Fredericksburg Lower School (K-5th)
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men...It is the Lord Christ you are serving."
— Colossians 3:23-24
Visit our Lower School Blog Page by clicking here
Young minds and spirits blossom at the FCS Lower School Campus. Our staff is dedicated to the spiritual, academic, and social development of all of our students, and we are grateful for the opportunity to minister to them at this important developmental stage. Our hope is that our efforts will leave an indelible mark on our students' hearts.
Our curriculum provides a strong foundation in Bible, phonics, reading, math, language, spelling, handwriting, science, and history. Biblical truths are emphasized throughout our curriculum, and prayer time is an important part of each day. Concepts taught in the classroom come alive through field trips to locations such as Kenmore, Mount Vernon, Friends of the Rappahannock, and the fire station, as well as hands-on activites such as Colonial Day and Little House Day. Beginning in first grade, all of our students take part in the ACSI Spelling Bee, and our third-graders are invited to participate in the Upper Elementary Science Fair and can also flex their intellectual muscles by competing in the Math Olympics.
Our academic program is complemented by classes in physical education, music, library, art, and computer. These special classes reinforce concepts taught in the classroom and provide students with an opportunity to develop interests and abilities beyond academic instruction. Computer projects are made available to parents online at the end of each quarter, and our hallways become an art gallery during our Fine Arts Festival each spring.
Chapel is observed most Wednesdays at 8:30 for grades 3 through 5 and 10:10 for grades K-2. We look forward to this time to gather together to worship God, pray together, and reflect on an age-appropriate message delivered by a special speaker. Each grade level takes turns sharing a special song and leading the opening prayer and pledge. Chapel is also a time to recognize our students through Chapel Awards, Birthday Books, and other special achievements throughout the year. Family and friends are always welcome and encouraged to attend our Chapels, especially our Christmas and Easter Chapels, as well as Grandparents' Day.
Servant leadership is key to the philosophy of FCS, and our campus strives to share the love of Christ through service to others. Many of our classes travel to local nursing homes to sing and share hand-crafted cards, and the entire campus participates in local and international missions thorugh sponsorship of students, and Samaritan's Purse, Operation Christmas Child shoebox collection.
We cherish the relationships we share with each of our school families and are thankful for their prayers and support. We are also grateful for our many parent volunteers. Strong parent partnerships are vital to the success of our ministry, and we welcome feedback and suggestions.
If you are not yet part of our school family, but would like to learn more about us, please contact our campus directly at (540) 373-5357. We would love the opportunity to meet with you and will be happy to arrange a time for you to tour our facilities, sit in on a class, and learn more about what we have to offer. Our campus is located at 2231 Jefferson Davis Highway, Fredericksburg, VA 22401.
Our Staff
To send an e-mail to any individual, simply click their name. Please be aware that teachers sometimes do not have the opportunity to check e-mail until the end of the school day.
Office
Mr. Aldrich, Lower School Principal, waldrich@fcschools.org
Mrs. Di Bella, Lower School Vice-Principal, pdibella@fcschools.org
Mrs. Bain, Secretary, cbain@fcschools.org
Mrs. Woodard, Secretary, rwoodard@fcschools.org
Mrs. Woods, Nurse, vwoods@fcschools.org
Kindergarten
Mrs. Copeland, ncopeland@fcschools.org
Mrs. Berkley, mberkley@fcschools.org
First Grade
Mrs. Van Hulzen, lvanhulzen@fcschools.org
Mrs. Shaeffer, jashaeffer@fcschools.org
Second Grade
Mrs. Hilton, dhilton@fcschools.org
Mrs. Strand, cstrand@fcschools.org
Third Grade
Mrs. Frye, dfrye@fcschools.org
Mrs. Andrews, kandrews@fcschools.org
Fourth Grade Teachers
Mrs. Pipkin, dpipkin@fcschools.org
Mrs. Hitt, dhitt@fcschools.org
Fifth Grade Teachers
Mrs. Aldrich, kaldrich@fcschools.org
Mrs. Bjornsen, jbjornsen@fcschools.org For Mrs. Bjornsen's Classroom Newsletter Click Here
Special Teachers and Assistants
Mrs. Branch, Elementary Assistant bbranch@fcschools.org
Mrs. Chang, Permanent Sub, tchang@fcschools.org
Mrs. Cheatham, Permanent Sub, scheatham@fcschools.org
Mrs. Curry, Elementary Assistant, bcurry@fcschools.org
Mrs. Orndoff, Computer Teacher, morndoff@fcschools.org
Mrs. Parker, P.E. Teacher, vparker@fcschools.org
Mrs. Skinner, Librarian, sskinner@fcschools.org
Miss Kulp, ChoirTeacher, kkulp@fcschools.org
Mrs. Houchins, Orchestra Teacher, lhouchins@fcschools.org
Mr. Haines, Band Teacher, shaines@fcschools.org
Mrs. Slack, aslack@fcschools.org