As part of the school’s efforts to foster spiritual growth in young minds, our Chaplain, Brenton Smith, has curated a list of book recommendations for children at various stages of development. These books, suitable for infants to preteens, provide meaningful ways for children to explore their faith, understand Scripture, and grow in their relationship with God. These thoughtfully selected books offer families tools to engage their children in conversations about faith, Scripture, and God’s love. From introducing Bible stories to helping children understand God’s presence in their lives, these resources provide a foundation for a lifelong spiritual journey. Chaplain Brenton Smith’s recommendations ensure that children of all ages have access to stories that reflect Presbyterian School’s commitment to both academic and spiritual education.

Presbyterian School jumped right into election season—PS Style! In an effort to educate all Presbyterian School students about the unique electoral process that characterizes presidential politics in the United States, the School will hold its own election on Election Day, Tuesday, November 5, 2024. 

Lower School Art teacher Terry Flores has been guiding students on a vibrant exploration of color theory through a project that intertwines artistic skill-building with the core value of perseverance. Inspired by this year's focus on perseverance, the project spans all Lower School grades (1st - 5th) and draws its initial spark from the beloved children's book, The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds.

Presbyterian School (PS) and First Presbyterian Church (FPC) share a rich history rooted in a mutual vision of education, faith, and community. Since its founding, Presbyterian School has been a vital part of First Presbyterian Church’s mission to create a nurturing, Christ-centered environment for families in Houston.

Early Childhood music classes at Presbyterian School are a celebration of harmony between music and language, led by the inspiring Early Childhood Music Specialist, Vasti Adkins. Through her unique approach of singing books, Vasti creates a magical learning environment where students are captivated by the beauty of storytelling through melody. “Singing is the only musical activity that incorporates text to convey a specific message,” she explains, emphasizing her goal of seamlessly integrating language into music. This creates powerful moments where the two art forms come together, capturing the wonder and attention of her young students.

At the heart of our mission to foster personal growth and development, Christy Heno, PS Culture and Engagement coach, is introducing Clifton StrengthsExplorer assessments to our 6th-grade students. This process is a crucial part of student's middle school journey, helping each student discover his/her unique talents while developing the confidence and self-awareness needed for success.

For over thirty years, Presbyterian School has held one core belief at the heart of its mission: the family is an essential partner in the educational journey. This partnership extends far beyond the classroom, embracing parents, grandparents, faculty members, and friends in the broader learning community. Our Parent Education Program is a reflection of this commitment, offering a diverse curriculum designed to engage parents with topics that support the development of students from Early Childhood through Middle School.

To help ease the transition to High School, our Head of Middle School, Brandon Walker and his team have crafted a comprehensive and structured approach, starting in the spring of seventh grade and continuing throughout the eighth grade year. The main goal is to demystify the high school admissions process, reduce anxiety, and provide support for parents and their eighth graders as they prepare to leave Presbyterian School.

This week marked an exciting time for our middle school students as they drew their Core Value Houses! These mixed-grade level houses are a new initiative designed to foster community and integrate the school’s core values into a variety of activities throughout the year. From competitions and assemblies to the Student Senate election process, these houses will serve as a foundation for collaboration and growth among students.

The sixth-grade class launched an array of innovative Pop-Up Museums, offering visitors unique and immersive experiences. From creating a claymation movie to picking up M&M's blindfolded, guests were treated to a blend of creativity and education.

Kindergarteners found courage this week sharing and acting out their stories to peers and families. In Early Childhood we wholeheartedly embrace a play-based ethos, recognizing play as the cornerstone of children's learning journey. We envision a classroom where children are active participants in constructing their understanding of the world, where curiosity is celebrated, creativity is unleashed, and a strong foundation for lifelong learning is laid.

Second grade students presented their knowledge of the ways natural resources are harvested, stored, processed, packaged, sold, and consumed in their Farm to Table Museum this week. Students learned about the local and global communities in which they live, and their role as citizens in those communities. By studying the process of how food goes from farm to table, students learned about managing natural resources and how individuals and businesses contribute to a community.

The Discovering Heart through Art exhibit shines a light on expression, memory, community, and self-awareness.  Students in sixth through eighth grade make numerous discoveries in the act of making art, in the materials they make art with, and in the techniques they revisit and novel techniques, too. The art studio is a place where self-knowledge grows together with the building of skill. 

For nearly 20 years, the Middle School Day of Service at Presbyterian School has stood as a cornerstone of the curriculum, embodying the school's commitment to partnership, service with compassion and community engagement. This year, a change was made so that each grade level had a specific day of service instead of all three grade levels serving on the same day. Click on the link above to read more about our MS Days of Service. 

The opportunity for our students to create, imagine, and problem-solve independently is priceless! Only the top 6 teams in each problem for their division were eligible to advance to the State Competition held in March at Texas Woman's University. We are so proud to congratulate 9 teams from Presbyterian School who placed in the top 6 of their division. Regardless of whether one of our OM teams advanced to the State Finals, we applaud each team's tremendous courage and risk-taking to work collaboratively with their teammates. Our students and coaches invested a significant amount of time into this process.

Presbyterian School recently hosted its inaugural Wellness Week, offering a range of engaging activities and enlightening presentations. The community benefited immensely from this hands-on, interactive week, where students, faculty, and parents united to prioritize physical, mental, and emotional health.