2018-19 Senior Kindergarten Curriculum Guide

Lake Forest Country Day School

SENIOR KINDERGARTEN Curriculum Early Childhood Center

LAKE FOREST COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL A co-educational independent school for students age 2 through Grade 8, graduating students of strong character with a passion for learning since 1888.

Early ChildHood Center Curriculum (1st STEP–Senior Kindergarten)

Overview The Early Childhood Center (ECC) at Lake Forest Country Day School (LFCDS) is designed to be a safe “home away from home”—a warm and welcoming community where young students play, learn, and enjoy developmentally appropriate experiences under the guidance of nurturing and talented faculty. Emphasis is placed on a smooth transition from home to school and from one year to the next, so that each child's school experience is positive, enjoyable, and rewarding.

Students are engaged in rich and varied activities designed to provide the foundation for academic and social success. There is a healthy balance between whole group, small group and individual work, academic enrichment and play, and teacher-directed and self-guided pursuits. Teachers differentiate instruction to meet individual student needs and craft integrated units of study that capture the imaginations of their students and allow them to make connections across disciplines.

Our comprehensive early childhood program educates the whole child. Small class sizes and two teachers in each classroom enable faculty members to create close, meaningful relationships with each student. World language, music, physical education, and library and information technology experts support and enrich

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children’s learning experiences, opening doors for students to discover new ways of making sense of our world.

Each class has access to a state-of-the-art playground with opportunities for daily exercise and the development of large motor skills. Raised beds for gardening help students connect with the earth and food sources.

A prairie plot, the School’s forest, and a wetlands area on our twenty-nine acre campus provide sensory experiences and resources for developing an appreciation for the natural world in our students.

Each child is respected, supported, and challenged, and knowing the families of our students is as important as knowing their children. In order to develop and maintain the all-important parent-school partnership, daily communication at drop off or pick up, newsletters or blogs, and pictures of students provide each family with a window into their child’s experience.

TEaching Philosophy Knowing the students we teach—individually, culturally, and developmentally—is of utmost importance to us. We also believe in the importance of getting to know their families. We value the input of parents as the child’s first teachers, beginning with intake conferences prior to the start of school when parents share their knowledge of and hopes and dreams for their child.

Two important beliefs are at the heart of our teaching philosophy: first, the social curriculum is inextricably linked with the academic curriculum; and second, how students learn is as important as what students learn. Early Childhood Center faculty share a commitment to the following teaching and learning practices:

DOMAINS OF GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT Teachers focus on the whole child at a critical time of development in five domains: physical, social and emotional, cognitive, language, and creative.

DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE PRACTICES Young children require environments, schedules, and curriculum that is appropriate for their level of maturity and their developmental stage.

THE POWER OF PLAY Teachers encourage child-directed, unstructured play as opportunities to learn important skills critical to future social and academic success.

RESPONSIVE CLASSROOM® Responsive Classroom® techniques foster a welcoming, accepting, safe, and nurturing environment for learning.

Domains of Growth and Development Children generally go through predictable stages in the same order, but they will not all go through them at the same rate. For example, a child

HABITS OF MIND Teachers promote ways of thinking and behaving that develop self-discipline and strong character.

DIFFERENTIATION Teachers focus on each individual student’s learning style and make adjustments as needed to provide support or additional challenge.

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING Students enjoy opportunities to engage in handson activities and role-play experiences that help them understand abstract ideas.

UNIFYING CONCEPTS Ideas are introduced in the context of central unifying concepts or themes to help students recognize and make connections from what they are learning in different disciplines.

who matures quickly in cognitive areas may mature more slowly in physical and social domains. These developmental concepts guide the decisions we make in our Early Childhood classrooms at Lake Forest Country Day School to ensure that each child’s individual needs are being met. We focus on all areas of growth because each

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domain plays a crucial role in learning outcomes and in providing balance in a child’s life. The whole child comes to school; therefore, decisions about physical activity and the development of social and emotional skills are as important as curriculum choices and assessments.

Social and Emotional Development §§ Emotional development encompasses the child's increasing awareness and control of their feelings and how they react to them in a given situation. Children develop selfawareness, self-confidence, and the ability to cope with and understand feelings. §§ Social development encompasses the child's identity, relationships with others, and an understanding of their place within a social environment. The social aspect of school is how children form attachments, play with others, cooperate, share, and create lasting relationships. §§ Students at LFCDS engage in meaningful play every day. While playing, students have the opportunity to navigate social situations and learn appropriate ways to respond to and interact with their peers.

Language Development §§ Language acquisition during the early years is important for the development of children’s cognitive skills, including the foundation for reading and writing, and social and emotional maturity. §§ At LFCDS, children have the opportunity to share their thoughts and ideas during Morning Meeting. §§ Vocabulary development is fostered throughout our rich literacy, social studies, and science curricula through exposure to interesting words in stories and informational texts we read. §§ Through guided play and free exploration a childs's language development is strengthened.

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§§ Through imaginary play, children practice using acquired vocabulary, clarify new words and concepts, employ motivating language, develop metalinguistic awareness, and practice formulating and expressing thoughts.

Physical Development §§ Physical development includes mastering movement, balance, fine motor, and gross motor skills. §§ During early childhood, a child’s balance improves. Children work on their balance as they learn new yoga poses in ECC classrooms. §§ Children work on their gross motor skills outside as they navigate the playground structures, ride bicycles and scooters, and learn to pump on the swings. §§ During play time, children build with blocks, complete puzzles, use scissors and writing tools, and create with various art mediums. These activities develop hand-eye coordination and strengthen fine motor skills.

