Sacramento Country Day School
Sacramento Country Day School (SCDS) is an independent, co-educational, college preparatory school serving Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12 since 1964. Sacramento Country Day is located in the unincorporated Arden Arcade neighborhood of Sacramento, California, and serves students from all surrounding areas, including Carmichael, Davis, Elk Grove, Placerville, Folsom, and El Dorado Hills. Small class sizes and a dynamic learning environment provide their students opportunities to discover and joyfully pursue their unique strengths. The mission of Sacramento Country Day is to inspire intellectual discovery and engage a diverse community to think critically, live creatively, and act compassionately. History Seeking an academically-challenging school for their son, Greg, Dr. Baxter Geeting and his wife, Corinne, formulated the concept for Country Day around their kitchen table. About that time, Dr. Geeting met Herbert Matthews, who was teaching math at a small school in Carmichael, and convinced him to join the discussion. Soon, the school envisioned by these educators became a reality. September 14, 1964, the school opened with 12 students in portable buildings at the Unitarian Church on Sierra Blvd. The following year, the school relocated to its present campus on Latham Drive with 123 students in grades kindergarten through nine. High School buildings arrived in 1970, the multi-purpose building in 1977, and Lower School classrooms in 1979. The building boom of the 1980s produced the gymnasium (1982), the Matthews Library (1985), the administration building (1985), and the Lower School library “wing” (1985). Recent construction includes the Frank Science Center (2005), and the new Lower School building and renovation, completed in August 2008. As the physical plant and enrollment steadily grew, so did the strength and breadth of the school's educational programs. Over the decades, SCDS added many Advanced Placement, honors, and elective courses in addition to co-curricular programs such as Mock Trial and Solar Regatta; field trips such as Sutter's Fort, Marin Headlands, and Catalina Island; and over two dozen interscholastic athletic teams. Lower School The Lower School begins with Pre- Kindergarten and continues through the Fifth Grade. Lower School is where expert, creative, and loving teachers help children build a solid and deep foundation of skills in critical reading, logical reasoning, careful observation, and the ability to share their learning with others in speech, writing, and the arts. Learning is invigorating with hands-on, active learning projects and experiences. A daily schedule of core subjects in language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies is complemented by enrichment classes in world languages, art, Music & Movement, P.E., and library studies. Experiential learning beyond our classrooms through field trips, community service and trips to the school garden also enhances the curriculum. The curriculum subject areas are really just the vehicles to build impactful people with generous and compassionate hearts, inquisitive and interested intellects, and healthy and active bodies. Young people in the Sacramento Country Day Lower School find and use their voices to express their ideas, share their opinions, and thoughtfully and respectfully work with others. The Responsive Classroom permeates our Lower School, creating a place