PRE-KINDERGARTEN CURRICULUM

Our Bridge program has three important components. This curriculum provides students an in-depth learning experience.

The first is Saxton Phonics Language and Reading Readiness curriculum.

Students will gain and retain essentials in:

• Fluency in oral language
• Phonological awareness
• Handwriting skills
• Letter knowledge
• Spelling

Our second component focuses on Math, Science and Spanish.

Our Saxon Math curriculum introduces number concepts consistent with how young children learn and build fluency with math skills and understanding.

• All new concepts are practiced through hands-on activities and rich mathematical conversations that actively engage students in the learning process.
• Concepts are developed, reviewed, and practiced over time:
  
  Understanding follows doing and discussing.
  Mastery follows learning over time.
  Fluency follows practicing over time

Our Science and Spanish Time are teacher developed and directed.

Studies have shown -- and experience has supported -- that children who learn a language before the onset of adolescence are much more likely to have native-like pronunciation. In addition to developing a lifelong ability to communicate with more people, children may derive other benefits from early language instruction, including improved overall school performance and superior problem-solving skills.        

Furthermore, students will also enjoy a weekly library and computer time.

The third curriculum component is school readiness and social development.

This portion of the curriculum focuses on the critical steps in your child's journey towards Kindergarten readiness. The combination of these curricula ensures your child will cover all necessary readiness standards to successfully and confidently enter kindergarten the following fall.

THEMES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR 

Throughout each unit, our goal is to make the theme come alive for your child, so that he/she is always completely engaged in the day. Our unique themes include:

• Family, friendship and feelings  - focuses on social-emotional intelligence   and learning.
• Traditions & Celebrations - takes place during the winter holidays to teach children to appreciate diversity and other cultures
• Making a Difference – Three events that provide a week of activities emphasizing involvement in our community.  These unites culminate in the children to doing some kind of community involvement project.
• Space Exploration – Where children will learn about the solar system and the plants.

Hands-on science units – Some of our fascinating units include watching our caterpillars turn into butterflies,  studying the life cycle of a frog, and learning about nocturnal animals (including a visit from the “Bat Lady”).

ASSESSMENTS AND LESSON PLANNING

The Learning Objectives are introduced and repeated throughout the curriculum.  These goals are also outlined and discussed with parents at our semi-annual parent-teacher conferences.

Teachers track student’s developmental progress towards the Objectives in two ways:

• They perform ongoing assessments by observing your child within the daily   activities and taking notes on his progress. These assessments are not the traditional 'tests' or one-on-one assessments that an elementary school child might experience. We believe it is more accurate and feasible to observe early preschoolers' behavior and skills within a typical daily activitY and context.
• They regularly monitor each child's journal entries and the work stored during the entire school year in his portfolio.

Teachers use the assessment results to help build their monthly lesson plans.

IMPORTANT FEATURES

Raising a Reader

Our Bridge Program has a strong focus on emergent literacy, and the curriculum is paired with over 200 age-appropriate books throughout the year. Each book has been hand-selected by the Teacher based on the illustrations, the vocabulary that is introduced, and its focus on the current theme plus its unique ability to engage the children. In addition, our literature selections emphasize diversity among ethnicities, geographies, cultures and holidays.

Sight Words

Sight Words such as - it, a, the, he, she, etc. - are the most frequently used words in the English language.  In each unit, teachers introduce 2-3 new Sight Words, so by the end of year, your child will have reviewed nearly 50 words. Recognizing the Sight Words will help your Bridge student’s confidence as she/he learns to read in Kindergarten. Sight Words also make up many other words, so recognizing them will prepare students to read larger words.

Journals

Our Students write in their personal journal every day. Through journaling, your child is working on important learning objectives, such as printing the letters, drawing pictures with 5 to 6 varying details, suggesting ideas for creative interpretation, and dictating writing to express thoughts.

The teacher will spend time going through your child's journal with you during our semi-annual parent-teacher conferences. At the end of the year, we hope you will take your child's completed journals home as a keepsake.

Community Kids

An important and unique feature of our curriculum is Community Kids component. Community Kids has helped children of all ages learn about important topics such as volunteerism, good works in the community, tolerance, honesty, teamwork and self-discipline. Throughout the year different components are featured, and your child will connect to the components through various group and community outreach activities.

Partnering with Trinity Terrace

Children visit Trinity Terrace Retirement Community several times during the year.  They show off their Halloween costumes, deliver Valentines and stop in to listen to the senior adults read books to them.  It provides wonderful intergenerational interaction!