Venture into the hallways of NSU University School's Lower School and you will witness children who are joyfully engaged in learning, whether in the classrooms, the hallways, or the outdoors. In addition to emphasizing proficiency in reading, writing, and math, our Lower School curriculum focuses on world languages, social studies, science and innovation, physical education, and character development. Music and visual arts are also an integral component of our curriculum as they help to develop creativity, open-ended thinking, and cooperation.
Passionate and well-qualified educators capitalize on an innovative classroom design and exceptional resources to facilitate collaboration, active learning, and student-driven inquiry. We know that children are naturally curious, and our Lower School educational team cultivates each child’s curiosity and imagination, inspiring a love of learning. The Lower School curriculum is research-based, meeting children at their academic level of readiness. We guide our students to take risks, stretch themselves, and become critical thinkers, preparing them to meet and surmount high academic standards.
We also know that children learn best when they are given hands-on activities, which can take many forms. In the Innovation Lab, students build working robots out of technology scraps. To learn about supply and demand and sales and profits, fourth grade students sell gently used toys to raise money for a non-profit organization. Our youngest students are often the source of the biggest ideas at USchool. Our goal is to ignite learners’ minds in limitless ways.
To learn more about our Lower School programs, click here.
Fourth grade teacher and team leader Ms. Elizabeth Haglund has taught at NSU University School for seven years, starting out as a second grade teacher in our BRIDGES program, which offers personalized educational support for our Lower School students.
Fifth grade teacher Fanya DeMaria is a veteran educator who has dedicated 23 years to NSU University School students. A major benefit of teaching at USchool for a little more than two decades has been her ability to forge lifelong bonds with her students and continue working with them as they advance from one level to the next. She appreciates watching them evolve developmentally and witnessing how the knowledge she imparted is used in their everyday lives, paved the way for a specific career path, and attributed to their passions.
The heart of a school is its teachers, and we are fortunate to have some of the greatest educators at NSU University School – one of which being long-serving kindergarten teacher Robin Mendelson. With more than 41 years of teaching under her belt, Mendelson is a valued member of our school community whose passion and commitment to her students and their education has made a world of difference in the lives of many. When walking into her classroom, one thing is certain – you will always find energetic, engaged students exploring all there is to learn in an environment where ideas and contributions are valued.
Longtime Spanish teacher Jonathan Moreno has been making a difference in the lives of students at NSU University School for the past 14 years, helping Lower School students achieve language proficiency while gaining an appreciation for the Hispanic culture. His passion for education extends beyond foreign language and includes a universal form of expression – music. He shares this love with his students by integrating music and art into his lessons, making them more engaging and improving students’ attitude when learning another language.
Lower School Director Donna Tobey and faculty worked with Little River Cooperative to install new garden beds for the winter and spring growing season. They installed many new varieties of plants, including edible, herb, and medicinal plants. We are excited to share all the new gardening experiences that will take place this semester.
As part of Nova Southeastern University’s Global Day of Service, USchool students came together to lend a helping hand in the community by volunteering at service projects across Broward County. They assembled more than 500 meals to feed families in need, participated in beach and neighborhood cleanups, packed pet treats and adoption bags for Broward Animal Care, painted the Davie Woman’s Club 100-year-old building, delivered books to little free libraries in underserved communities, wrote letters to veterans, and more.
Congratulations to this year’s Lower School Spelling Bee winner Tony Toribio and runner-up Pari Patel! Tony’s winning word was “atonal.”
Three of our exemplary students – Zoe Rodriguez, Jeffrey Zhang, and Madison Davis – were named Pinnacle Award winners by the Broward County Non-Public School Association. This award is given to students who set an example for others to follow in their actions at school, home, or in the community.
Having come from a family of educators, Lower School Teacher Stefani Ludington was inspired from a young age to make a difference in the lives of students. Since joining the NSU University School community 16 years ago, she has served as a powerful role model within our school and beyond.
NSU University School’s Homecoming canned goods collection was a huge success! More than 800 canned goods and non-perishable items were collected from our families and delivered to a new food pantry in Overtown sponsored by the non-profit organization, Food Rescue US - SouthFlorida. USchool’s Director of Parent and Alumni Relations Wynne Avellanet, who volunteers as the Food Rescue US Broward County Coordinator, stocked the shelves with the support of other organization members. The pantry was unveiled to food insecure residents living in Overtown who were invited to “shop” the pantry and gather items to take home.
