JUNIOR KINDERGARTEN
Our Junior Kindergarten curriculum is designed to keep pace with children’s cognitive, social, and physical skills which are developing at a tremendous rate. Through daily discussions, activities, and in-depth study, teachers guide children as they further develop self-confidence, enthusiasm for learning, respect and empathy, and learning readiness skills. The day includes free play and exploration, class meeting time, snack, and creative, focused investigations that spark curiosity and integrate math, science, and literacy concepts. Our Junior Kindergartners also have weekly Spanish, music, yoga and mindfulness, and library special subject classes. Two outdoor playscapes and an indoor gym for inclement weather allow for Junior Kindergarteners to further develop their gross-motor skills and engage in active play with peers.
Our Junior Kindergarten program includes two small classes, each with an average student-teacher ratio of 5:1. Children are 4 years old by the opening of school and attend five days per week from 8:30am to 2:30pm Monday-Thursday and 8:30am-12:00pm on Friday, with the option to enroll in an Extended Day program that ends at either 3:30pm or 5:45pm.
LITERACY
Junior Kindergartners listen to and develop pre-reading skills with a variety of fiction and non-fiction books both in their classroom and in the school’s library where they check-out books each week. Junior Kindergarteners build their writing and reading skills through both the Lively Letters and Handwriting Without Tears programs.
MATHEMATICS & SCIENCE
Junior Kindergartners explore math manipulatives through independent and guided activities, learning concepts such as patterns, measurement, sorting, classifying, and counting. Junior Kindergartners are encouraged to make guesses, test hypotheses, experiment, and explore in their detailed project work, as well as throughout their days.
SPECIAL SUBJECTS
Junior Kindergarteners participate in a variety of special subjects. From learning various poses in Yoga and Mindfulness to learning vocabulary in Spanish to listening to stories in Library to playing the ukulele and singing songs in Music, our Junior Kindergarteners engage in activities that help instill a lifelong love of learning.
LEADERSHIP
As the oldest students in the school, Junior Kindergartens enjoy privileges, such as checking books out of the Library. They have responsibilities, such as taking school attendance. Most importantly, they are leaders of our school. This distinctive position is a source of tremendous pride – and a foundation for self-assurance that will accompany them to their next school.