• Students come to school excited to start their day.  
• The day starts with free breakfast.
• Students are greeted by their teacher and head to their classroom for morning meeting.  
• We value reading.  Students have at least 2-3 hours of reading where they work in small groups with the teacher.  
• Students have classes in math, social studies, and science.
• Students head back to the cafeteria to enjoy free lunch.
• Afterwards, students enjoy free play or recess.
• Students engage in art, physical education, music or Spanish. We are proud to educate the whole child at Mastery.
• Once the school day is over, students may stay to participate in clubs or the aftercare program.  

Learn more about our K-12 Approach.

Thomas Elementary offers a variety of after school activities and clubs.  Aftercare is available at the school.

Some examples include:

• Academic Enrichment
• Art Club
• Band
• Board Game Club
• Book Club
• Chess Club
• Thomas Tones Choir
• Computer Club
• Creative Writing Club
• Dance
• Debate
• Field Hockey
• Flag Football
• Games Club
• Homework Support
• Literature Club
• Music
• Running Club
• Scrabble
• Snider Youth Hockey
• Student Council
• Yearbook Club

• Any Sneaker or Shoe (Open toe shoes, heels, slides and slippers strictly prohibited)
• Socks (Any sock free of Illegal Images or Inappropriate Wording)
• Grey Polo Shirt (With or Without Logo)
• Grey Thomas El house t-shirt (with house names on the back)
• Any Mastery swag shirts (without hoods)
• Skirts (Appropriate length)
• Dark colored pants (Navy Blue or Black slacks highly encouraged)

Uniforms can be purchased at the school for $10 each.

Any student living in Philadelphia is eligible to apply for the lottery at Thomas Elementary. First preference, however, is given to students living within the 19148 zip code, followed by students living within zip codes 19145, 19146, and 19147, followed by all other applicants. This is so we can serve as a neighborhood school, per our charter. If you apply after the deadline, you will be added to our waitlist. The lottery will be held in early spring.

Zachary Lewis, Principal

[email protected]

Zachary Lewis serves as the principal at Thomas Elementary. He humbly leads this multicultural community of learners that prioritizes family relationships and partnerships while holding a high academic bar for student performance.

A native of Elizabethtown, North Carolina, Zachary Lewis is a servant leader having positively impacted the student learning experience in schools across the United States. After completing undergraduate studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Lewis began his career as an educator, first teaching at a social-emotional center for adolescences in Charlotte, NC, then teaching Mathematics for the Prince George’s County and Baltimore City public school districts. Aside from making great improvements in student achievement data, Lewis served as department chair, grade team lead, and programs coordinator. He received a Masters of Public Administration from the University of Baltimore before transiting to the Pine Bluff School District where he served as the Instructional Technology and Innovation Specialist. Mr. Lewis’s work in Arkansas supported the opening of the community’s first STEAM School, STEAM Fair, and the operation of a Freedom Schools Program. He served as the founding Director of the Pine Bluff Freedom School Initiative which improved the reading levels of students more than 2 years in the first 6 weeks of operation. Additionally, the Pine Bluff’s first STEAM Fair afforded over a thousand students the opportunity to present research to area leaders and the local business community. Zachary transitioned back to the East Coast, Philadelphia, after finishing work with the Pine Bluff School District. Zachary was the Assistant Principal of School Culture at John Wister Elementary and now has his second Masters, Education, School Leadership, from Holy Family University. He is the oldest of 6 and enjoys travel, hiking, bike riding, exercise, arts, and culture. He remains politically informed and a practicing advocate of self-care.

Our staff is available to support you and your child throughout their school experience. We are available to meet with families and answer questions via the email addresses listed here.