JUNIOR KINDERGARTEN AND KINDERGARTEN
Vision Statement
The two-year sequence provides for the academic, social, and developmental
needs of every child. The teachers provide instructional activities
that are appropriate
and challenging for every child as determined by an assessment of his/her
strengths and needs. Instructional implementation utilizes multi-sensory
and multi-modality
educational approaches to instruction.
At
the end of the two-year sequence we must be able to say that we
provided for each child the opportunities
he/she needed to begin the process of actualizing
his/her academic, social, emotional, and spiritual potentials. Crucial
to the entire process is that the child maintains a positive feeling
about him/herself
and about school so that he/she may continue to develop his/her God-given
talents. Junior Kindergarten
The junior kindergarten program involves the whole child in the educational
process. Opportunities for children to develop spiritually, academically,
emotionally, socially, and physically are provided in a personalized manner
to assure that the specific strengths and needs of each student are addressed.
This unique programming is possible because a teacher and a teacher assistant
staff each classroom.
Our junior kindergarten children
grow spiritually through personal prayer and the incorporation
of the teachings of Jesus
into daily classroom
life. Special
feast days are celebrated and projects enhance gospel themes. In the academic
realm, the children are challenged daily with hands-on activities that
provide language arts and mathematical experiences. The children
practice pre-writing
skills, engage in science discovery lessons and multicultural studies.
Building relationships with peers
and adults encourages social and emotional growth. Mutual respect
and trust is encouraged and fostered in the classroom
and on the playground. Physical development is promoted through indoor
and outdoor play and in physical education classes taught by certified
instructors.
Children participate in music, movement and perceptual motor activities.
Every day the children are provided with opportunities to make choices
about self-directed
play allowing for exploration which further enhances and promotes self-esteem, creativity,
and autonomy.
Kindergarten
Kindergarten children are God’s wonders. They bring a natural curiosity,
enthusiasm, and willingness to share that is to be treasured. The day begins
with morning assembly, a vital and integral facet of the Oak Hill kindergarten
program. It is during this time that children share and discuss happenings
in their lives. It is a time for practicing manners, character traits, relationships
and for learning about feelings. It is a time when the seeds of moral, spiritual,
social, and emotional growth are planted and nurtured.
During
the remainder of the day, the kindergarten children are provided
with many developmentally
appropriate growth opportunities. Learning is an integrated
process and although specific times are provided for core subjects, there
is substantial thematic and cross-curricular instruction provided.
Among
the core subjects children experience are religion, language
arts, social studies, mathematics, and science. Oak Hill kindergartners
also participate
in art, music, French, computer, and physical education classes. In addition,
independent learning centers encourage children to explore, manipulate,
design,
create, and problem solve while providing them with individual challenges
that
reinforce and enrich essential learning concepts. |
