Practical Life
Practical life reflects the culture and daily life experiences of the child at home and in the community. Practical life experiences allow a student to learn independence, confidence, coordination and concentration to name just a few. For example, students learn to dress themselves by practicing on dressing frames, which include buckles, zippers and buttons. Fine motor and eye-hand coordination skills are exercised through pouring, spooning, cutting and folding. The students learn to take care of their surroundings by using brooms, dustpans and watering cans to care for plants.
Sensorial Activities
Sensorial exercises develop and enhance sense perceptions and logical thinking vital to growing minds. These activities allow students to develop their sense of touch, hearing, and sight using self-correcting materials. Students learn to experience the difference between weights, textures, sounds, sizes and shapes. Our five senses is one of the kindergarten themes studied in greater detail.
Language
Along with Math, Language is a core subject that forms the foundation of a child’s academic growth and is practiced daily. Our program focuses on developing strong language skills in preparation for their elementary years and beyond. Throughout the three year program, students learn the basics of letter recognition, formation and sounds, short and long vowels, phonics, reading, writing, spelling, sight word recognition, rhyming words, opposites, compound words, sentence structure and analysis, and cursive writing. The use of the Montessori materials such as the sandpaper letters, moveable alphabet, alphabet puzzles, metal insets (which prepare the hand for writing), phonetic cards and readers, booklets, puzzle cards, and story comprehension cards all aid in the development of enriched and advanced language skills.
Math/Geometry
Along with Language, Math is the other foundation subject practiced daily. Through exploration the child can work freely with the math materials, practising with a variety of concrete materials that reinforce the learning of abstract concepts. Preschool students begin with Numbers to Ten by learning to recognize the symbols used from 1-10, followed by learning to associate the quantity that corresponds with the symbol, and counting. Teens and Tens Boards introduce new language, takes them beyond 10, and introduces the multiples of 10. The Decimal System introduces numbers from 1-9000, and allows for the exploration of addition, subtraction multiplication and division in later years. The children learn about geometric solids and shapes by using tracers, classification cards, and handling geometric solids. Geometric solids and figures, measurement, patterns, money, and graphing are all studied in detail as part of the kindergarten curriculum.
Botany
The children explore the world of plants through books, picture cards, puzzles (tree, flower and leaf), fruit and vegetable picture cards and name labels.
Zoology
Zoology introduces the child to animals and their needs, characteristics and habitats, through the use of books, miniature animals and name labels, insects and picture cards, vertebrate classification cards, puzzles (horse/fish/turtle/bird/frog/human body) and picture cards. The life cycles of the butterfly and frog are studied in detail (JK/SK).
French
French is offered once a week to the children. Beginners start with basic verbal skills, the alphabet, colours, numbers, seasons, weather, body parts etc. Students develop their vocabulary through games, stories, and songs.
Gym/Skating
Our location in Clatworthy Arena allows for skating once per week from mid-October until the end of March. Parents provide the skates and a CSA approved helmet (preferably with face cage). The children have a one hour gym class in the arena when ice skating ends, from April to June. The children develop their gross-motor skills, balance, coordination, flexibility and team spirit while playing cooperative games, and a variety of sports including basketball, soccer, hockey and ball skills. There is no additional charge for any of these specialty classes.
Visual Arts
Children practice using their fine motor skills by cutting, tracing, colouring and painting on a daily basis. They are encouraged to use their imagination and life experiences to create pictures in their journal.
Circle Time
This is a time for children to develop their listening skills, self-confidence (while talking/sharing), taking turns speaking, and learning. This is a most enjoyable time for children as they share ideas and express their thoughts through stories, poems, songs and finger plays. Calendar concepts including the days of the week, months of the year; and the weather are discussed daily.
Snacks/Lunch
Our meals are catered by The Lunch Lady. A healthy morning snack based on Canada’s Food Guide, is provided to all children daily. The school is a nut free environment. We will do our best to accommodate dietary restrictions due to allergies or religious/cultural/lifestyle beliefs. Be sure to inform the school of any allergies or restrictions your child has both on the enrolment application and verbally to both teachers.
Children who attend full-day are provided with a lunch and afternoon snack. Please send a water bottle to school with your child every day. Drinks from home must be labelled with the child’s name.
Outdoor Play
Two hours of outdoor play daily is a licensing requirement. The Supervisor will decide if the children should go outside to play in cases of inclement weather. Decisions are based on reported temperature readings and Health Canada recommendations. In general, outdoor play is a possibility if the temperature is between -10 and 30 degrees Celsius. We will not go out if it is raining, but may go out if it is snowing, depending on the severity. Parents are required to sign the Outdoor Activity Release Form giving permission for walks and outdoor play in the fenced area next to the school.
Rest periods
An afternoon rest period of up to two hours will be provided for children who require an afternoon nap. Parents are asked to supply a small blanket and pillow for their child if a nap is required. Please take home and launder all bedding at the end of each week.