Cognitive Development §§ Cognitive development includes skills pertaining to learning and thinking. §§ Teachers at LFCDS create learning activities that challenge students in a way that fosters growth while also nurturing a love of learning. §§ Because imaginative play enhances executive functioning and academic learning, it is considered an important aspect of each child’s experience in our ECC. Through free exploration, children use their imaginations and become creative, critical thinkers, problem solvers, and responsible risk takers.

Creative Development §§ Exploring art materials and engaging in dramatic play help students discover new ways to express themselves. Music and movement activities stimulate the brain, increasing pattern recognition, improving coordination, and enhancing language skills.

Developmentally Appropriate Practices When schools create learning environments that honor and support the natural development of young learners, they are also creating a foundation for skills and behaviors that will support students in their education for years to come.

As early childhood educators, we know that children go through common, definable steps in their growth and development. As trained experts, we also know that these stages occur at different rates in the development of each individual. Our challenge is to create an atmosphere where balance is achieved in the education of each child. Whether it is how the day is structured, how the classroom is arranged, or what size the playground equipment is, every consideration is given to creating a learning environment that is developmentally appropriate for all children with respect to their emerging capabilities.

The teachers in the Early Childhood Center at Lake Forest Country Day School are adept at developing relationships with each child and their families to honor and respect each child’s stage on the developmental continuum. For many of our students, this is their first school experience, and their natural inclination to seek independence is often countered by a longing for the predictable environment of home. To support this stage of child development, the teachers have created a transition period at the beginning of the school year so children can enter school both physically and emotionally ready to learn. This transition time is just one example of how the learning environment at LFCDS is inspired by best practices.

Young children also seek structure and predictable environments. When they feel physically and emotionally safe, children are free to explore and take safe risks. Developing meaningful relationships with each child and creating a predictable schedule are key factors in laying the foundation for success.

When you visit the classrooms in the ECC, take note of the physical space and how the classrooms have been designed to engage young children. Is there natural light? Are there tools and supplies available to encourage exploration? Does the room reflect the work of children? What does the room sound like? Is there independent work and group work available? Are there opportunities for play?

We feel confident that you will come away from your visit wishing that you could go back to school yourself and be a part of this joyful learning environment. We hope that you will also leave with the knowledge that every part of the experience we offer young children is designed intentionally, to acknowledge the variety of developmental needs of young children.

The Power of Play Play is a powerful gift in a child’s world and is essential in fostering the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of children.

Play challenges the complex mind in immeasurable ways and nourishes the human spirit. When children engage in childdirected, unstructured play in the Early Childhood classroom, there are endless opportunities for learning.

In fact, a growing body of research continues to support the unequivocal benefits of exploratory and imaginative play in the early years of school. These benefits include increased capacities for creativity, self-regulation, social awareness, emotional resilience, collaboration, and problem solving. Moreover, these advantages play an important role in the Early Childhood classroom’s academic environment. With this understanding, the Early Childhood educators at Lake Forest Country Day School strive to create a learning environment where imaginary play is a key element in the early foundations of language development, literacy skills, mathematics, science exploration, and social sciences.

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THE LFCDS EARLY CHILDHOOD “NEIGHBORHOOD” Our Early Childhood programs are housed in two wings of the School. The preschool is located with 1st STEP in a quiet wing with a separate entrance, which allows our youngest students to experience a peaceful transition from home to school. Bright murals that echo images by Eric Carle, a popular picture book author, decorate the welcoming hallway that leads into large, sunny classrooms.

The James L. Marks Early Childhood Center, where junior and senior kindergarten classrooms are located, was designed specifically for young children. Distinctive architectural features make the exteriors of the classrooms look like residential homes.

The four classroom “houses” are grouped around an “indoor park” with support beams resembling trees. These physical details reinforce the concept of the classroom as a “home away from home.” Similarly, the school community is, symbolically, a neighborhood comprised of friendly families who interact with one another as they support their children’s growth and development.

As children transition into the Lower School, the “house” concept becomes more abstract, but the sense of community prevails. All students in grades one through eight are grouped into four “houses” within the School. Siblings are assigned to different "families" within each house with representation from each grade level. Eighth-grade students take a leadership role under the guidance of faculty and staff house elders.

The houses are named for significant leaders in the School’s history (Bell, Mason, and Farwell) and a founder of the first private day school in America (Alcott). At various times throughout the year, house families get together for activities that build multi-age friendships and foster school spirit.

Creative potential is strongly correlated with lifetime achievement. At the root of creativity is an individual’s ability to engage in the discovery of the unknown, take on divergent perspectives, and to explore the wonders of one’s surroundings. In early childhood, free play is associated with creativity. Preschoolers who spend more time in role play have higher measures of creativity and are more likely to be able to see a situation from someone else’s point of view.

Children are working hard to develop self-regulation skills throughout the early childhood years. Play provides young children with meaningful, self-directed opportunities to engage with their environment and learn the best ways to interpret what they experience, make sense of their emotions, manage impulsivity, and respond in socially appropriate ways to their surroundings. Furthermore, “the ability of young children to control their emotional and cognitive impulses is a remarkably strong indicator of both

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short-term and long-term success, academic and otherwise. In some studies, self-regulation skills have been shown to predict academic achievement more reliably than IQ tests.” (Paul Tough, “Can the Right Kinds of Play Teach SelfControl?” New York Times, September 25, 2009.)

In addition, play is central to nurturing and developing emotional resilience in children. The challenging scenarios created through play test a child’s ability to solve problems independently, recognize when to ask for support, compromise, confront adversity, and endure frustration and disappointment.

“If we fail to learn in childhood how to handle the full catastrophe of a rich life, we grow up emotionally ill-prepared.

