Bertschi at a Glance

Bertschi School specializes in pre-K through 5th grade. Our faculty and staff are particularly skilled at identifying and supporting the unique strengths and opportunities present at each developmental stage during the elementary years. In addition, our head and assistant head of school each have over 30 years of experience working specifically with elementary students; this allows them to make programmatic choices that are steeped with knowledge of this wonderful age group.

While we keep up with current research, we are also deeply aware and protective of what is timeless in childhood. Trying to catch falling leaves, inventing games of tag and working out the rules, celebrating a lost tooth or a double digit birthday, and sitting with a friend in a window well to share stories are all essential moments in a child’s day.

While it’s common to see our fifth graders singing the latest pop song, it’s also common to see them engaging in imaginative play with younger children in our extended day program or enjoying a favorite picture book while eating lunch. There can be a lot of pressure on children to grow up quickly. But, when fifth graders are the oldest students in the school, some of that pressure is removed.

The age range of our school allows for students to grow as leaders and take on leadership roles as they move through the grades. Beginning in third grade, classrooms are paired with younger grade level “buddies.” Buddies provide opportunities for students to learn how to build relationships, find peers across the school, and for older students to coach younger students in strategies for playing and learning together in community. Visitors to our school often comment about the spontaneous kindness and collaboration they see in our classrooms and on our playground between students in different grades.

School leadership opportunities increase as kids grow, and the fifth grade class truly embraces the responsibility of being leaders. Many of our fifth graders serve on our “Green Team,” presenting at all-school meetings and creating action plans for how we can do a better job caring for our campus and the Earth. On our weekly pizza day, fifth grade students help distribute pizza to younger grades, and also chat with students in a way that models social skills and appropriate lunch conversations.

We never cease to be amazed at the development of children. We understand that who a child is today may not be who they are tomorrow, and it is our job as educators to keep open many different pathways for children. Today's athlete may be tomorrow’s artist or mathematician. Bertschi works tirelessly to ensure that by the end of fifth grade students are ready to choose their next academic environment, ready to expand their friendships, and ready to find their next school that matches their developing selves.