Kindergarten

Focus: Phonemic Awareness, Fluency, Vocabulary, and Comprehension.  Students each receive decodables, and leveled readers weekly. Personalized reading for high leveled readers. 

Textbook: Journeys; Explode the Code, leveled reading groups 2 times/week, Hagerty Phonemic Awareness 

Writing 

Focus: Students develop fine motor skills as they learn proper letter and number formation. They are taught sentence mechanics and are encouraged to put sounds together to create words.  Writing Units include: “How To” books, persuasive writing, fairy tales, writing true stories, opinion writing, books with a pattern, and non-fiction books. 

Textbook: Lucy Calkins based Writing Workshop and Zaner Boser Handwriting

Spelling 

Focus: Students develop an “ear” for sounds in words and rhymes.  They are encouraged to use phonetic spelling and readily learn to differentiate specific sounds in initial, medial, and final positions. Students draw or use letters and phonetically spelled words to write about experiences, stories, people, places, events, etc. 

Grammar

Textbook: Journeys

Focus: Our program uses manipulatives, problem solving and teaches basic math skills including addition, subtraction, shapes, patterns, and number sense.   

Textbook: Math in Focus; Math Manipulative and Enrichment Materials; Calendar Math, Independent math packets 

Focus: Life, Earth, and Physical Science provide a variety of learning experiences that promote students’ understanding of themselves and their environment.  Active participation is encouraged in the learning process. 

Textbook: Nancy Larson 

Focus: Citizenship, Then and Now, Holidays Around the World, Our World, Our Community, America and Native Americans. We introduce students to our role in the community, different types of jobs and careers, and the importance of earning and saving money.

Textbook: Little Social Studies Thinkers Curriculum 

Focus: Introduce children to their faith mainly through fundamental sensory experiences; learn about God in relation to themselves and others. Learn about the gifts God gives to us by experiencing the familiar elements in the children’s lives in a prayerful way. 

Textbook: Call to Faith and Benzinger Family Life, and Talking about Touching 

Service Projects

The Kindergarten supports school wide service projects including shoe donations to Treehouse, Food Bank collections, Rice Bowls during Lent, and Free Dress Day Fundraisers. 

• Art 2 times/week - in the Art Room with the Art Teacher

• Music 2 times/week - in the Music Room with the Music Teacher

• PE 2 times/week - in the Gym with the PE Teacher

• Library 1 time/week - in the Library with the School Librarian

• Spanish 1 time/week - in the homerooms with the Primary Grades Spanish Teacher

• Technology - introduced in third trimester  

• Guidance Lesson -  2 times/month in the homerooms with the School Counselor

• Animal Research Project
• "In-house" field trips include a visit from the Reptile Man and Kids Quest
• Christmas Nativity Play
• School Families and Buddies
• Celebrations include Polar Express Party and Thanksgiving Feast
• Junior Achievement
• Peacemaker Program
• Lead an all school Mass