarizing abilities. We build strategies to help us use content area textbooks more effectively and learn to read in a more biblically discerning manner.
Spelling: We work to master the standard spelling of words in a variety of ways including the use of phonics patterns and rules. As we study spelling patterns, word shapes, and word families our accuracy improves.
Social Studies: Through a variety of materials our focus is on our state history and regions of the United States with an emphasis on Pennsylvania geography, history, and government. This helps us understand our heritage and the important role that Christianity has had in the founding our state and nation as a whole.
God is at work in all of life, past, present, and future. God’s providence throughout the world among many peoples is presented. Students are pointed to the order, design, and detail of all of creation. Students begin to grapple with how each one of them is an integral part of God’s plan and has an important role in kingdom work. Students are encouraged to use critical thinking in all subject areas and to evaluate ideas in the light of a Christian worldview. 5th graders will evaluate messages in the current media using a biblical perspective.
Major Concepts
• Old Testament events foreshadow Jesus Christ
• Seeing how Jesus’ life is recorded in the gospels; the growth of the early church in Acts
• Reading novels, sharing books, fiction, and non-fiction selections
• Writing essays, stories, paragraphs and research reports
• Paragraph development and a systematic approach to grammar
• Using the computer as a tool
• Leaders and leadership
• Basic math skills review, fractions, and decimals, percentages
• Geometric concepts and practical math applications, My Math (McGraw-Hill, details)
• Natural Cycles, life cycles, matter & chemistry basics, control systems of the body
Grade Level Highlights
- A Walk Through the Old Testament
- Battle of the Books
- Chess Club
- Accelerated Reader
- World Geography Tour
- Reporting the news
- Being Big Brothers and Sisters to the Kindergarteners
- Band and instrumental music lessons
- Math Olympiad