in the Lower School

The intentional integration of technology begins long before students receive their first personal devices. In the Lower School, digital learning is carefully sequenced to align with developmental readiness, blending hands-on, tactile learning with thoughtful digital exposure.

“Since COVID, we’ve been very intentional with how students use screens in the classroom,” says Katie Cain, Head of Learning and Innovation. “Young learners manipulate pencils, paintbrushes, and Play-Doh because the connection from brain to hand to paper reinforces learning. Typing and screen time gradually increase in fourth and fifth grades, often after ideas have been drafted on paper first.” Technology is deliberately introduced through adaptive math programs, coding, and e-portfolios, allowing students to develop digital fluency while reinforcing traditional learning methods.

This gradual, purposeful approach is coupled with Mount Vernon’s commitment to digital wellness and citizenship.

Digital wellness focuses on balance and healthy use, ensuring screen time does not displace sleep, physical activity, or in-person interactions. Digital citizenship, by contrast, emphasizes behavior and ethics online: how students represent themselves, advocate for others, and engage respectfully in virtual spaces.

Elisse Hayes, Dean of Students for the Lower School, explains how this plays out in practice: “We teach students the power of their words, whether in person or online. Even in a digital setting, what you type can cause real harm. We help students recognize unsafe situations, encourage them to seek adult guidance, and foster empathy in all spaces.” Students engage in exercises exploring scenarios in chat threads and online communities, learning how to be upstanders—actively supporting peers and responding to exclusion or unkind behavior.

Mount Vernon also partners with families to extend these lessons beyond the classroom. The MVPN group TechWise provides guidelines for device use at home and encourages families to delay giving students smartphones when possible. This partnership is complemented by the school’s collaboration with Bark through the Connected Communities initiative. As part of the initiative, students in Grades 4 and 5 will participate in two in-school sessions with representatives from Bark, including activities using secure, highly restricted Bark Phones. These sessions will help students navigate:

• Group texting etiquette
• The social media landscape and risks
• Privacy settings best practices
• Media literacy
• Online relationships and conflict management
• Healthy digital habits

Research shows that this age is a turning point when most kids are starting to get devices or are surrounded by peers who have them. “That’s why this moment is so important,” Cain notes. “Teaching digital responsibility before risky behavior becomes habitual can make all the difference. It’s early enough to be proactive, and just in time to be relevant.” Bark will lead these student sessions on March 25 and 26.

Prior to the student sessions, Bark will host a Parent University on March 24 at 8:00 am in Fellowship Hall, offering tips and tools for navigating the digital landscape. Families also have the opportunity to take one of the restricted devices home for a week and complete brief guided activities together to reinforce learning.

“The goal is a shared understanding,” Cain notes. “It’s not just about devices, it’s about creating a family and school environment where kids learn how to navigate technology responsibly.” Through structured instruction, community partnerships, and consistent reinforcement, Mount Vernon equips Lower School students with the skills to thrive both offline and online. By fostering ethical, balanced, and mindful engagement with technology, the school ensures that students not only become competent digital users but also thoughtful, responsible digital citizens, ready to navigate an increasingly connected world with confidence and care.

Everyone is invited to the Bark Connected Communities Parent University on March 24 at 8:00 am in Fellowship Hall (targeted at Grades 4 and 5, but open to all). Following the Parent University session, Bark will host a hands-on Bark Phone workshop for parents from 9:00–10:00 am.