Curriculum Statement - Kindergarten
Purpose
The curriculum for the Kindergarten at SJES is designed to:
- Utilize a "hands-on" sensory approach to learning.
- Provide opportunities for children to develop to their fullest through first hand experiences.
- Present academically stimulating experiences to encourage them to think, analyze problems, and arrive at a variety of possible solutions.
Parameters
- Kindergarten students attend school five days a week Monday-Friday.
- School starts at 8:00 a.m. The school day ends at 2:00 p.m.
- SJES offers childcare services for both before and after school hours.
Language Arts Curriculum
The language program goals for Kindergarten students are to extend experiences, to create a love of books and the worlds they reveal, and to foster development in oral and written communication. Children will begin to read short stories and books using Balanced Literacy approach. They will begin the writing process with class experience stories, followed by labeled pictures, and then move quickly to writing their own stories and poetry using encoding skills, inventive spelling, correct sentence construction, and punctuation.
Math Curriculum
The goal of the math program is to enable children to use math through exploration, discovery, and solving meaningful problems. Math activities are integrated with other subjects and activities that include science and social studies. A variety of manipulatives such as unifix cubes, geoboards and bands, design blocks, tangrams, wooden cubes, and classroom collections of various objects are used in mathematics instruction.
Science and Social Studies Curriculum
The science program allows the students to explore, classify materials, ask questions, discover cause and effect, predict consequences, and solve problems. The science instruction encourages children to learn about their biological and physical world.
Social Studies themes are identified as the focus of instruction for extended periods of time. The classroom is treated as a laboratory of social relations where students explore values and learn rules of social living and respect for individual differences.
Art
The goal in Kindergarten art is to provide experiences which will expand children's horizons of understanding and develop manipulative skills. The creative process is emphasized.
In addition to the art activities that are part of each Kindergarten day, the students attend art class in the art studio with the school art specialist.
Learning Centers
Learning centers provide children with opportunities to explore individual interest, exercise initiative, and develop resourcefulness and independence. Activities in these centers provide opportunities for cooperation, sharing, conversation, dramatizations, creative expression, listening, singing, exploring, manipulating, strengthening eye-hand coordination, and visual memory and discrimination.
Spiritual Formation and Growth
Kindergarten students attend Chapel twice a week. Students also participate with other students in grades one through four as a family group in the "Educating the Heart" curriculum. Each morning begins with a devotional time.
Physical Education
Kindergarten children attend physical education class. Instruction in good manners and sportsmanship is an important component of the P.E. program in Kindergarten.
Music
In addition to the music that is a part of each day's activities, our Kindergarten students participate in a music class. Students sing, play rhythm instruments, listen and move to music. The program is coordinated with units and themes of the classroom curriculum.
Library
The school library is visited in an effort to encourage a positive attitude towards reading and caring for and using books. After listening to a story read, the children are allowed to select and check out a book to take home.
Outdoor Play
The Kindergarten classes go to the playground every day for thirty minutes. The equipment in the outdoor play is designed to stimulate the imagination and encourage the exercising of the muscles.
Spanish
Kindergarten students have Spanish class. Children are introduced to vocabulary related to their immediate surroundings. They learn to understand expressions essential for everyday communication and to respond to simple questions.
Thematic Instruction
A variety of learning themes are studied each year. Each theme studied is integrated into many subject areas. Teachers coordinate songs, stories, snacks, cooking activities, art and craft projects, games and bulletin board designs.
Parent Communication
A Parent Orientation prior to the opening of school introduces the room, teacher and curriculum to the parents. Parent conferences are scheduled each year. Kindergarten calendars and monthly newsletters describing the activities of the class and telling about the upcoming events are published on the website. Report cards are sent home three times during the year.
Curriculum Statement - Kindergarten
Purpose
The curriculum for the Kindergarten at SJES is designed to:
- Utilize a "hands-on" sensory approach to learning.
- Provide opportunities for children to develop to their fullest through first hand experiences.
- Present academically stimulating experiences to encourage them to think, analyze problems, and arrive at a variety of possible solutions.
Parameters
- Kindergarten students attend school five days a week Monday-Friday.
- School starts at 8:00 a.m. The school day ends at 2:00 p.m.
- SJES offers childcare services for both before and after school hours.
Language Arts Curriculum
The language program goals for Kindergarten students are to extend experiences, to create a love of books and the worlds they reveal, and to foster development in oral and written communication. Children will begin to read short stories and books using Balanced Literacy approach. They will begin the writing process with class experience stories, followed by labeled pictures, and then move quickly to writing their own stories and poetry using encoding skills, inventive spelling, correct sentence construction, and punctuation.
Math Curriculum
The goal of the math program is to enable children to use math through exploration, discovery, and solving meaningful problems. Math activities are integrated with other subjects and activities that include science and social studies. A variety of manipulatives such as unifix cubes, geoboards and bands, design blocks, tangrams, wooden cubes, and classroom collections of various objects are used in mathematics instruction.
Science and Social Studies Curriculum
The science program allows the students to explore, classify materials, ask questions, discover cause and effect, predict consequences, and solve problems. The science instruction encourages children to learn about their biological and physical world.
Social Studies themes are identified as the focus of instruction for extended periods of time. The classroom is treated as a laboratory of social relations where students explore values and learn rules of social living and respect for individual differences.
Art
The goal in Kindergarten art is to provide experiences which will expand children's horizons of understanding and develop manipulative skills. The creative process is emphasized.
In addition to the art activities that are part of each Kindergarten day, the students attend art class in the art studio with the school art specialist.
Learning Centers
Learning centers provide children with opportunities to explore individual interest, exercise initiative, and develop resourcefulness and independence. Activities in these centers provide opportunities for cooperation, sharing, conversation, dramatizations, creative expression, listening, singing, exploring, manipulating, strengthening eye-hand coordination, and visual memory and discrimination.
Spiritual Formation and Growth
Kindergarten students attend Chapel twice a week. Students also participate with other students in grades one through four as a family group in the "Educating the Heart" curriculum. Each morning begins with a devotional time.
Physical Education
Kindergarten children attend physical education class. Instruction in good manners and sportsmanship is an important component of the P.E. program in Kindergarten.
Music
In addition to the music that is a part of each day's activities, our Kindergarten students participate in a music class. Students sing, play rhythm instruments, listen and move to music. The program is coordinated with units and themes of the classroom curriculum.
Library
The school library is visited in an effort to encourage a positive attitude towards reading and caring for and using books. After listening to a story read, the children are allowed to select and check out a book to take home.
Outdoor Play
The Kindergarten classes go to the playground every day for thirty minutes. The equipment in the outdoor play is designed to stimulate the imagination and encourage the exercising of the muscles.
Spanish
Kindergarten students have Spanish class. Children are introduced to vocabulary related to their immediate surroundings. They learn to understand expressions essential for everyday communication and to respond to simple questions.
Thematic Instruction
A variety of learning themes are studied each year. Each theme studied is integrated into many subject areas. Teachers coordinate songs, stories, snacks, cooking activities, art and craft projects, games and bulletin board designs.
Parent Communication
A Parent Orientation prior to the opening of school introduces the room, teacher and curriculum to the parents. Parent conferences are scheduled each year. Kindergarten calendars and monthly newsletters describing the activities of the class and telling about the upcoming events are published on the website. Report cards are sent home three times during the year.