Learning to build these inner resources for a happier life demands that we endure the hard knocks of the playground— boot camp for the inevitable upsets of everyday relationships. Given how the brain masters social resilience, children need to rehearse for the ups and downs of social life, not experience a steady monotone of delight.” (Daniel Goldeman, Social Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships. Bantam, 2007.)

Without these opportunities to work through frustrations, children wouldn’t learn the value of persistence and subsequently the joy of accomplishment and newly found confidence.

It’s hard to argue the incredibly close connection of child’s play and success in school. Play is the mode in which young children learn to master the various skills which are crucial to tackling their future academic and interpersonal challenges. A healthy balance of childdirected imaginary play and meaningful educational opportunities are fundamental to developing children of strong character with a passion for learning.

Responsive Classroom® The Early Childhood Center utilizes Responsive Classroom® techniques to create a welcoming, accepting, safe, and nurturing environment.

FORESTS, FLIGHTS, AND FAIRY TALES Peek into our Early Childhood classrooms and you will find two highly qualified teachers spending time with students one on one, in small groups, and in large group settings. Lessons are purposefully designed to meet children’s needs through multiple experiences. In a preschool classroom at LFCDS, you might find children discovering new knowledge about trees and leaves while sifting through bark, leaves, and seed pods at the sensory table as they gain an understanding of our relationship to the earth. In junior kindergarten, fouryear-old students board a “flight” to South America where they experience an integrated study of the continent and hear and play music unique to this area of the world. Peek through the windows of a senior kindergarten classroom and you may see five-year-old students applying their knowledge of fairy tale elements to write a collaborative traditional story. From nature exploration to imaginative field trips to folklore studies, LFCDS students benefit from fun, hands-on experiences that pique their curiosity, introduce academic skills, and develop a passion for learning.

In classrooms where caring communities are created and where children are valued for who they are as learners, students are prepared to face academic challenges. Activities are intentionally designed to expand their thinking and help them develop confidence in what they can accomplish. As students grow, they enjoy more in-depth learning, participate willingly in discussions, and ask questions while they make connections. By kindergarten, students are in a five-day, full-week program that allows them the time to stretch their learning and use their prior knowledge to strengthen their skills.

Children must have multiple opportunities to learn and practice in order to be successful academically and socially. Since the greatest cognitive growth occurs through social interaction, various social settings (e.g., one-to-one conferences, small groups, whole class, and team experiences) provide opportunities for learning cooperation, assertion, responsibility, empathy, and self-control.

Every Early Childhood Center classroom begins the day with a Morning Meeting. Children are introduced to greeting one another in our 1st STEP program at the age of two. Children are encouraged to sit together in a circle while they are guided to say their names with different greetings throughout the school year.

This lays the foundation for children to acknowledge other children who are present and to learn the names of their friends and teachers. 1st STEP’s goals are for children to become comfortable and proud to say their names in front of others, to greet their classmates with

a smile, and to manage their impulsivity while they wait their turn.

In preschool, children continue to learn the polite skills involved in greeting one another, and the Morning Message is introduced. Children are taught to greet their classmates by looking each other in the eye and smiling to let others know they are accepted and liked.

Once children are comfortable with the routine, the greeting is enriched with a sharing and learning time, an opportunity for each child to explain items they have brought to school and to explore numbers and letters. Every week, the Morning Message changes to reflect the weekly theme. Children develop confidence in their early reading skills as they identify words that are regularly present in the message and tackle learning new ones.

In junior kindergarten, children build on the skills they have learned for greeting one another and reading the Morning Message. Greeting is now a time to not only make their classmates feel welcomed, but a time to connect to their learning. After saying their name, a child is often asked to add information about an animal being studied, identify letters in a word, express sounds connected to letters, count with one-to-one correspondence, or identify numbers. The sharing time is used to intentionally

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teach communication skills and to get to know one another better. On their scheduled day, the children who share are taught to stand confidently in front of their classmates and explain what they brought to school and why it is important to them. They learn to make eye contact and speak clearly. Their classmates learn to manage their impulsivity while thinking of questions to ask the child who is sharing. The child accepts questions, and the answers provide further information to which classmates can connect.

In senior kindergarten, children are ready to apply the skills they have practiced to all parts of Morning Meeting. the morning message becomes an interactive board for teaching literacy and mathematics skills, as well as practicing public speaking. The message changes daily, and students are assigned to read and complete the message. The message occasionally ends with a question that each child is encouraged to read and answer. During sharing time students are taught to be concise by stating a main idea and two details before asking for three questions or comments. This activity supports building self-confidence. As the year progresses, children become increasingly comfortable sharing about themselves and their knowledge.

which have the potential to turn a life around.”

—Leo Buscaglia

§§ A junior kindergarten student persists as she practices crossing the monkey bars independently.

“Persistence is the twin sister of excellence. One is a matter of quality; the other, a matter of time.”

—Marabel Morgan, The Electric Woman

§§ A senior kindergarten student uses his metacognition during a mathematics lesson as he shares two ways he approached solving a problem. Learning to think about one’s thinking and to consider different options and perspectives is a powerful skill.

“When the mind is thinking it is talking to itself.”

—Plato

§§ Early childhood students respond with wonder and awe as they use their senses to experience their environment and gather data. They role play the story that was read to them; discover what colors are created as they mix paints; note the patterns that are involved in the rhythms played on their xylophones; experiment with the sounds of new words spoken in Spanish or Mandarin; and dig in the garden to plant seeds.

“Observe perpetually.”

Habits of Mind Habits of Mind are behaviors or dispositions that we believe provide a strong foundation for success in school and in life. Across the curricular areas, faculty members discuss their application and provide regular opportunities for students to apply them. For example:

§§ All early childhood students learn to listen with empathy and understanding as they participate in Morning Meetings and hear classmates share ideas and stories. Becoming an active listener is one of the most important life skills taught in these early years.

