Lorien Wood School

Join one of our standing tours for a chance to explore our beautiful campus and discover what sets us apart. Please RSVP to [email protected]!

Form 1 enjoyed their field trip to Hidden Oaks Nature Center yesterday! They met a dinosaur “expert”, learned how to tell the difference between dinosaurs and reptiles, and saw some real fossils! What a day!

GO RANGERS!

Come cheer on the boys soccer team this afternoon as they play against TCS on their home field!

Form 1 had a great field trip to Hidden Oaks Nature Center today! They met a “dinosaur expert,” learned about different dinosaur characteristics, discovered the differences between reptiles and dinosaurs, and saw some real fossils! What a day!

Yesterday was a successful Muddy Monday all across campus! 🌳🪵🐾

GO RANGERS!

Come cheer on the boys soccer team this afternoon as they play against Basis Independent on their home field!

GO RANGERS!

Come cheer on the boys soccer team this afternoon as the play against TMV on their home field!

Form 5 built trenches and engaged in an acorn battle as part of their study of WWI in Humanities - Form 6 couldn't help but join in!

GO RANGERS!

Come cheer on the boys soccer team as the play against VA Commonwealth Academy on their home field!

Happy birthday, Bilbo and Frodo Baggins! A wonderful Lord of the Rings day all around the school!

This week, the Shire learned God is Yahweh through the story of Moses and the burning bush. They also discussed fire safety and learned all about fire drills, what makes fire (which included a fire demonstration and a few marshmallows, of course!) and how to make the color orange!

As a continuation of their studies, Shire students went on their first field trip yesterday to the Dunn Loring Fire Station. They toured the facility and learned more about what these brave men and women do on a daily basis. And most excitedly - students had a chance to use the fire hose! 🔥🚒

Celebrating our 20th year! 🎉

Thank you, parents, for gathering with us on Saturday evening to remember and acknowledge the Lord's continued faithfulness in our ever-unfolding story. We hope you had a wonderful time and enjoyed the Screwtape Letters performance!

Cheer on the boys' soccer team this afternoon as they play their first game of the season against Basis Independent - Go Rangers!

We love learning in the context of nature! ☀🌳🪵

A look at Watershed's first extended field study in the Shenandoah!

A very Shire Muddy Monday! 🌳🪵🐾🪺

Today, we remember the tragedy that shook our nation 22 years ago. We mourn with those who mourn, and pray for the hope, comfort, and closeness of our God to be felt and known all across our country.

"Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word." - 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

What a wonderful first week of school! Thank you to each family who participated in our first-day photo challenge - we loved your creativity! Take a look at a few of our favorite photos that really capture the LW spirit 🌳🪵🌿

Our faculty and staff have worked all summer to prepare for our students' return. We can't wait to see them tomorrow!

While on campus, our students are sure to see something new - perhaps an outdoor classroom at the edge of the woods, an indoor studio ready for artists, a fresh coat of paint in some of our spaces, or a new sign hanging above Mrs. Parker's desk.

You might notice some changes on our website and social media platforms - perhaps a new logo (swipe to see a sneak peak!) or a new website!

As we enter our 20th year, we acknowledge with grateful hearts the Lord's hand on our school in many ways. Our rich history is evidence of his goodness, guidance, and provision! We honor the faithful faculty and families who have been integral to our past and those who will carry on with us into the future. We celebrate this year with a school-wide rebrand across all our social media and website platforms and school spiritwear.

We look forward to a full launch at our upcoming parent event and sharing our vision for the future with you!

We are kicking off our celebrations this first week of school! Instead of having a photo booth, we are asking our parents to take first-day-of-school photos that capture the LW spirit and send them to [email protected] to have a chance of being featured on our social media and winning family merch with our new logo!

Whether you participate in our first-day contest or not (we really hope you do!), we look forward to seeing you back on campus, participating in our rhythms of school, and witnessing daily moments filled with joy and wonder.

As we gather with you tomorrow in prayer and worship at our Blessing service, we open this 20th year in joyful expectation for all the Lord has in store.

We want to thank every person that made it out to our first Ultimate Frisbee Invitational in May! It was a successful tournament that three different schools participated in. Thank you to Mr. Reynolds and Mr. Ng for organizing and coaching our teams. Team Ng finished runners-up in the invitational! Goooo Rangers! 🥏

This past spring we hosted our very first Ultimate Frisbee Invitational at Lorien Wood! We want to thank every person that made it out to support our students. It was a successful tournament that three different schools participated in. Thank you to Mr. Reynolds and Mr. Ng for organizing and coaching our teams. Team Ng were runners-up in the invitational and we are so proud! 🥏

Go Rangers!

Our K-5th graders have a special opportunity to explore their rich academic curriculum in the context of nature at Muddy Monday every week! Teachers use the outdoors as a tool to teach the children academic skills in an experiential way so that children can gain a deeper sense of how to care for God’s world.

Some of our Muddy Monday stations may include STEAM, Nature Study, and Book & Garden Club. At our last Muddy Monday of the year at the STEAM station, students made bubble fluid and designed their own bubble wands made from simple materials: straws and yarn. They loved creating different bubble shapes! We hope students are able to utilize this knowledge for great summer fun!

Under the leadership of our Athletics Director, Michael Abundo, many spring sports were offered to students this year, including Flag Football (lower and upper school), Girl’s Soccer, Running Club, and Ultimate Frisbee! We had the most students in Lorien Wood’s history register for a spring sport, and we are so excited for what is to come!🏈👟🥏

We believe that participation in athletics cultivates Christ-like character, reflecting Lorien Wood’s ‘character development’ distinctive. We offer fall and spring sports to give students a unique opportunity to grow in team participation and character.

