At Stevenson, our faculty and staff are honored to help shape the future of our students, inspiring a lifelong commitment to learning, and partnering with Stevenson families to instill cherished values. We aim for our children to be kind, compassionate, and to actively seek to be a force for good wherever they are.
School Mission
Stevenson School has long been committed to preparing students for success in school and life beyond school; to foster their passion for learning and achievement; to help them shape a joyful life.
School Motto
Our school motto, “Suaviter in modo, fortiter in re”, “gentle in manner, resolute in deed,” encapsulates our approach to learning and living in community.
Lower Division Curriculum
From kindergarten through fourth grade, students engage in the New Perspective Context for Learning Mathematics program—an inquiry-based curriculum that emphasizes problem-solving, investigation, and mathematical discourse. Students explore mathematical concepts through rich contexts, stories, and games, while building fluency and deep conceptual understanding. Our K–4 math program builds a strong foundation in number sense, problem-solving, and mathematical reasoning through engaging, hands-on learning experiences. Students move from exploring basic concepts in early grades to applying strategies for complex problems by Grade 4.
Reading and writing are at the heart of the Lower Division experience. Our literacy program builds strong foundations in the science of reading and grows into advanced comprehension, analysis, and writing skills as students move through the grades.
Our Spanish curriculum immerses students in language and culture through engaging, age-appropriate activities, introducing students to what it means to live successfully as global citizens in a linguistically and culturally pluralistic world. This approach is scaffolded for each grade, through the Alba y Gael elementary Spanish Curriculum.
In the Lower Division, social studies is taught through Inquiry Journeys, an inquiry-based curriculum that empowers students to investigate authentic questions about their lives, communities, and world. Students don’t just learn facts, they ask questions, seek evidence, collaborate, and take action. Each unit culminates in an action project such as a 2D display, 3D model, visual presentation, or written project that allows students to apply their learning in meaningful ways.
Students explore diverse media – drawing, painting, sculpture, and ceramics – while developing the skills and habits of mind essential to the artistic process. Students learn how to think about and make art, becoming conversant with artistic concepts and developing art literacy through exposure to a variety of media, artists and genres.
Throughout the program, students learn to think critically, collaborate and express their unique voices, while gaining an appreciation for art as a global language.
The physical education program takes full account of students’ physical and cognitive development and is based on state of California standards.
Our writing curriculum ensures that students become effective communicators in a wide variety of genres. Beginning in kindergarten, students are introduced to writing as a daily practice and grow into increasingly sophisticated forms of expression. Units include:
Narrative Writing – telling personal stories and crafting fictional narratives
Informational Writing – explaining topics clearly and logically
Opinion & Persuasive Writing – developing arguments and supporting ideas with evidence
Poetry – exploring sound, rhythm, imagery, and voice
Literary Essays – analyzing texts and supporting claims with textual evidence
Writer’s Life – cultivating habits, voice, and confidence as lifelong writers
Middle Division Curriculum
At Stevenson, we believe mathematics is a creative and dynamic discipline that empowers students to think critically, solve problems and make sense of the world. Rooted in the school’s mission – to prepare students for success in college and beyond, to foster their passion for learning and achievement, and to help them shape a joyful life – our mathematics program cultivates curiosity, confidence, and deep understanding in every learner.
The skills developed through the Grades 5–8 English curriculum follow a clear, intentional progression that builds both complexity and real-world application over time.
The Spanish curriculum in Grades 5–8 builds students’ ability to communicate confidently and understand others across cultures. Emphasis is placed on real-world language use, cultural understanding, and independent communication. Students make interdisciplinary connections, reflect on language and cultural differences and apply their skills in community and global contexts.
Across the years of Grades 5–8, students strengthen their understanding of Citizenship, beginning with basic participation in discussions about rules and responsibilities in Grade 5. This expands to examining national responsibilities and the connection between history and modern citizenship in Grade 6. By Grade 8, students are applying these concepts to historical and present-day movements, exploring how the past shapes civic engagement and global responsibilities.
The STEM program cultivates students’ abilities in systems thinking, inquiry, data analysis, communication and collaboration by engaging them in meaningful, hands-on challenges rooted in real-world contexts.
The Middle Division visual arts program invites students to grow as creative thinkers, makers and collaborators through a thoughtfully sequenced, year-long art course offered in Grades 5-8. Rooted in the belief that artmaking is both a personal and intellectual pursuit, the program emphasizes the development of key Studio Habits of Mind.
At Stevenson, our elective program offers a diverse range of opportunities for Grades 7 and 8 students to explore new interests, develop skills and inspire their passions. Students are encouraged to discover their talents in a supportive environment, with the goal of fostering curiosity, collaboration and confidence as students navigate their academic and personal development.