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of

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—Henry James

“The most beautiful experience in the world is the experience of the mysterious.” —Albert Einstein

§§ A preschool child is encouraged to manage her impulsivity, a skill that early childhood children practice daily when listening to a mini lesson on the rug or waiting for a turn to participate. Teachers model this concept and discuss the value of patience throughout the school day. “…goal directed self-imposed delay of gratification is perhaps the essence of emotional self-regulation: the ability to deny impulse in the service of a goal, whether it be building a business, solving an algebraic equation, or pursuing the Stanley cup.”

—Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intelligence

Differentiation

Experiential Learning

Differentiation is the process of matching instruction to students and their varied interests and needs. Each

Children learn best through hands-on experiences that enable them to observe and manipulate objects and materials using their senses. Our commitment to

child is unique, and each child learns differently. At LFCDS, teachers differentiate instruction based on an understanding of where each child is on the learning continuum as determined by observation and both formative and summative assessments. Our small class sizes allow us to know our students well. We take into account the “whole child” and consider the personal experiences, interests, and learning styles of each student in order to guide him or her toward success. Wholegroup, small-group, and individualized experiences occur throughout each child’s week.

When developing curriculum, faculty create engaging activities meant to acknowledge the differences in children’s developmental levels – to challenge and support them as they develop socially, emotionally, cognitively, physically, and creatively. Teachers are experts at recognizing which skills each child is ready to work on and providing individualized opportunities for practice. For example, in preschool, the teacher may ask a child who is ready to learn letter sounds to help read the Morning Message, while she may encourage a child who is strengthening fine motor skills to manipulate play dough or use an eye dropper to fill a small container at the water table. In junior kindergarten, a teacher may prompt students who are eager writers to add words and sentences to their projects. In senior kindergarten, a group of students may participate in guided reading while others solidify their understanding of letter– sound correspondence through games. Our teachers have high expectations that all students will make excellent progress and attain appropriate benchmarks— at their own pace and in their own ways—with specific feedback and warm encouragement from both teachers and parents.

experiential learning is supported by recent neuroscience and brain research which emphasizes that children learn best through authentic experiences. At LFCDS, interactions with the natural world are promoted through the use of our native prairie, wetland, and forest environments where children can interact with phenomena being studied. Emphasis is on taking care of the natural world to become stewards of the earth.

Creative expression through art, music, and dramatic play engage students in active roles, thereby enhancing their understanding of concepts and strengthening the likelihood that they will internalize the experience.

Experiences in the ECC capitalize on the natural curiosity three-, four-, and five-year-old students have about the world around them and their fascination with a rich and ever-changing environment.

The preschool class hikes in the forest to study trees and leaves. Children become tree experts and take part in a ceremony in which they receive a “Tree Expert Necklace.”

They plant bulbs and seeds that provide beauty on the playground and pumpkins for the next year’s class of children. Observing red wigglers in the composting bin, collecting rain water, and taking care of the earth in a variety of ways connects them to nature.

Junior kindergarten children study the animals of North America, the polar regions, and South America.

Whenever possible, they observe and care for creatures, such as slugs, whose movements, eating habits, and egglaying are closely watched. Junior kindergarten students take part in a simulated flight to South America, complete with parent volunteers who check each child’s passport and luggage and serve as limo drivers, flight attendants, and pilots during this exciting experience.

Senior kindergarten students learn about the systems of the human body and create a planetarium during science studies. An exciting medieval feast occurs during a unit on castles and medieval life. Children enjoy role playing, making a coat of arms, painting portraits of themselves as royalty, and learning a courtly

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dance. They dress in period costumes, sing, entertain one another, and eat as royals and peasants/serfs. They also cooperatively write and illustrate their own fairy tale. It’s a magical experience!

Unifying Concepts Unifying concepts provide a structure for organizing and making meaning of the knowledge and information that students learn throughout the school day. Research supports this notion: facts and ideas become meaningful for children when they are linked to central themes or concepts. Students make connections within and across disciplines and topics and, as a result, comprehend their learning experiences more deeply. Knowing how students learn best, we developed preschool through eighth-grade social studies and science curricula around unifying concepts that build upon and connect to each other.

In preschool, the concept of relationships (i.e., peer to peer, peer to adult, in-school community, and people to the environment) is thoughtfully woven into the curriculum. Through daily play, earth awareness activities, and multisensory discoveries, these young children are beginning to understand the important difference their small contributions make in the big world around them.

As children progress into junior kindergarten, relationships with others, the school community, and the earth is enriched by the concept of exploration.

The rich curriculum consists of flora, fauna, and global interdisciplinary units of study. Stepping out of their classroom door, children enjoy hiking through the prairie and woodlands in all seasons, and their curiosity is piqued as they experience nature. Throughout the year, the children’s world is broadened as they embark on “voyages” stretching across the continents, heightening their love of learning.

Building on these foundational experiences, in senior kindergarten children delve into the concept of interactions. Embedded within all of the units of study is an opportunity for children to explore how interactions affect people, places, and things. During

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NAEYC’S 12 PRINCIPLES OF CHILD DEVELOPMENT These principles are grounded in research on child development and learning and in what is known to be true about educational effectiveness. They guide our practices in order to promote optimal learning and development of our students. §§ All domains of development and learning—physical, social and emotional, and cognitive—are related. §§ Children follow well-documented sequences to build knowledge. §§ Children develop and learn at varying rates. §§ Learning develops from the dynamic interaction of biological maturation and experience. §§ Early childhood experiences can have profound effects, and optimal periods exist for certain types of development and learning. §§ Development proceeds toward greater complexity and self-regulation. §§ Children thrive with secure, consistent relationships with responsive adults. §§ Multiple social and cultural contexts influence learning and development. §§ Children learn in a variety of ways, so teachers need a range of strategies. §§ Play helps develop self-regulation, language, cognition, and social competence. §§ Children advance when challenged just beyond their current level of mastery. §§ Children’s experiences shape their motivation, which in turn affects their learning.

