Our Curriculum
The Preschool Curriculum
The Community Preschool curriculum is a discovery-based learning experience that gives each individual child the opportunity to move through specially designed learning centers of his or her own level of interest and ability. The curriculum focuses on learning basic concepts and skills through hands-on experiences and activities. Some centers are designed to develop large and small motor skills while others are more academically oriented. Each class follows a theme-based week, letter and color of the week, and begins each morning with “circle time” that includes introduction of the day, date, month, weather, daily job assignments, story time and music. Each classroom includes the following centers:
The Community Preschool curriculum is a discovery-based learning experience that gives each individual child the opportunity to move through specially designed learning centers of his or her own level of interest and ability. The curriculum focuses on learning basic concepts and skills through hands-on experiences and activities. Some centers are designed to develop large and small motor skills while others are more academically oriented. Each class follows a theme-based week, letter and color of the week, and begins each morning with “circle time” that includes introduction of the day, date, month, weather, daily job assignments, story time and music. Each classroom includes the following centers:
In addition, children play outdoors and work in the garden nearly every day. Library is offered once per week in the on-site library. Formal Art instruction, Music and Creative Movement are all offered to all students once per week at no additional charge.
The Goals of the Preschool Curriculum
The Kindergarten Curriculum
Harcourt Social Studies, Science Fusion, Journeys Common Core Reading, Houghton Mifflin Math and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Handwriting make up the base of the kindergarten curriculum. Our kindergarteners also receive weekly enrichment classes in Music, Art, Creative Movement and Beginning Spanish.
Harcourt Social Studies curriculum includes interactive atlases, maps, music, biographies, history, online enrichment activities and more to creative a well-rounded, multicultural curriculum of choice.
Science Fusion is a state-of-the-art science program designed for building inquiry, STEM, an optimized learning utilizing both traditional textbooks and a digital curriculum. The virtual labs and hands-on activities, and the write-in textbook develops important critical thinking skills that prepare students for success.
With leading-edge digital tools and results driven instruction, Journeys Common Core is a reading program with rigorous Common Core instructional design. The unique close reading routine builds better readers while also providing intervention for struggling students. Easy organization, proven instruction and exceptional differentiation set Journeys apart as the Common Core reading curriculum of choice for educators across the nation.
Houghton Mifflin Math is an elementary-level mathematics curriculum geared towards every level of learning with focused lessons, rich problem solving, and real-world connections, providing unmatched resources for a new generation of math learners.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Handwriting uses academic language, rich cross-curricular content and frequent multicultural references to provide in-depth instruction in handwriting, a foundational literacy skill. This curriculum promotes early reading and writing with practices in letter formation, numerals and punctuation.
Goals of the Kindergarten Curriculum
Basic Program Goals
In its purest form, kindergarten instruction should be designed to develop a child's self-esteem, teach cooperation and inspire curiosity. According to Scholastic, an ideal kindergarten classroom should expand a child's ability to learn through problem solving activities. It should include both teacher initiated and student initiated activities so the child feels as if she is a stakeholder in her own learning. Large group sitting and listening activities should be minimal so that children are engaged through play-based and hands-on instructional activities. One of the most important hallmarks of an ideal kindergarten program is that it generates a love of books, and literacy in general. Once these goals are established, the Common Core can be addressed.
Program Goals in Reading
The Common Core State Standards Initiative separates reading goals into three categories: foundational skills, informational text and literature. Foundational skill goals include basic concepts of print, such as reading from left to right and turning the page, and basic phonological awareness skills including an understanding of sound symbol correspondence and the ability to use this knowledge to decode basic unknown words.
Informational and Literature text skills expected of kindergartners include the ability to answer questions about both fiction and nonfiction texts, describe relationships between illustrations and the words they represent, and actively engage in group reading activities.
Program Goals in Mathematics
Common Core math standards are divided into five categories. They are counting and cardinality, operations and algebraic thinking, base 10 number operations, measurement and geometry. Under the counting standard, students are expected to count to 100 by ones and tens and begin to understand the relationship between greater than, less than or equal to. In the algebraic thinking strand, students must demonstrate the ability to add and subtract within 10. The base 10 standard asks students to represent numbers from 11 to 19 into groups of 10 and ones. In the measurement standard, students must be able to tell whether an object is taller/shorter, heavier/lighter, etc. In geometry, kindergarten students need to understand the meaning of above, below, beside, in front of, behind and next to. They must also correctly name shapes.
