There are some stories that just seem to sum up what we think of when we say Lesley Ellis School. On these pages we have tried to collect some of these stories to share with you. 

If you have a Lesley Ellis School story you would like to share, please email it to stories@lesleyellis.org. We'd love to hear from you!

Our School Stories

Celebrating Differences

In their K/1 classes, co-teachers Liam Nolan and Maija Alksnitis prefer to tell stories that are interactive, allowing the children to stop the action and help shape what happens next. So their students were paying close attention when Liam introduced a new story, using familiar cutout photos of “story people” as props. The children noticed right away that the story people were all wearing nametags – but why?  more

Teacher Creativity

Poetry might be considered intimidating or inaccessible to many adult readers, but not for children. One Lesley Ellis teacher finds it’s the perfect way to make children more confident writers and readers, more comfortable speakers and more creative and adventurous thinkers. more

Learning Through Inquiry

Three- and four-year-olds take a natural interest in the science of living things. Pets at home, zoo animals, flower gardens and trees to climb: these are things that easily excite preschoolers. But capturing their interest in physical science – the study of the nonliving, inorganic world – is trickier. So last year, Lesley Ellis School preschool teachers Stefanie Grossman and Janet McLaughlin set out to enliven the curriculum. They created a learning unit on construction, noting that many of the kids loved construction vehicles and could name some construction materials. more 

Inventive Curriculum

If you saw teams of upper elementary students stacking marshmallows and chocolate pieces between graham crackers, you might think they’re engaged in a cooking project. Would it surprise you to learn they were actually completing a hands-on science experiment? more