Lower Primary encompasses what traditionally would be grades one and two. At St. Nicholas Lower Primary students are in Level 3 and Level 4.  By the time children move into the Lower Primary environment, they are prepared for the new challenges they will experience.  During class time in the cottage, Lower Primary students are introduced to new concepts, new responsibilities, and new expectations.  Children are asked to accept responsibility for a task, working from beginning through completion.  They will begin to understand the importance of independent work as they undertake activities at stations in the classroom and as they work collaboratively in group situations.  However, and most importantly, students begin to take pride in their accomplishments as they become self-determining, motivated learners.

A maximum class size of 17 students allows teachers to monitor each child's progress closely and to tailor the curriculum to the child's readiness, learning style, and developmental needs.  Within a precise curricular framework, teachers create an ordered and detailed program with prudent exactness that facilitates problem solving and critical thinking.  This structured educational blueprint provides students with varied choices and responsibilities within the borders of a defined strategy. 

Age-mixing within Lower Primary classrooms allows children to share skills and help one another.  Children are brought together for math, science, language arts, and social studies in the "home base" of the Lower Primary cottage.  With the encouragement of their teachers, they begin to learn to meet daily goals.  To inspire independence and confidence, students travel outside the Lower Primary cottage for library visits, keyboarding, science, music, physical education, art, and Spanish.  During the Lower Primary years, children are systematically nurtured and encouraged to manage their time and to organize their materials.  These students are becoming primed and self-reliant.