National Association for the Education of Young Children, naeyc.org

the castle study children are transported back in time when serfs and monarchs interacted with one another to ensure a strong and impressive castle. Through the study of culture, senior kindergarten students develop an awareness of the similarities we share with others and how we are different. They discover how who we are, what we do, and what we make defines a culture.

At each grade level the unifying concept broadens the previous one and adds a new layer of student understanding and application. We are committed to challenging young minds with authentic, thought-provoking experiences and building strong foundational skills.

SENIOR KINDERGARTEN Curriculum The Senior Kindergarten Experience at LFCDS Our senior kindergarten students are brimming with curiosity as they embark upon a year of exploration in their “home away from home” in the Early Childhood Center. It’s easy to sense the welcoming community within each classroom, making the transition into a full day of school a comfortable and exciting experience for our children and families. The family is still at the core of a five-yearold’s world. Nonetheless, they are developing an increasing sense of autonomy and the skills to take responsible risks, while discovering how the world works, all on their own.

reflections. They love the physicality of being outside and enjoy exploring the natural world, experiencing the earth through their senses. Each day is a new adventure and each child develops deeper understandings of themselves and their world through their relationships Highlights of the with others and with their Senior Kindergarten environment. Their progress in each domain depends on Experience their readiness and proceeds §§ Students participate in a royal feast at the at each child’s pace. A wide culmination of the castle unit study. range of readiness is typical. §§ Students participate in a simulated farmers We hope you hear all about market, created by Lower School students their learning when they where they buy greens grown in our own arrive home! greenhouse.

Senior kindergarten §§

Students participate in off-campus field trips to Lake Forest Open Lands, integrating their science and literacy units.

§§

Students enjoy activities with third-grade buddies several times during the course of the year.

students often rely on the trusted adults in their lives to create safe boundaries and set clear expectations, all within predictable routines. With increased autonomy, limits will naturally be challenged; thus, five-year-olds thrive on the opportunities to make simple choices. They are becoming more interested in activities which involve other children and are finding the world beyond themselves very intriguing!

They are ready to start navigating the social terrain.

Five-year-olds are concrete thinkers who learn by doing. §§ Students cooperatively write a fairy tale They have an innate interest following an extensive study of several in the world and exhibit traditional tales. boundless passion for §§ Students are engaged in a variety of learning as they manipulate, community gardening projects with the experiment, and interact early childhood classes. with their environment.

They enjoy hands-on §§ Students have daily opportunity to explore experiences to support more art, drama, music, and movement within abstract thinking skills the classroom. and movement, music, and dance, demonstrating their emerging coordination. They love to stretch the limits Senior kindergarten students are beginning to engage in of their imagination through make-believe play, while more cooperative play and interactive relationships with expressing their creativity and learning critical problempeers. This type of collaboration with other children solving skills. They are keen and meticulous observers is exemplified in the complexity of their imaginary and will often speak freely and literally about their

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play (i.e., taking on varied roles, following a mutually agreed-upon scenario). Conflict resolution is a critical component of cooperative play, as children continually practice and refine their social skills and learn the power of language for expressing their thoughts and feelings. Senior kindergarten students are learning to try strategies, such as negotiation and compromise to resolve a conflict but often depend on the support of an adult to help facilitate constructive conversations.

Friendships at this age shift at a rapid pace, often for no specific reason. These relationships are flexible and tolerant, usually based on present interests or frequency of interactions. Five-year-olds believe, for the most part, that everyone is their friend and will freely and enthusiastically join in the fun with everyone.

At LFCDS, we model and teach respectful behavior and what it means to be part of a community. Each classroom develops its own group agreement about standards for behavior. These homeroom promises travel with students to the classrooms of special-area teachers so there is consistency of expectations for these young children. Proper manners are reinforced during snack and continued in the lunchroom where they enjoy their first experience with our family-style lunch. Each table is supervised by a faculty or staff member, and parents may supervise a table while the senior kindergarten team meets or just for the fun of having lunch with their child and his or her classmates.

In late September, there is great anticipation about meeting their third-grade buddies, a partnership that has become a wonderful tradition in the Lower School. By November, senior kindergarten students regularly attend and participate in weekly Lower School Community Meetings. We intentionally create opportunities for younger and older students to interact and form relationships, a distinct advantage of attending a school that spans from two-year-olds through eighth grade.

ASSESSMENTS Classroom-based assessments and observations of progress in all developmental domains offer teachers a more complete understanding of each child’s learning profile. The information gathered through a variety of assessments allows for differentiation of instruction as well as responsive curriculum design.

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§§ Three times a year, the Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System is administered to gauge student progress in reading accuracy, fluency, and comprehension. §§ Other assessment tools are used to monitor the acquisition of grade-level skills with letter naming, letter sounds, and phonemic awareness. §§ Three times a year, a comprehensive math assessment is administered to gauge student progress in mathematics.

SCHEDULE Senior kindergarten is a full-day program from 8:10 a.m. to 3:10 p.m., Monday through Friday. There are Prime Time programs for senior kindergarten students offered through our Extended School Program (ESP) on some afternoons from 3:30–4:30 p.m., and children can stay in ESP until 6:00 p.m. Both are additional fees.

