Kindergarten
There are different options available for children entering Kindergarten.
Our one full-day Kindergarten class follows the all day bell schedule as described earlier in the “Daily Schedule”. The half-day Kindergarten morning program runs from 9:05–11:45 and the half-day Kindergarten afternoon program runs from 12:40-3:20. If your child attends half-day Kindergarten only, then your child does not eat lunch at school.
A private non-profit organization, LASER, sponsors two sessions of a tuition based enrichment program for Kindergartners – one in the morning and one in the afternoon. This option allows a child to attend school all day. Students who attend half-day Kindergarten in the morning go to LASER in the afternoon. Students who attend LASER in the morning attend half-day Kindergarten in the afternoon. School and LASER staff supervise the lunch/recess hour between half-day Kindergarten and LASER. The maximum number of students in each LASER class is 18. LASER is housed in portables on the north playground.
Space is limited. Please refer to the LASER Registation Form for more information.
Like grades 1–5, the Kindergarten curriculum is based on the Standards Based Learning System. The standards focus not only on basic skills but stretch kid’s critical thinking and problem solving abilities.
Each day consists of Writing, Reading, Math and variations on Science or projects that are a more in-depth extension of one of the above. There are also Centers, which are based on the skills required in Kindergarten. The Home Center (social skills), Blocks (spatial development), Math (sorting, patterns, counting, etc.), Listening to books on tape, Reading (reading skills), Writing (kids make books), Games/Puzzles, Art (creation station), Computers, and Puppets (creativity). Each Kindergarten class goes at least once per week to Library, Computer Lab and PE.
Many prospective parents want to know if there is a difference in the curriculum between full-day Kindergarten and half-day Kindergarten/half-day LASER. The curriculum is the same but some activities are different (for example play writing versus journal writing). The chart below outlines the daily/weekly curriculum in Kindergarten full-day versus half-day Kindergarten/half-day LASER.
|
Activity
|
Full-day
Kindergarten |
Half-day
Kindergarten |
Half-day
LASER |
|
District Reading Program |
Yes
|
Yes
|
No
|
|
Quiet Reading
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Listening to a Story
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Writing
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Math
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Science
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Group Calendar
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
No
|
|
Music
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
No
|
|
Library, PE, & Computer |
Yes
|
Yes
|
No
|
|
Centers
|
Yes
|
No
|
Yes
|
|
Sharing Time
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|