Academics

Pre-K and Kindergarten

We aim to provide a nurturing environment that helps students develop emotionally and socially as well as academically. We challenge each student to work to his/her potential and to grow in independence. Our classrooms are a combination of native English speakers and second language learners which creates a wonderful multicultural atmosphere for learning.

Subject Description
Language

Pre-K Phonics lessons center on a “Letter of the Week” structure using materials from “Letterland”,a phonics program from the UK that uses pictograms of fun charactersto learn letter sounds such as Annie Apple, Bouncing Ben, and Clever Cat and entertaining songs that go along with the characters. As students grow in their knowledge and production of phonics, beginning reading is a natural and successful outcome.  Pre-K students are also introduced to colors, shapes, simple math, and daily topics such as Family, Animals, Food, Weather, etc.

Each week a new letter is introduced along with digraphs and blends.  Oral work is done in groups including oral blending, rhyming, and segmentation.  Students are introduced to Reading A-Z decodable readers and high frequency words are taught in spelling.
Mathematics Pre-K starts with math readiness skills, and then proceeds to counting, naming, writing and ordering numbers from 1-10. Basic shapes and colors, simple measurement, opposites, position and size and patterns are some of the other concepts that are taught.

In Kindergarten the HSP (Harcourt School Publishers) Math Program is used.
Science Science classes focus on hands on learning related to the student’s living environment.
Social Studies Using their own life experience, students will deepen their understanding of concepts such as me, my family, my background. and a focus on each student’s home country.
Character Curriculum Students are taught values such as honesty, compassion, sensitivity, and determination with the purpose of educating the whole person towards adulthood and maturity.
Library Once a week children have an opportunity to borrow books from the school library.
Arts, Music, PE Each afternoon the children participate in one or more of these elective classes