CLASSES
Foundation1
Foundation 1 (1 year old)
I am ready to start my school journey.
Every person develops at a different rate. Those who are ready to start school at this age begin to build emotional connections with others. We give them consistent social, emotional, and play-based experiences that help them form a strong foundation that will serve them for the rest of their lives.
We encourage self-expression and also help them learn to deal with limitations placed on them. This helps them develop self-soothing techniques and the ability to work out social problems as they get older. Our primary language of instruction is in English, but we incorporate other language words as needed to ensure safety and to build bridges between the child’s mother tongue and our language of instruction.
Foundation2
Foundation 2(2 years old)
Becoming a Communicator.
Knowing oneself and communicating feelings and thoughts to others emerge at this stage of development. Children have also developed significant fine motor skills to be able to better explore the world around them. We provide exploratory environments while creating a safe space to do so.
We also build on the skills in foundation 1 to foster greater independence and social awareness. While every child develops at a different rate, it is common for children to begin to develop others’ awareness sufficiently to be able to communicate verbally. We encourage communication and seek to develop an awareness of self in order to speak with teachers and friends.
Preschool
PYP 1
At this age, children become more independent both physically and socially. They are more confident in experimentation and begin to take pride in their creations. Their others awareness continues to develop to include recognizing others’ feelings. Most students will be able to take responsibility for their own belongings and help each other in the classroom.
As the first step into PYP, we begin to introduce the principles of IB expressed in the learner profile. Learning is achieved through play, guided centers, songs, and stories. We encourage children in their natural roles as inquirers and help them take ownership of their learning. While academic learning is important, social development at this age affects how children will interact with others for the rest of their lives. In this class we strive to help students learn how to develop healthy relationships with others. We focus on learning respect, responsibility, and conflict resolution.
Pre-K
PYP 2
During this stage of development students begin to be able to focus for longer periods of time, they are able to follow more challenging instructions. Social and emotional development continues to be a focus as students test boundaries and continue expanding in their others’ awareness. We place a strong emphasis on being responsible for oneself in an effort to gain problem solving skills and develop meta-cognition. Students also continue to develop as inquirers.
We encourage students to ask questions to build as many connections to the world around them in order to understand it better. Play is purposeful and planned around concepts that are foundational for literacy, mathematics, critical thinking,problem solving, and a host of other skills.
Kindergarten
PYP 3
Expanding our Learning!
Kindergarten builds on Preschool and Pre-K, with an emphasis on socio-emotional development as well as skills that build a strong foundation for future learning. Students explore literacy, math, science, social studies, and art through the transdisciplinary units of the PYP. The units develop according to student interest with the teachers allowing more autonomy and student choice. There are plenty of opportunities for students to excel and develop academic skills, particularly in reading and math. These skills are built through hands-on and fun learning engagements. Expectations for Kindergarteners are high and those that are ready are encouraged to build on their skills beyond the requirements of our curriculum standards.
