Welcome to Aquin Kindergarten!
We will strive to provide the best possible curriculum and environment to help your child mature to the fullest extent in all areas. It is our wish to work with you in helping to make this year one of the most rewarding for your child and you!
The Aquin School system offers families the choice of half-day or all-day kindergarten. The half-day program begins at 8:30 a.m. and goes to 11:45 a.m.; all-day dismisses at 3:00 p.m. Core subjects are taught in the morning. In the afternoon, students receive review, supplemental learning and social activities.
Religion
Our Religion program helps your child be aware that he/she is a child of God.
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Learn different forms of prayer and praise
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Study the liturgical calendar
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Participate in Mass and prayer services
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Learn to work and play as a Christian.
Language Arts
Our program is designed to help your child in areas such as speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Included are:
Math
This program covers the following topics using books, chants, manipulatives, and more:
Science
Our program provides experiences aimed at developing a widerange ofcritical thinking processes. Units include:
Music
Kindergarten students receive music instruction once per week from the school’s music teacher. Music is also incorporated into classroom activities daily.
P.E.
Twice a week, the kindergarten students receive instruction from our school’s physical education teacher. Areas include aerobic and manipulative activities, locomotive and gross motor skills, etc.
Art
Your child will have many opportunities to express himself/herself in such media such as crayon, pencil, paint, folding, gluing, etc. Works of art will fill our school and your home!
Library/Computer
The kindergarten class has a scheduled time each week to check out books and use the computer lab. Computers are also available in the classroom.
Discovery
Once a week the students will visit the Discovery Room where they will receive enrichment type instruction. A country or region will be studied each year with discussion and activities included. Students will also publish their own books in Discovery.
Centers
Our kindergarten classroom contains various skill-building centers to reinforce skills, and encourage children to broaden their social skills. These include writing, math, science, listening, computer, and play areas.
Aquin Elementary School is an important choice for your child’s first formal year of school. We believe the differences are noticeable and will set the stage for the next twelve years and beyond. Your child deserves the best!
KINDERGARTEN CURRICULUM
A. Readiness activities for assessment
B. Opening Activities: Prayer, pledge, days of the week, calendar, patterning, months, number chart/counting, weather, poem/sight words, song, Show and Tell
C. Language Arts: Harcourt Trophies reading series
. Phonemic awareness-Awareness of sounds in spoken language
. Explicit, systematic phonics-Letter/sound correspondence and word blending
. Vocabulary-Wide variety of texts (big books, easy readers, audio text, anthologies, poetry),
rhyming, sight words
. Comprehension: Constructing meaning from stories
. D’Nealian handwriting series
. Recognizing and writing letters and numbers, correct line usage
D. Math: Saxon
. Emphasizes manipulatives and mental math; concepts taught in sequenced, small pieces called
“increments”; concepts not taught in chapters, instead introduced and reviewed over time.
. Concepts include:
-Positional words, sorting and classifying
-Patterns – color, shape, size
-Numbers 0-30 (Note: 0-100 is covered separate from the math curriculum)
-Shapes – plane and space
-Measurement – length, height, weight, capacity
-Time – order of events, more/less time, analog and digital time to the hour
-Money – identification and values of penny, nickel, dime, and quarters
E. Religion: Brown ROA/Harcourt Brace
. God’s world
. God our Father
. Jesus and the Holy Family
. Our church family
. Morality and choices
. Sacraments – Baptism and the Eucharist
. Heaven and new life
. Holidays and celebrations
. Scripture stories
F. Science: Science Anytime/Harcourt Brace
. All about me – the body, senses, food pyramid, self-care
. Weather and the seasons
. Splish splash – all about water
. Animals
. Seeds and plants
. Caring for the earth
. *Our science program incorporates mostly hands-on activities, experiments, and discussion,
thus there are not many papers sent home
G. Specials
. Art – Exposure to different mediums and materials (Thursday)
. Music – Daily and once per week with Mrs. Hasenour (Friday)
. P.E. – Twice per week with Mr. Kramer (Monday and Wednesday)
. Library and Computers – Tuesday
. Discovery Room – Once per week with Mrs. Bishop (Wednesday)
. Spanish – Once per week with Miss Lulu (Wednesday)
H. Centers and Free-time
. Math, science, and writing centers
. Listening center
. Big book easel
. Classroom library
. Toy/game area
. Computers
I. Discipline – Discipline With Purpose program (DWP)
. Five skills taught in kindergarten – Listening, following directions, asking questions, sharing, social skills
. Cooperation chart
. Consequences – Verbal and/or nonverbal cue; star moved to DWP skill; written warning
(“W” on cooperation chart/DWP note sent home); demerit
J. “Homework” – Unfinished coloring, writing, etc. (Look for apple stamp if to be returned)
. Special projects (usually involve parent’s assistance)
. Practice basic skills – tying shoes, address, phone number, birthday, letters, sounds, numbers,
prayers, etc.
. Reading books/logs (mandatory); workbook pages (optional)
. Discuss papers and school day
K. Miscellaneous – Two folders (Daily papers/homework folder and weekly folder
. Papers I sent on first day – Questions?
. Communication – E-mail (checked daily before and after school), note with child, call school,
call me at home
. Make and Take session
