Learning Together

The Benefits of Cross-Grade Level Relationships

by Sheila Dykstra

As a preschool through twelfth grade school, LCS has the unique opportunity to form natural cross-grade level relationships among students. These relationships meet a variety of educational, social, and emotional goals.

Throughout the school year, several of our elementary, middle, and high school students worked together to accomplish specific learning goals. From working on animal reports to engaging socially with one another, students at every level benefited from these relationships. These benefits include: recognizing that learning is cumulative and connected, supporting one another, sharing learning, and forming connections among students.

When students form these connections, they develop a sense of belonging and contributing to a community that is larger than their own classroom. As a school we believe these connections are important to our vision for student engagement.