Lower School students in our Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) program are taking their robotics and engineering skills to the next level. Students designed and built an underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and learned to pilot it to accomplish real-life challenges. To complete the activity successfully, they needed to solder and wire their ROV, understand buoyancy, and attack the marine challenges strategically.
Whether you are a new or returning Shark, you may be wondering what to expect at NSU University School. To give you insight, we asked students to share one piece of advice they would give to future students. Who better to get advice from than USchool students themselves?
Written by: NSU University School Sophomore Enoch Wong
Completing work in a classroom is a common and traditional mode of learning, but Lower School science teacher Michele Garren at NSU University School (USchool) utilizes the school’s Lichtenfeld Family Butterfly Garden and Vivarium to help educate her students in a hands-on way about butterflies and the plants that attract them. The garden itself was designed and planted by senior Duncan Jurman and is now maintained by Upper School students. The purpose of the garden is to provide hands-on learning experiences for students. This mode of learning has enhanced students’ interest in environmental science. Recently, I had an opportunity to interview Ms. Garren and talk about how she uses the garden to enhance student learning.
Our schoolwide Pet Supply Drive was a success! Thank you to all those who generously donated items for animals in need at the Humane Society of Broward County. Students in our Upper School Paws with a Cause Club delivered two carloads of items, which will help feed and care for countless animals at the shelter until they are found good homes. We love to see our students at all grade levels work together to give back to the community!
Upper School Teacher and President Sponsor for Le Congrès de la Culture Française en Floride Tara Ellsley was featured by the Florida Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of French in their monthly newsletter for her leadership and outstanding efforts, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Two fifth grade student teams won first and second place in the Stock Market Game's South Florida Elementary Division! At the start of the year, students were given a hypothetical $100,000 in listed stocks, bonds, and mutual funds to build and manage a diversified portfolio, engaging in the world of economics, investing, and personal finance. Students worked together in teams to invest strategically and maximize the return of their portfolios. At the end of the program, the first-place team had a portfolio valued at $125, 582.05, and the second-place team’s portfolio was valued at $109,668.74. Way to go, Sharks!
Let’s put our hands together for Kelley – winner of our Lower School Spelling Bee – and runner-up Rahula! Kelley’s winning word was “colleague.” He will go on to represent NSU University School at the Broward County Spelling Bee. We are so proud of all our students who participated this year. Great job, S-h-a-r-k-s!
Congratulations to Associate Head of Academic Affairs Robyn Kaiyal for completing the 2019 National Inclusive Excellence Leadership Academy (NIXLA) – an online strategic diversity leadership development and institutional transformation program. The immersive, highly selective five-week program offered Kaiyal an invaluable opportunity to further develop her skills as a leader and identify powerful institutional strategies that support diversity, equity, and inclusion at NSU University School.
Although it is housed outside of the Middle School, students from JK to grade 12 will have the opportunity to interact with the garden this year as our teachers find ways to incorporate it into their existing curricula.
In our Lower School Innovation Lab, students in junior kindergarten, kindergarten, and first grade used Osmo technology with iPads and age-appropriate manipulatives to practice subjects such as language arts, spelling, mathematics, fine motor skills, and spatial reasoning.
Throughout the year, our first grade students will be learning about various character traits they should practice both inside and outside of the classroom. For the month of September, they are focusing on kindness, and Star Students who have exhibited this virtue are recognized every Friday.
Fourth grade students tapped into their innovation skills last week with Circuits, Strawbees, and Cubelets!
Our fourth grade students practiced their rest and ready drum positions in music class with our new Lower School Music teacher Ms. Matthews.
On the eve of the First Day of School, we were delighted to welcome our new and returning Lower, Middle, and Upper School families!
NSU University School faculty and staff attended a school-wide meeting to discuss newly implemented measures to enhance the safety and security of our entire school community.
Lower School teachers were joined by Thinking Maps representative James Dean who discussed how they can implement this cutting-edge concept into their classrooms.
A group of Lower School teachers along with our Director of Experiential Learning Samantha Nelson and new Lower School Director Donna Tobey attended the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Conference in Chicago and are looking forward to learning how to further integrate technology into the classroom.
