Academics
The educational program, for pre-school through ninth grade, is dedicated to providing students with a learning experience that exemplifies our Vision; "The foundation of the Palm Beach Day Academy’s program is the education of our students in an academically challenging and compassion rich environment that guides each child toward personal excellence of mind, body and character." A broad and balanced curriculum is offered to educate students who will become open-minded, thoughtful, life-long learners and who will develop the critical thinking skills necessary to achieve success in an ever changing world. Our goal is to provide students with exceptional opportunities for academic development, intellectual growth, artistic and physical self fulfillment, and moral awareness.
Students are exposed to a comprehensive experience that requires diligence and provides challenge in all aspects. The faculty set high standards of academic and personal performance, which they adjust according to their understanding of individual students and the students' developmental differences. Given the diverse abilities of students, the school has academic approaches that meet individual needs, and that support and encourage students to study and grow in classes designed to meet the academic requirements of its members.
Our students will learn in a supportive and stimulating educational community which values respect, responsibility, trustworthiness, citizenship and compassion. Our purpose is to graduate independent, thoughtful, balanced individuals, who are prepared for their futures in a diverse, global community.
Upper Campus
For more than eight decades, the goal of the academic program at the Upper Campus of Palm Beach Day Academy has been to prepare each student for admission and success at appropriate, excellent secondary schools. That goal requires a rigorous program and a substantial effort from each child. It also requires the support and encouragement of dedicated teachers, skilled at balancing challenging demands with nurturing support. In the end, PBDA students learn far more than the subject matter that they study thoroughly. They gain confidence as learners and they gain the genuine self-respect that comes from achieving challenging accomplishments that have real worth. As those personal strengths deepen, PBDA students begin to look beyond themselves with growing compassion and acceptance of others.
The Upper School Campus includes students in grades 4 through 9. Flexible grouping of children is based on ability, performance, maturity and readiness. During regular team meetings of the faculty, each child's progress and placement is reviewed and adjustments are made as needed. Every effort is made to keep each child at the appropriate levels in math and reading. Art, music, science, lunch, foreign language and physical education are heterogeneously grouped. Beginning in the earliest grades, all students participate in community service activities that are designed to give the children a personal understanding of the needs of others.
Children in the upper grades (5-9) participate in a departmentalized program. A low student / teacher ratio allows for considerable individual attention for students. Students are grouped in English and math according to performance. In addition to participating in their year-long core courses of English, mathematics, foreign language, history and science, students in Grades 5 & 6 rotate each quarter into art, music, drama and computers. Students in Grades 7-9 can choose electives which include photography, yearbook, mosaics, drama, painting, or study hall. All Upper School students also have art, pottery, art history, and computer graphics throughout the year. Interscholastic sports are practiced every day.
As students move through the Upper School, they assume greater responsibility and independence. Community Service activities and the Student Leadership Council provide the Upper School students with many opportunities to contribute to their school, family, community and world.
Lower Campus
The Lower School program at Palm Beach Day Academy is designed to meet the developmental needs of children beginning at age two and continuing through Third Grade. Our goal is to begin the careful preparation of our students for the ever-changing world of tomorrow by identifying and building upon each student’s individual strengths.
At the Pre-Primary level (two year olds), a Montessori approach is embraced. We believe that our warm and gentle environment encourages self confidence, curiosity and concentration as our students are guided towards greater independence and respect for themselves, others, and the environment.
The Primary program (three and four year olds) builds on the progress begun in the Pre-Primary classrooms and prepares our students for Kindergarten and beyond. Using practices individually suited to the developmental level of each student, our teachers provide formal learning activities as well as creative expression and play opportunities. In addition to the classroom activities, students at both the Pre-Primary and Primary level enjoy enhancements to the program that include music, physical education, art, storytelling, and Spanish. Parents may opt for a half-day or full day program at this level.
In Kindergarten through Third Grade, students build on a strong PBDA foundation in classrooms that encourage self-directed learning as well as cooperative learning with others. The core subjects are taught in self-contained classrooms by teams of two teachers. The teachers create happy environments that include plenty of creative play and engaging activities — always with valuable lessons intertwined. Specialists teach subjects such as art, music, library skills and literature appreciation, computers, physical education, and Spanish. Each child is well-known by his or her teachers and the faculty’s insights are regularly shared with parents in a cooperative union of home and school.
Using an integrated thematic approach, the Lower School teachers organize their lessons around school-wide themes that unify the children in shared experiences. In addition to their proven academic value, these special projects provide many opportunities for students to develop leadership, cooperation, and many other interpersonal skills.
Students in the Lower School, from Pre-Primary to 3rd Grade, benefit from a careful blend of appropriately challenging academics and individualized support. The full program is designed to prepare our students for the transition to the Upper School Campus across the bridge in Palm Beach. Faculty from both campuses share in the development of the programs for both campuses to assure that our graduates are prepared to succeed. Our Lower School program provides the foundation for all that is ahead for our students. They head for the Upper School with the skills, knowledge and confidence that will serve them well in the immediate future and for many years to come.
