Elementary

Children eat lunch together as a grade, work on projects in groups and across ages, and come together as an Elementary division to sing each day.

SFS teachers truly know their students. With small classes, an integrated curriculum, and a collaborative culture, our teachers are provided the optimal environment to support their students’ academic, creative, and social-emotional development.

Student-Centered Teaching

Students who have choice in what they work on are more motivated to learn. Teachers base learning on topics that are meaningful to each student and try to challenge them appropriately. Whether it’s a dinosaur unit in 1st Grade that incorporates digging for bones, or a collaborative unit in 2nd Grade that has children become ornithologists investigating Bay Area birds, visiting various wildlife refuges, and creatively presenting in our Bird Extravaganza, the learning experience at SFS aims to get students engaged and challenged.

Integrated Learning

Every Elementary student has special classes in Art, Music, Health & Wellness, and Spanish twice a week. From ceramic birds in 2nd Grade Art to profiling Civil Rights leaders in 5th Grade Spanish, units and topics are integrated across disciplines to make projects more meaningful and fun.

Multicultural Curriculum

Students explore our multicultural world and their own identity through literature, classroom studies, music, art, field trips, and language.Teachers draw on guest speakers, performers, and parenting adults to ensure varied cultural experiences and celebrations. From book fairs to holidays to cultural studies, the school reflects a deep commitment to cultural literacy.

Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics

As innovation and technology advance throughout the world, SFS is determined to provide students with the knowledge and skills to thrive in the future. Our dedicated STEAM teachers instruct students in technology with ethics and humanitarian promise. With technical fluency and tools, collaborative problem solving, critical thinking, our students’ experience transcends the classroom. This focus on STEM is tightly integrated with instruction in the arts, humanities, social emotional learning, digital citizenship, social justice, and empathy.