Beauvoir, the National Cathedral Elementary School

Kindergarten students are actively, joyfully and constantly engaged in making meaning from the world around them. Beauvoir teachers intentionally create classroom communities and cultures that support children’s intellectual, social, and emotional growth.

At Beauvoir, kindergarten teachers honor childhood by putting the specific needs of five- and six-year-olds at the heart of planning both curriculum and schedule. Kindergartners need time to explore and learn through play. There is significant time built into the schedule every day for students to engage in self-directed play, whether outside on the playground or the play deck adjacent to kindergarten rooms, or in the classroom. Understanding that transitions can be difficult, art and Spanish teachers come together into each kindergarten classroom once per week for a long block of time so that students who would like to spend over an hour on an art project can, while others might explore for a briefer period of time and the Spanish teacher can gather together smaller groups of students for more focused conversation.

Kindergartners love to build, whether building block structures, contraptions of cardboard and tape, imaginary worlds in dramatic play and on the playground, or big ideas about math and social studies. When teachers are thoughtful about materials, time and space, students are capable of remarkable collaboration. They listen to each other’s ideas and build upon them, asking questions when they do not understand. In our maker space, students demonstrate true empathy, anticipating when a classmate might need an extra hand or a little more glue.

As part of Beauvoir's social curriculum, our kindergarteners build Friendship Tools – physical reminders of the skills and concepts necessary to be a good friend, partner, classmate and schoolmate. As the whole class practices these skills, students trust that the classroom is a safe place to take risks. Even so, it still takes courage to ask to join a game, to remind a friend to be inclusive, to volunteer to share a new piece of writing, to sing a solo in music class, to climb a structure in PE. We watch, with awe and pride, as our Kindergartners undertake these challenges and more.

In kindergarten at Beauvoir, students participate in the community as young mathematicians, readers, writers, scientists, artists and musicians as they continue to build a solid foundation in learning, developing the understandings, skills and dispositions to be competent and confident students. There are myriad ways to practice creativity, from developing conjectures in math to creating books in the literacy center to experimenting with new techniques and materials in art to developing ways to document and share their learning using technology.

In Kindergarten, students participate in meaningful service activities and projects that allow them to develop, investigate and answer questions using primary sources, including their own powers of observation. Their innate curiosity is nurtured and valued as an important driving force in the learning process. Teachers choose subjects for projects that are engaging to young students, that are able to be studied first-hand, and with which students already possess some background knowledge. With these parameters, students are able to learn how to learn and how to be active participants in the ongoing sense-making process.

Our Kindergarten Team

List of 11 members.

Lisa Barrowclough

Chaplain

202-537-2357
Helen "Lynn" Farquhar

Partner Teacher, Kindergarten
July Hillón

Partner Teacher, Kindergarten

202-537-5204
Bena Pearson

Parental Leave Teacher
Tejal Shah

Partner Teacher, Kindergarten
Edward Whitaker

Partner Teacher, Kindergarten

202-537-5216
Kate Davis

Head of Middle Years (Kindergarten and First Grade)

202-537-5257
Marlana Gruby

Partner Teacher, Kindergarten

202-537-5207
Aya Kellam

Partner Teacher, Kindergarten

202-537-5231
Saijal Patel

Partner Teacher, Kindergarten

202-537-6511
Victoria Thomas

Partner Teacher, Kindergarten

Our Mission

At Beauvoir, the National Cathedral Elementary School, we provide an extraordinary early childhood education in a diverse community that values every individual. Beauvoir’s program encourages creative, courageous learners and builds an enduring foundation for a lifelong spirit of inquiry and joy in learning.