A group of fifth grade students spent the last two weeks of school building and modifying an Infento bicycle in the Innovation Lab, which can be engineered into various designs.
We're so proud of our fifth grade students who competed in the Broward County Council of Teachers of Mathematics (BCCTM) competition and placed 2nd out of more than 25 teams!
Lower School students presented their Lincoln-Douglas debate cases to their families at the Junior Debate Cycle 3 After School Activity Showcase, which served as their culminating project for Junior Debate this year.
Leaders, heroes, authors, scientists, entrepreneurs, athletes, inventors, and other influential people from all over the world, past and present, shared their life stories with family and friends at the People Fair.
The Lower School's diversity was put on display as our students performed dances and songs in different languages spoken in the many countries and regions they proudly represent!
Two NSU University School Lower School teams recently competed in the Junior Solar Sprint solar car competition in Cocoa, Fla. as part of the EnergyWhiz Olympics sponsored by the Florida Solar Energy Center.
Our first grade students recently learned about simple machines by using various snacks such as graham crackers, Twizzlers, mints, pretzel sticks, and Oreos to build six different kinds of simple machines: the lever, the wheel and axle, the inclined plane, the wedge, the pulley, and the screw.
The fifth grade leadership unit culminated this morning as local leaders joined our students for a special breakfast at the Lower School.
A big thank you to the University Family Organization for showering our faculty and staff members from all levels with appreciation every day this week by organizing special gifts like a delicious lunch catered by Las Vegas Cuban Cuisine Plantation and relaxing chair massages from Davie Chiropractic Center.
Our third grade students enjoyed an in-house field trip with Science Eye! They transformed into geologists, gemologists, miners, lapidaries, and jewelers as they learned about the characteristics of rocks and gemstones and collaborated to identify gemstones based on their shape, color, and luster.
Our fifth grade students learned about teamwork, leadership, service, and the environment during their trip to the Florida Keys.
Another great collaboration at NSU University School between our Upper School students, Lower School students, and even graduate students from Nova Southeastern University! This time, it was our USchool Buddies club that brought students of all ages and from all over the world together.
Congratulations to the 64 students in grades 3-5 who squared off against each other in the 8th annual Mind Lab Olympics. Over the past several weeks, these students competed against their grade-level peers and qualified to compete in the tournament.
This year's theme for the Second Grade International Feast was "celebrate our differences and share our similarities."
Lower School students spent their mornings this week participating in an informal writing assessment called the Great Write Shark, which is a means of assessing the development of skills that have been taught over time.
Second grade students had a special visit from New York Times bestselling author Brad Meltzer who spoke to them about biographies as they progress through their unit on information and nonfiction writing.
During the months of February and March, our Lower School students participated in the American Heart Association's Jump Rope for Heart fundraiser in their physical education class where they learned about heart healthy skills and had fun with their friends jump roping. We are thrilled to report that our Lower School raised more than $24,000 for the American Heart Association, making this the most money raised for this event in school history!
Lower School Innovation Lab Instructor, Ms. Michele Garren, is one of our in-house STEM experts and enthusiasts who teaches engineering, electronics, robotics, and coding to students beginning in junior kindergarten and progressing through fifth grade in our cutting-edge Innovation Lab.
Third grade students had the opportunity to share the books they authored, illustrated, and had published with their parents and friends this morning at our first-ever Junior Author Celebration!
Last week, our 4th grade students presented a jumbo check for $12,000 to representatives from Make-A-Wish Southern Florida, which will grant two wishes to children with critical illnesses in our community.
On this #NationalDoctorsDay, we'd like to give you a glimpse of the successful "Contraction Surgeries" that our 1st grade students performed yesterday!
Congratulations to the more than 200 Lower School students who participated in the 2018 Read Around the World Read-a-thon.
We commend your commitment to literacy and are so proud of you for raising more than $12,000!
Fourth grade teacher and team leader Ms. Elizabeth Haglund has taught at NSU University School for seven years, starting out as a second grade teacher in our BRIDGES program, which offers personalized educational support for our Lower School students.
At NSU University School, board games are considered educational tools and not just a source of entertainment. Students from first through fifth grade in the Lower School have been exposed to carefully selected board games from around the world all year long through the Mind Lab program.