§§ The schedule for the week allows for extended periods of time in homeroom for literacy and numeracy activities, as well as blocks for interdisciplinary unit studies, projects, and free exploration. §§ Because we value fresh air, play, and the skills gained through unstructured activities, students enjoy twenty-five minutes of recess and a snack in the morning and afternoon. §§ Family-style lunches are provided by OrganicLife from 10:55–11:30 a.m. in the lunchroom. §§ Each child enjoys forty-five minutes of science twice a week taught by our Lower School science teacher. §§ The following special classes occur in the middle of the day for thirty minutes followed by a short Peace and Quiet time in the classroom. §§ Physical education & wellness with our Early Childhood Center physical education & wellness teachers occurs each day. §§ Music is taught twice a week by our preschool through second-grade music teacher. §§ Mandarin Chinese is taught by our Upper School Mandarin Chinese teacher two times during a six-day cylce. §§ Library visits occur once a week with our two librarians.

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LANGUAGE ARTS OVERVIEW Language arts, a discipline that includes reading, writing, listening, and speaking, connects all aspects of our senior kindergarten program. Students engage in differentiated learning experiences to reinforce fundamental emergent reading and writing skills and to encourage a love of literacy.

Embracing a balanced approach to literacy instruction, teachers work with students in one-to-one conferences, small guided groups, and whole-class settings.

During reading and writing workshop teachers assess individual students and provide differentiated lessons to challenge them as readers and writers. Children learn decoding strategies in order to make sense of words. For example, they recognize high-frequency sight words, use pictures to make meaning, and notice the beginning sounds of words. Children learn to “read like writers” in a writing workshop setting. Introduced with picture books from a variety of genres, writing lessons are designed to engage students in careful examination of the writing craft.

Students express their ideas in developmentally appropriate writing. They produce “books” that demonstrate their understanding of letter/sound correspondence, sentence structure, and simple punctuation. Students learn uppercase and lowercase letter formation through a multisensory approach to handwriting, Handwriting Without Tears.

GRADE-LEVEL EXPECTATIONS In senior kindergarten, students work to master the following language arts skills:

Foundational Reading Skills Print Concepts §§ Identify the front cover, back cover, and title page of a book. §§ Follow words from left to right, top to bottom, and page by page.

§§ Recognize spoken words are represented in written language by specific sequences of letters. §§ Understand that words are separated by spaces in print.

Phonological Awareness §§ Recognize and produce rhyming words. §§ Count, produce, blend, and segment syllables in spoken words. §§ Blend and segment onsets and rime of single-syllable spoken words. §§ Isolate and produce the initial, medial, and final sounds

in three-phoneme words. §§ Add or substitute individual sounds in simple, onesyllable words to make new words. §§ Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to narrate a single event.

Phonics and Word Recognition §§ Recognize and name all uppercase and lowercase letters of the alphabet. §§ Associate the long and short sounds with common

spellings (graphemes) for the five major vowels. §§ Read common high-frequency words by sight.

Reading Comprehension §§ Differentiate between fictional stories and informational texts.

§§ Use background knowledge and experiences to contribute to text interpretation.

EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER—SENIOR KINDERGARTEN

Language Arts

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§§ With support, students work to master the following reading strategies: §§ Recognize common types of texts. §§ Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding. §§ Ask and answer questions about key details in a text. §§ Retell familiar stories, including key details. §§ Identify characters, settings, and major events in a story. §§ Compare structures, plot, characters, and settings.

§§ Describe the relationship between illustrations and the text in which they appear. §§ Identify the reasons an author gives to support points in a text. §§ Identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic. §§ Identify main ideas and supporting details. §§ Identify cause and effect. §§ Draw conclusions from texts. §§ Analyze and interpret information from texts.

Speaking and Listening

§§ Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions. §§ Continue conversations through multiple exchanges. §§ Ask and answer questions in order to seek help, get

information, or clarify understanding. §§ Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly.

English Grammar and Usage in Writing or Speech §§ §§ §§ §§ §§ §§

Print many uppercase and lowercase letters.

Use nouns and verbs.

Form plural nouns orally.

Understand question words (e.g., who, what, when).

Use prepositions (e.g., to, from, on, off, for).

Produce and expand complete sentences in shared language activities. §§ Capitalize the first word in a sentence. §§ Recognize and name end punctuation. §§ Write letter or letters for most consonant and shortvowel sounds.

§§ Spell words phonetically. §§ Identify new meanings for familiar words. §§ Identify understanding of words by relating them to antonyms. §§ Identify real-life connections between words and their use. §§ Determine shades of meaning of words by acting out the meaning.

MATHEMATICS OVERVIEW The senior kindergarten program is based on two excellent resources that complement and reinforce one another, the Singapore Math in Focus program and the Bridges to Mathematics program. Through engaging, interactive small- and large-group lessons, the skills presented in this comprehensive curriculum build upon each other in order to develop number sense, reasoning abilities, and mathematical thinking. The mathematics curriculum provides extensive exposure and repetitive involvement in all of the important kindergarten concepts. Children learn that mathematics is useful, enjoyable, varied, and meaningful.