Program Goals in Speaking and Language
The Common Core expectations in Speaking and Listening include participating in conversations and describing familiar people, places or events. In the Language strand, students must use upper- and lower-case letters, understand question words, spell simple words and determine the meaning of grade appropriate words.
The Goals of the Preschool Curriculum
- To provide a positive sense of identity and emotional well-being
- To develop age-appropriate social, physical, language and literacy skills
- To encourage thinking, reasoning, questioning and experimentation
- To provide exposure to the arts and encourage creative expression
- To demonstrate proper health, safety and nutritional practices
- To respect gender, age and cultural diversity
- Through our program, each child is given the tools needed to encourage the growth of the whole child
The Kindergarten Curriculum
Harcourt Social Studies, Science Fusion, Journeys Common Core Reading, Houghton Mifflin Math and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Handwriting make up the base of the kindergarten curriculum. Our kindergarteners also receive weekly enrichment classes in Music, Art, Creative Movement and Beginning Spanish.
Harcourt Social Studies curriculum includes interactive atlases, maps, music, biographies, history, online enrichment activities and more to creative a well-rounded, multicultural curriculum of choice.
Science Fusion is a state-of-the-art science program designed for building inquiry, STEM, an optimized learning utilizing both traditional textbooks and a digital curriculum. The virtual labs and hands-on activities, and the write-in textbook develops important critical thinking skills that prepare students for success.
With leading-edge digital tools and results driven instruction, Journeys Common Core is a reading program with rigorous Common Core instructional design. The unique close reading routine builds better readers while also providing intervention for struggling students. Easy organization, proven instruction and exceptional differentiation set Journeys apart as the Common Core reading curriculum of choice for educators across the nation.
Houghton Mifflin Math is an elementary-level mathematics curriculum geared towards every level of learning with focused lessons, rich problem solving, and real-world connections, providing unmatched resources for a new generation of math learners.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Handwriting uses academic language, rich cross-curricular content and frequent multicultural references to provide in-depth instruction in handwriting, a foundational literacy skill. This curriculum promotes early reading and writing with practices in letter formation, numerals and punctuation.
Goals of the Kindergarten Curriculum
Basic Program Goals
In its purest form, kindergarten instruction should be designed to develop a child's self-esteem, teach cooperation and inspire curiosity. According to Scholastic, an ideal kindergarten classroom should expand a child's ability to learn through problem solving activities. It should include both teacher initiated and student initiated activities so the child feels as if she is a stakeholder in her own learning. Large group sitting and listening activities should be minimal so that children are engaged through play-based and hands-on instructional activities. One of the most important hallmarks of an ideal kindergarten program is that it generates a love of books, and literacy in general. Once these goals are established, the Common Core can be addressed.
Program Goals in Reading
The Common Core State Standards Initiative separates reading goals into three categories: foundational skills, informational text and literature. Foundational skill goals include basic concepts of print, such as reading from left to right and turning the page, and basic phonological awareness skills including an understanding of sound symbol correspondence and the ability to use this knowledge to decode basic unknown words.
Informational and Literature text skills expected of kindergartners include the ability to answer questions about both fiction and nonfiction texts, describe relationships between illustrations and the words they represent, and actively engage in group reading activities.
Program Goals in Mathematics
Common Core math standards are divided into five categories. They are counting and cardinality, operations and algebraic thinking, base 10 number operations, measurement and geometry. Under the counting standard, students are expected to count to 100 by ones and tens and begin to understand the relationship between greater than, less than or equal to. In the algebraic thinking strand, students must demonstrate the ability to add and subtract within 10. The base 10 standard asks students to represent numbers from 11 to 19 into groups of 10 and ones. In the measurement standard, students must be able to tell whether an object is taller/shorter, heavier/lighter, etc. In geometry, kindergarten students need to understand the meaning of above, below, beside, in front of, behind and next to. They must also correctly name shapes.
Program Goals in Speaking and Language
The Common Core expectations in Speaking and Listening include participating in conversations and describing familiar people, places or events. In the Language strand, students must use upper- and lower-case letters, understand question words, spell simple words and determine the meaning of grade appropriate words.