Lower School: Trinity Students Grades K-4

Lower School offers a hub of supportive community. A sense of belonging helps students master the social and emotional skills essential to their satisfying engagement in the world. A classroom assistant for each class in grades K-2 allows highly trained teachers to create a true community of learners, one that instills lessons in empathy and and compassion along with intellectual inquiry.

Trinity teachers are masters of their craft and know their students well. They are thoughtful and knowledgeable professionals who care deeply about both content and process. They seek to challenge, inspire, encourage, and stretch their students. They look for the "teachable moments" and capitalize on the opportunity to make deep connections and teach for understanding.

The Lower School academic program is thorough, rigorous, and rooted in best practice. Quantitative reasoning, the scientific approach, and literacy skills are fostered across the curriculum. Underlying all objectives is the notion that active learning best suits the needs of our students. Students participate in exploring information, making meaning, solving problems, understanding arithmetic, increasing comprehension, and crafting papers through practices that promote active engagement.

Meet Lisa Zapalac

Lisa Zapalac, Trinity's Lower School Head, and her husband Jake moved to Austin from Dallas, where she served as Director of Curriculum for Highland Park Presbyterian Day School and he completed his residency in Head and Neck Surgery. Austin meant "coming home," as both are graduates of University of Texas; Trinity meant a community for their whole family, as they have three children. Lisa was especially attracted to Trinity because the school's philosophy matched hers in the area of curriculum. Every school teaches students to read, write, and do arithmetic. Lisa believes how you do this greatly distinguishes a school. Strong philosophy and practice are deeply connected to an outstanding curriculum, and Trinity is forefront and ensuring students benefit from the best research in the field of curriculum.

A Typical School Day

Trinity homeroom teachers are specialized to teach either math or literacy; all students in a grade receive their instruction from one highly trained teacher. All students begin and end the day with their homeroom teacher, who knows each child well and works in partnership with parents to help children grow academically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually.

After chapel, the day begins with core instruction in Math and Literacy. Each day contains a two-hour literacy block, encompassing Writing and Reading Workshop, Word Study, and Reading time. Trinity's Literacy Specialist often joins the class for support and additional instruction during this time. Math is a 60-minute block in which students are often visited by the Math Specialist, working in conjunction with the homeroom teacher.

Social Studies is 30 - 45 minutes approximately 3 times a week. A short snack time breaks up the morning; lunch is at mid-day and a recess time is scheduled to ensure students have unstructured time to play outside.

Lower School students leave the classroom to attend two or three "specials" a day: Spanish, Classroom of the Earth, Art, Music, Think Tank, Extensions, or Physical Education. The Technology teacher travels into the classrooms to work with the students during Specials time as well. These courses offer instruction in science, problem solving, higher-order thinking skills, research, organization, and more.

Students end the day with their homeroom teacher and have an opportunity to stay after school for additional After the Bell classes or to simply play with their friends.