At Lorien Wood, we believe animals can help children learn better! Whether providing emotional support or teaching them responsibility, we appreciate all they add to our classrooms. 🐰🦎

A distinctive that sets us apart from other private Christian schools is our Parental Service distinctive. We believe that excellence in education requires parents to see themselves as part of their children’s community of learning and to be willing to assume a high level of service.

By active participation in the life of the school, parents model service, leadership, and life-long learning as they explore God’s world alongside their children. Our parents take part in the daily life of the school by helping with pick up and drop off, recess, lunch, field trips, and more! For parents that are able to commit to weekly parental service, we offer tuition credit as part of our Variable Tuition program where we are able to offer tuition assistance. For more information on this distinctive and Parental Service Credit, please visit our website (link in bio).

Happy birthday, America! We hope this Fourth of July is a wonderful family-filled day for you and yours!

Every Wednesday morning during the school year, we gather to worship the Lord and fix our eyes on him. It is a sweet time of corporate worship that we miss over the summer!

Form 3 spent all year exploring the world, learning about many different cultures and geographical places. For their final unit, they landed back at home in North America. Over the last few weeks of school, they learned what it means to be home and studied the different regions of the United States. This country is truly a melting pot! To further explore this land that they call home, they went on a field trip to Great Falls where they hiked, nature journaled, and had a picnic lunch. Then to end the unit and celebrate the unique heritage of each student, Form 3 held a HOME Feast where students brought a dish to share that represented the idea of home to them. It was a sweet time of reflection and delicious food! 🌎🇺🇸

In Form 4 science’s final unit of the year Microbes, Diseases, and the Immune System, students had some more fun scientific explorations! They made and eat yogurt (with toppings, of course!) to study how bacteria contribute to the daily food supply. They also examined the yogurt under a microscope for microorganisms!

Then, during their last full week of school, students determined their blood types and analyzed the class data to compare the distribution of blood types within the class to the distribution in the general population. A great way to end a very explorative year!

Today we honor those who have lost their lives defending this country.



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Our teachers have felt seen and loved by LW families this week! Thank you for the cards, treats, flowers, and more!

Students in every form visited the Journey Science Fair last week where Form Four students showcased their science projects! From a lie detector test to an experiment with worms…every project was unique! You knocked it out of the park, Form Four! 🔬🥼🪱

In Form Three’s explorations of South Asia, they learned a lot about trade and commerce. To better understand the complexities of commerce, students planned and implemented their own manufacturing businesses! They prepared a business plan for a marketable product, petitioned an investor (their teacher) to lend the start-up cost, and produced their own inventory in class during their “factory work time.” They hosted an East Asian market for the entire school on Tuesday to show off their hard work and make some of their “money” back! It was a challenging but fun-filled experience for our 4th and 5th graders! 💸🌏✈️

They also had a tea ceremony today to experience one more piece of East Asian culture! 🫖🇯🇵

- Form Four celebrated the end of their humanities unit with a Medieval Day last Friday! Students dressed up as their selected Medieval characters, engaged in morning liturgy, played medieval games (ring toss, darts, etc..), competed in physical challenges, danced, and enjoyed a delicious feast! Students were seated and served in the feasting room according to the status of their character. Seated first were royalty, then warriors and adventurers, artists and healers, and lastly the religious and commoners. It was a fun-filled day with lots of experiential learning for these middle schoolers!

Mrs. Butcher will be hosting a parents book discussion for “Seen: Healing Despair and Anxiety in Kids and Teens Through the Power of Connection,” tomorrow! This is one of the many books that she recommended at the last Unit Presentation. We encourage every Lorien Wood parent to read it and attend the discussion to gain practical tools to communicate and connect with each child. Please RSVP by sending an email to [email protected]. See you there!

In their Skies Unit, Form 1 traveled to Potomac Overlook Regional Park to participate in their Birds of Prey Program. Students had the opportunity to learn about raptors from a Roving Naturalist guide and even got to visit a raptor enclosure! They were amazed to learn about their keen eyesight, their ability to hunt with their talons, and their great speed. Students also enjoyed hearing and meeting Eastern Screech Owls on their trip. It was a fun and adventurous field trip as they finished up their focus on birds last week!

The Wild West was calling and LW answered! 🤠🐎

Form 2 stepped back in time to the 1840s today to imagine life as pioneers as they wrapped up their “Push West” unit with fun in-school field trip. Some of their thrilling adventures included pioneer schoolroom and Oregon Trail simulations, unit-integral snacks (jerky and cornbread muffins), spinning wheel demonstrations, pioneer dancing and games, chores, a General Store visit, panning for gold, tin punching, gardening and so much more! The unit came to life as students dressed up in their pioneer attire to explore pioneer living. Thank you to every parent that volunteered to make this experiential learning day a success!

In their studies about the 1930s, Watershed students participated in a day-long simulation of life during The Great Depression. To start off the day, the ladies in the class managed household tasks (cleaning and tending the garden), while the gentlemen completed manual labor tasks around campus as the breadwinners of their families. After completing their tasks, students were fed rations at a time-period soup kitchen for a snack. Then students built their homeless shelters in the woods, imitating the camps many families lived in at the height of the Depression (Hoovervilles). Finally, students were excited to enjoy a Depression feast with unit-integral dishes they brought from home. It was a day to remember!

Our Junior Kindergarten class, The Shire, went to the Hidden Oaks Nature Center last Thursday to learn about the changes that spring brings to woodland plants and animals. It was a wonderful time of joyful discovery for our students as they investigated critters and plants on a walking tour!

We are still accepting students for our Shire program next year! If you want a program that will provide a beautiful foundation for Kindergarten, we invite your child to join us as we explore God’s world together. Visit our website (in our bio) for more information!