Kindergarten is the foundation for your child’s future formal schooling.  The purpose of our kindergarten program is to provide a learning environment that meets the developmental needs of your child.  In kindergarten, your child will gain a greater sense of independence and autonomy.  He or she will learn to work and play cooperatively with others.  Your child will be helped to develop a positive attitude toward school.  He or she will be encouraged to see himself or herself as a competent learner.  Your child will have opportunities to participate in formal instructional activities.

As a developmental kindergarten, we consider the whole child at his or her own level socially, emotionally, physically, and intellectually.  Your child will be involved throughout the day in language arts activities, mathematical thinking, playing, and making choices.

An open and cooperative relationship between home and school is viewed as essential.  Parents and teachers together provide learning experiences and role models which promote positive attitudes and develop your child’s potential.

Your child’s first year in school is a new experience for parent and child alike.  There are many things that a child will learn to do that will be the cornerstone of his/her education.

What is kindergarten all about?  Kindergarten is learning to:

1.     work and play together.
2.     respect the rights of others.
3.     be a good listener.
4.     express oneself.
5.     follow directions.
6.     develop good work habits.
7.     complete assigned tasks.
8.     keep work area clean.
9.     work as part of a group.
10. use a variety of materials.
11. share.
12. develop an interest in books.
13. improve fine and gross motor skills.
14. increase attention span.
15. develop new interests.
16. use new vocabulary words.
17. make school an enjoyable experience.

We have a few main resources we pull from to enhance our learning Kindergarten learning experience!  

Phonics to Reading:

This comprehensive foundational skills program supports students on the path to early reading and writing with:

• A systematic instructional scope and sequence that uses Wiley Blevins' research-based Seven Key Characteristics of Strong Phonics Instruction
• A focus on application and transfer to real reading and writing, rather than isolated skill work
• Active, thought-provoking phonics instruction that engages students in their learning every day
• Built-in differentiated instruction that supports all students through an embedded review and repetition cycle

Sadlier Math: Math is an important part of everyday.  Children are given opportunities to “play” with math in a variety of ways throughout the day.  We do whole group math as well as small group.  Here are some of the topics we cover throughout the year:

• Unit 1: Understand Numbers 1–10
• Unit 2: Explore 5-Groups
• Unit 3: Teen Numbers as Tens and Ones
• Unit 4: Partners, Problem Drawings, and Tens
• Unit 5: Consolidation of Concepts
• Unit 6: Money, Time, Measurement, and Numbers

Religion:  Pflaum Program: Promise.  Promise introduces the children to the weekly Sunday Gospel and builds their weekly lessons around it.  Through thes year we learn about the love and life of Jesus and how we can follow Jesus’ way.

Science/Social Studies:  Mystery Science is a hands-on, inquiry based science program that gets students excited about science concepts and the process of investigation.  Scholastic: Let’s Find Out is used for Social Studies and helps students begin to understand the world around them and their place in it.