Kindergarten: The First Year of Elementary School

Five-year-olds are enthusiastic about school and ready to learn.  We recognize that a kindergartner benefits from both play and academic instruction, so our day is a blend of the two.  We provide opportunities for development on academic, social, and emotional levels. Kindergarten is the bridge between preschool and elementary school.  Since this is the First Year of Elementary School, it is our goal for the students to develop good work habits, confidence, social awareness, and a solid academic foundation upon which to build.

Each kindergartner comes to us with a unique personality, learning style and special gifts to contribute to the class. The role of our kindergarten teachers is to find ways for each student to be successful, to be challenged but not overwhelmed, and to grow socially, emotionally, and intellectually. Our goal is to ensure that each student develops a sense of belonging and feels confident that he/she is an important, contributing member of the class.  When our kindergartners move forward, they are filed with confidence, are joyful learners, and recognize that is school is a wonderful place.

Repetition and Reinforcement

We use experiential learning, small group instruction for introduction of new concepts, and whole group practice for review and extension activities. The repetition and reinforcement of concepts is essential at this age. We also use hands-on learning as well as center-oriented learning with our core centers being social studies, language, blocks, fine motor, library, art, science, and manipulatives. Our lessons include all five senses as often as possible; for example, when studying the fall season, we’ll write, sing, eat, smell, and feel as many “fall” things as possible. We encourage autonomy, problem solving and a love of learning.  We are constantly preparing our students in the academic areas of reading, writing and mathematics while also concentrating on their social and emotional development. We want elementary school to be their happy place.