Purpose

The aim of Kindergarten is to provide a strong foundation from which children can grow to become life long learners. We will encourage students to be critical thinkers, problem solvers and have a strong self-esteem. We want children to develop confidence in themselves and in their ability to learn. We want them to become curious about the world around them and to learn to focus their attention on new information. Kindergarteners need to practice speaking with their peers and adults so that they can vocalize their needs. We will teach them social skills to enable children to relate to their peers and adults and be accepted by a group.

Goals

To develop social and emotional growth through interacting, sharing, cooperating and discussing with their peers and which are modeled and nurtured by the teacher.

To develop literacy through listening, speaking, reading and writing. The children will learn:

Left to right progression
To use picture clues to make predictions or get meaning
To match sounds with letters
To develop phonemic awareness through rhyming, sound patterns, word families, segmenting and blending.
Letter and word recognition
To develop the mechanics of writing
To use temporary spelling to express thoughts

To develop mathematical concepts through use of manipulatives to learn:
Basic Shapes
Counting to 100
One to one correspondence
Number Conservation
Problem Solving Strategies
Create and Identify patterns
Practice Estimation
Use mathematical terms
Identify coins
Practice measurements (i.e. cooking, experiments)

To develop scientific concepts through
Observation, predicting and collecting data (i.e. Weather Chart, Tooth Chart)
Classroom experiments
Sorting by properties
Observation of plants and animals (planting seeds, egg incubation, butterfly metamorphosis).

To develop knowledge of the arts:
Exposure to many types of at mediums: drawing, painting, collage and sculpture
Singing songs, moving to music, guest musicians.

Program 

The morning Kindergarten class is held from 8:45AM-11:30AM. A full day Kindergarten program is available which will include a morning and afternoon session with a break for lunch. Some parents may want to have their children attend an extended day Kindergarten in the afternoon from 12:15 to 3:00 PM. Daycare is still available for children from 7 AM to 6 PM for before and after preschool, pre-K and Kindergarten.

Our staff is committed to building a strong educational base for children that will give them the right start in public school. Children attend school for many years and we want them to feel confident in their abilities from the very beginning. A positive start will last their entire educational experience.

The kindergarten children have monthly field trips. Some of the past field trips have included: Apple Acres Orchard in Windham, NH, the Sandown Fire Station, The Sandown Public Library, the Metamorphosis Children's Museum in Londonderry, garden centers, farms, the Stonyfield yogurt factory, the Palace Theater in Manchester, the Leddy Center Theater in Epping and Hannaford Supermarket in Hampstead.

A written authorization by the parent is required for the transportation of their child for each field trip. All children are required to wear seatbelts while being transported on field trips and cars and /or vans will be appropriately insured. Field trips are learning experiences for our children. If parents are interested, we try to bring them on a field trip when possible. Please speak to the Kindergarten teacher if you wish to come on a field trip.

In the fall, Dr. Diane Wekelo, our educational consultant, completes a short evaluation of all the Kindergarten children. Dr. Wekelo specializes in evaluating preschool and school age children with speech, language, hearing, reading, processing, attentional and behavioral disorders. The results of this evaluation and a discussion of your child's progress will occur during parent- teacher meetings will are held in January. The kindergarten teacher is always available to speak to you about particular concerns you might have during the school year. Please do not wait until a parent teacher conference to voice your concern. The best time to reach the teacher is between 8:30 and 9:00 AM.