What do we do with Kindergarteners?
A Developmental Kindergarte
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A Developmental Kindergarten offers many advantages over public kindergarten. Among these are:
- Small teacher-pupil ratio (1:15 approx.)Teachers can create more challenge for children which may not be available in a public school.
- Learning is planned for the individual child. Each child’s learning style can be accomodated rather than have all children do exactly the same thing.
- More time is spent with the individual child.
- More teacher time is available to parents.
- Teacher, director and “specials” teachers can work with parents to plan for the individual child.
- Children grow in faith and gain spiritual values in a strong Christian program
DAILY SPIRITUAL VALUES: As a church sponsored school, the Kindergarten includes daily as well as unit emphasis on Christian values: Children explore Christmas as they learn more about Jesus’ birthday and the joy of Christmas. They create gifts for others and invite parents to watch as they present their annual Christmas program. At Easter they explore the many ways to celebrate the Easter meaning of new life and rebirth. This becomes more clear to children as they share family Easter traditions.
READING READINESS SYSTEM: Multiple approaches are used to help each child find his or her best way to begin reading. These include: phonics, sight words, rhyme, pattern and repetition.
By year’s end the child can: recognize his/her last name and all uppercase and lowercase letters; correctly print all upper and lowercase letters; associate the letter sounds to the correct letters; begin to blend letter sounds into words and read simple sentences.
In addition a daily predictable chart includes learning some sight words. Words are everywhere in the kindergarten room. Each child progresses at his or her own speed through a series of pre chosen books. These begin with one and two word sentences and progress as far as the child’s mind can reach during the school year. Children also hear stories, have age-level library books available daily and participate in an in class borrowing library. A love for reading is encouraged and emphasized. Literacy is encouraged throughout the program.
MATHEMATICS EXPLORATION: This is based on the Math Their Way which includes hands on activities and worksheets. Children learn first using manipulatives and with real-life, hands on situations before progressing to paper/pencil tasks.
SCIENCE SKILLS: Interactive materials at the science table encourage each child to problem solve, experiment and grow in his knowledge of how science systems work. Units include: seasons, weather, magnets, plants and animals
SOCIAL STUDIES:
These unit studies help children understand the community around them locally,(class jobs) nationally and in the world. Units include: I Love America, Ohio, and families.
SOCIAL SKILLS EXPLORATION LEADS TO:
- Ability to feel comfortable in a the classroom and the daily changes;
- Socialize in a kind and positive manner.
- Ability to settle conflicts without teacher intervention
- Being a part of the class and interacting with classmates
- Completing tasks independently of adult help
- Ability to state birthday, address and phone number
- Ability to sit and listen to a chapter book read aloud.
SPECIAL TEACHERS FOR ART, AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION: These offer the child an opportunity to adapt to working with several different teachers other than the kindergarten teacher and her assistant. During evaluation times, all teachers may share information to help construct a useful analysis of a child’s skills for parents. This also provides a pleasant change of pace
CAREFUL EVALUATION occurs twice yearly to keep parents up to date. Presentation of progress assessments as well as twice yearly conferences give parents understandable and useful information. This can help them make future decisions about placement for their child. Additionally, the in person conferences give parents insight about how their child is functioning in the classroom.
PARENT VOLUNTEERS: Parents are encouraged to volunteer as helpers in the classroom. In this way, the family can understand and reinforce what occurs in the daily classroom. “Many hands make light the work!”
What other schools say about our program:
Sycamore finds that our kindergarten is excellent preparation for their first grade.
Lakota and Princeton indicate that our kindergarten is excellent preparation for the independence required of a first grade child in large public school classrooms.
Parochial schools like St. Michael’s, St. Susanna and Sacred Heart find that our children enter their system with confidence, knowledge, good listening skills and a strong awareness of spiritual values.These skills are all vital for first grade children.
Ask the teachers: Most can identify children who completed Kindergarten at SUMC!
For more information on how to enroll or to visit with your child-
Call us at 563-8278
Monday-Friday 9-3
