The children have their formal Religion lesson each day. The homeroom teacher presents the lesson, but the other teachers reinforce the subject throughout the day. The lessons consist of discussions, prayers, songs, paper and pencil activities, games, fine motor activities, stories, occasional videos, computer activities, meditation, and seasonal activities. These lessons include the precepts of Catholicism and Catholic Christian behavior. Our formal text is the Call to Faith series by Harcourt Religion Publishers.

The core language arts program is based on the first 80 words of the Dolch order of frequency list.  Twenty words are presented each quarter.  During the daily lessons, children’s books are read that correspond to the word(s) we are working on, followed by a writing assignment.

The children also attend Phonemic Awareness/Phonics instruction with Miss Mayor daily.  There is an emphasis on decoding/encoding words, building words, hearing sounds in words, and many early literacy skills.  This helps the children become more aware of print, and continue their journey to be life-long readers.

One important aspect of language arts is poetry.  The children are introduced to weekly poems that reinforce concepts of print and early reading skills.  Poetry develops an appreciation of rhythm and rhyme.  Frequent reading during school and at home will help to build the objectives we are attempting to reach.  Please encourage your child to practice reading their “Poetry Binders” routinely.

After a child’s basic letter-sound relationships are formed, he/she will be individually assessed and placed in an appropriate leveled reader.   The leveled readers consist of sixty books ranging from early emergent to fluent readers. (Houghton Mifflin Publishing Co.)

Our library Accelerated Reading Program is offered to children with concrete reading skills and based on teacher recommendation.  This program allows children to take individualized computer quizzes based on comprehension.

During the core math program, Mrs. Kolar will be basing her lessons primarily on Diocesan math standards.  She will be introducing and reinforcing math concepts taught through creative and innovative lessons that incorporate journaling, computers, literature, art, problem solving, music, etc.  This will be done in large and small groups and one-on-one activities.  These activities help to give the children a strong foundation in mathematical concepts.  These lessons will be reinforced and extended through afternoon learning centers and computer time on Mondays and Thursdays.  The weekly blog will keep you informed about what the children have been covering.   When the children bring home math papers, please review the material with them.

During the core Science/Social Studies program, the homeroom teachers work as a team to teach with the use of literature, poetry, hands–on experiments, observation, journaling, art, and discussion. Activities are chosen to strengthen student’s knowledge of science and social studies, and to motivate interest in these areas. Units are planned monthly and based on the McMillan/McGraw Hill Publishing series.

Afternoon Activities for All Day Kindergartenhttp://www.associatedcontent.com/article/288815/joomla_tutorials_how_to_add_edit_and.html?cat=59

Learning centers are based on the interests and needs of the children. These centers reinforce and extend reading, handwriting, writing, phonics, math, science, social studies, art, play, social skills, speech development, Religion, and fine motor skills. Center activities strengthen the children’s knowledge in core subjects, promote both independence and cooperative work, and develop problem solving skills.

Beginning at approximately 10:45, weather permitting, the children play outside with their classmates in the play area.  This is followed by lunch from 11:00 – 11:30.  The children participate in the hot lunch program on Thursday if chosen by the parents. The children also have a short recess break in the afternoon.

The full day children are engaged in one of many activities with their homeroom teacher. These activities include creating mini books, class generated books, art related to the core subjects, studying of high frequency words, review of letters and letter sounds, guided reading, independent reading, letter formation, author studies, and poetry appreciation through group reading and instruction.

The afternoon reading is based on the Pegasus Program (Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co. Dubuque, IA) using a combination of their Kindergarten and First Grade guides.  It begins with a quick overview of the letters of the alphabet with emphasis on phonics, and letter formation.  Using inventive spelling, the children build knowledge of sound-symbol relationships for conventional spelling of English words.

The remainder of the year uses literature based lessons that incorporate fairy tale and fiction stories of noted authors (for example, Ezra Jack Keats and Maurice Sendak.) The children are introduced to story elements (plot, character, and setting) through Shared Reading experiences.  Some element of writing is also done daily. Additional extension activities include art, science, culture, history, geography, etc.

If you have any further questions regarding the kindergarten program, please feel free to contact one of the kindergarten teachers via email, phone, or a note.

Thank you for sharing your children with us this year! We are excited about the beginning of this important year in your child’s life!

We offer both full day and half day kindergarten

The Curriculum For All Kindergarten Children

• Prayer
• Attendance
• Morning News
• Calendar
• Religion
• Snack
• Math
• Science /Social Studies
• Phonics/Readi

(Each activity is once per week.)

Library is once on Thursdays.

Gym is once on Fridays.

Art is once on Fridays.

Daily Schedule

• Recess
• Lunch
• Rest and Story Time
• Literature Enrichment
• Learning Centers
• (These centers reinforce and extend reading, handwriting, writing, phonics, math, science, social studies, art, play, social skills, speech development, Religion, and fine motor skills.)
• Computer class is for each student on either Mondays or Thursdays.
• Music is on Tuesdays.
• Library is on Thursdays.
• Gym is on Fridays.
• Library Story Time is on Fridays.
• Art is on Fridays