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EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER—SENIOR KINDERGARTEN

Language Arts, Mathematics

GRADE-LEVEL EXPECTATIONS In senior kindergarten, students work to master the following mathematics skills: ones and some further ones by using objects, drawings, §§ Represent, compare, and order whole numbers to 100. and equations. §§ Count forward beginning from a given number by ones. §§ Fluently add and subtract within 5. §§ Represent a number of objects with a written §§ Measure with non-standard units and order objects by numeral 0-20. length and weight. §§ Demonstrate one-to-one correspondence. §§ Explore, manipulate, identify, and analyze two- and §§ Demonstrate cardinality by understanding that the last three-dimensional shapes. number said tells the number of objects counted. §§ Sort, label, model, and graph objects by recognizable §§ Identify greater than, less than, or equal to when attributes. comparing quantities of up to ten objects. §§ Compose simple shapes to form larger shapes. §§ Estimate groups of objects less than or equal to 20. §§ Create, represent, discuss, and extend repeating and §§ Represent and solve addition and subtraction story growing patterns. problems with manipulatives, fingers, drawings, §§ Explore spatial relationships by interacting with various equations, and/or verbal explanations. manipulatives. §§ Decompose numbers less than or equal to 10 into pairs in §§ Build an understanding of time in the context of their more than one way by using objects, drawings, lives, schedules, and routines using conventional and/or equations. tools such as a calendar and a clock. §§ Find the number that makes 10 when added to the given §§ Using real pennies, nickels, and dimes, children learn to number by using objects, drawings, and/or equations. recognize and count coins. §§ Compose and decompose numbers from 11 to 19 into ten

Mathematical Problem-Solving Practices (embedded within each content strand): §§ Reason abstractly and quantitatively. §§ Construct viable arguments; share and critique strategies for solving problems. §§ Strive for accuracy.

§§ Model with mathematics. §§ Use appropriate tools strategically. §§ Attend to precision.

Physical Development OVERVIEW We know that developing healthy social and emotional skills in young children is of utmost importance. Doing so fosters a child’s ability to self-regulate emotions and classroom behaviors, build self-confidence, and establish positive and rewarding relationships with others and the community. This area of a child’s development is also intrinsically related to academic success, and thus, carefully attended to throughout each child’s day.

EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER—SENIOR KINDERGARTEN

Mathematics, Physical Development

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GRADE-LEVEL EXPECTATIONS In senior kindergarten, students work to master the following social and emotional skills: activity, even if it is challenging or difficult. §§ Develop self-awareness and self-management skills to §§ Develop skills in acting as a responsible member of our achieve school and life success. school community and behaving in a fair manner. §§ Interact competently and cooperatively with other §§ Contribute to the good of one’s classroom, school, children to maintain positive relationships. community, and family. §§ Solve problems with increasing independence. §§ Demonstrate ethical decision-making skills and learn §§ Use communication skills to interact effectively with from one’s choices. others. §§ Recognize individual and group similarities and §§ Demonstrate an ability to prevent, manage, and resolve differences. interpersonal conflicts in constructive ways. §§ Accurately identify emotions in themselves and others. §§ Persist in understanding and mastering a self-selected

SCIENCE OVERVIEW The formal science curriculum begins in senior kindergarten and includes three units of study per year that address the three branches of science—physical science, life science, and earth/space science. In a hands-on, inquiry-based setting, students pose questions, explore hypotheses, and form conclusions. Students further their scientific understanding through learning that is relevant to real-life experiences and through spiraling unifying themes from senior kindergarten through eighth grade.

Senior kindergarten students develop understandings around the theme of systems of sorting that help them organize their expanding world. They sort living things, plants and animals; physical properties as related to magnets and buoyancy using fair tests; and earth materials. Measurement is a part of each unit. Science is an integral part of our senior kindergarten program. There are also many interdisciplinary units taught in homeroom that involve scientific studies (e.g., systems of the human body, nutrition and exercise, the Journey North program, the night sky and building of a planetarium).

Senior kindergarten students will also get exposure to coding over the course of the year. Coding is a way to introduce students to computer science. Through the use of a series of apps, students will learn to develop critical thinking and problem solving skills. The students will begin to understand how to work through challenges using a series of logical and sequential commands. This helps demystify the world of computer coding, while giving students an introduction to computer programming.

Senior kindergarteners will also be introduced to the Design Thinking model through activities that work to connect STEM and children's literature. The Design Thinking model is an excellent learning tool for students. It is a structure that allows the students the ability to think, design, and construct while developing problem solving skills. Utilizing literature that children are familiar with helps them to see that the Design Thinking model can be applied to a variety of subject areas, and is not just limited to science.

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EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER—SENIOR KINDERGARTEN

Physical Development, Science

GRADE-LEVEL EXPECTATIONS In senior kindergarten, students work to master the following science skills:

Questions

§§ Pose thoughtful questions about the world.

Observation

§§ Observe and describe the properties of living and non-living things.

Communication

§§ Communicate observations by drawing, dictating, or writing. §§ Incorporate new vocabulary.

Comparison

§§ Make comparisons based on physical evidence.

Conducting Instruments

§§ Show respect for living and non-living things. §§ Ask questions. §§ Practice safety.

§§ Synthesize classroom discussion and offer meaningful contributions during reflections on learning.

§§ Compare structures and behaviors of animals.

§§ Use tools appropriately, such as hand lenses, balances, counting cubes, and loupe magnifiers.

Social Studies OVERVIEW The integrated study of the social sciences forms the basis for the Lower School social studies curriculum. Unifying themes develop throughout the grades from preschool through eighth grade, allowing students to build on the mastered skills and the lenses through which they have experienced the social studies content. With emphasis on higherlevel thinking skills that include chronological sequencing, comprehension, analysis, and decision making, the social studies program offers students the chance to pursue independent inquiry, participate in hands-on active lessons and projects, and investigate real-world problems. Through social studies lessons, students develop their capacities to make thoughtful, informed decisions. These skills and understandings are essential for participating citizens in our culturally diverse nation and global world.

The unifying theme for senior kindergarten is interactions. In their castles and medieval times study, students investigate the determination of defensible locations for their castles and how the individuals who live within the walls of the castles interacted based on social class. The final social studies unit explores various cultures around the world.

Teachers guide students to inquire with questions like the following: What is culture? How do people interact with their environment? How can people learn from each other?

EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER—SENIOR KINDERGARTEN

Science, Social Studies

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GRADE-LEVEL EXPECTATIONS In senior kindergarten, students work to master the following social science skills:

Culture

§§ Describe similarities and differences in the ways different groups of people meet similar needs and concerns.

§§ Describe the value of cultural unity and diversity within and across groups.

Time, Continuity, and Change

§§ Identify examples of both continuity and change as described in stories, photographs, and documents. §§ Compare and contrast differing stories or accounts

People, Places, and Environments

§§ Ask and find answers to geographic questions. §§ Acquire and analyze information from nonfiction materials to draw conclusions.

Individual, Groups, and Institutions

§§ Describe interactions between and among individuals, groups, and organizations.

about past events, people, places, or situations and offer possible reasons for the differences.

§§ Use map elements to inform study of people, places, and environments.

§§ Analyze how individuals can make a difference in the world and/or change history.

Production, Distribution, and Consumption §§ Evaluate different methods for allocating goods and services.

Science, Technology, and Society

§§ Identify examples of societies. §§ Identify examples of the use of science and technology in society.

Global Connections

§§ Explore the ways that aspects of culture, such as language, beliefs, and traditions, may facilitate understanding or lead to misunderstanding between cultures.

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§§ Identify and examine issues that impact people in different parts of the world.

EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER—SENIOR KINDERGARTEN

Social Studies

WORLD LANGUAGE OVERVIEW LFCDS offers Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, and French in the ECC and Lower School.

These languages expose our students to a variety of important world cultures and better equip them to meet the challenges of global citizenship. Our design is based on current brain research and best practices in elementary world language education. Adhering to the national standards for the teaching of world languages, we aim to prepare our students to view the world from broader perspectives, compare and contrast languages and cultures, and appreciate the importance of communication in international communities. The benefits of this model lead beyond language learning to the discovery of diverse cultural worlds where these languages are spoken.

EARLY CHILDHOOD & LOWER SCHOOL CURRICULUM SEQUENCE Spanish: Preschool and Junior Kindergarten Spanish is the most prominent second language in the United States. Often young children have already had some exposure to Spanish expressions and culture. The two-year study of Spanish provides a foundation in Spanish which will also set the stage for the learning of other languages with different sounds and syntax.

Mandarin Chinese: Senior Kindergarten and Grade 1 Chinese represents the fastest growing Eastern language and may be the most important business language outside of English in the twenty-first century. In addition, brain research shows benefits from the study of pictographic and tonal languages, which naturally develop simultaneous use of multiple areas of the brain, enhancing student learning of other subjects. The two-year study of Chinese enriches our senior kindergarten and first-grade cultural studies, especially our first-grade social studies unit on China.

French: Grades 2 and 3

French is an official language in thirty-three countries spread throughout five continents. While learning French, students discover the cross-influence of the French and English language and deepens their knowledge and awareness of their own language use as they explore the ways language shapes the world. The two-year study focuses on building communicative competence in French and introduces them to speaking and listening in order to express themselves.

Additionally, students use French to enrich their study of other disciplines and learn how to connect to the language through science, art, math, and social studies.

Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, and French: Grade 4 Fourth-grade students have the opportunity to revisit or become familiar with Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, and French. In our global world today, some knowledge of the sound system and basics of each language is critical for a well-rounded education. In addition, an opportunity to compare all three languages over the course of a year allows students, with the support of parents and teachers, to make an informed choice about which single language to study in Upper School. Having experienced all three languages also complements the fourth-grade immigration unit and their culminating study of global warming.

EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER—SENIOR KINDERGARTEN

World Language

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GRADE-LEVEL EXPECTATIONS: Senior kindergarten students will work to master the following Mandarin Chinese skills: §§ Identify body parts and describe health with “My _____ §§ Greet each other and introduce themselves. hurts” structures. §§ Describe themselves and their classmates with “to be” §§ Describe recess and play activities using preferential “I structures. like” structures. §§ Identify and describe classroom items with “to be” structures. §§ Identify common lunch foods and express likes and dislikes of lunch foods.

MUSIC OVERVIEW Education in the arts is an inseparable part of the education of the whole child.

Children learn to express and interpret ideas through observation and analysis of these art forms. They learn creative modes of problem solving and in so doing develop an array of expressive, analytical, and developmental tools which can be applied to every human situation. Students understand the influences of the arts in their power to create and reflect cultures, both past and present, thus enabling them to make informed judgments about cultural products and issues. They also develop attributes such as selfdiscipline, perseverance, and collaborative skills. Experiences in the arts develop each child’s imagination and sense of personal fulfillment.

GRADE-LEVEL EXPECTATIONS The three main components of the ECC general music program at each grade level are music literacy, performance, and music listening and analysis.

In senior kindergarten, students work to master the following general music skills: §§ Explore musical concepts such as dynamic, tempo, §§ Read, notate, and perform equal divisions of beat in articulation, and the staff. non-traditional notation. §§ Demonstrate the difference between performance and §§ Develop the voice through vocalization, including the audience etiquette in formal and informal settings. minor scale. §§ Experience Medieval/Renaissance music of Europe as §§ Develop relative pitch through singing A440 and other well as African music with an emphasis on dance. identified notes.

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EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER—SENIOR KINDERGARTEN

World Language, Music

INFORMATION LITERACY OVERVIEW Library visits and lessons are designed for our early childhood children to learn the library routines such as book selection and check-out and return of materials. Students are exposed to and discuss good literature. Comprehension skills as well as the basic skills of sequencing and knowing the alphabet are reinforced during lessons.

GRADE-LEVEL EXPECTATIONS In senior kindergarten, students work to master the following information literacy skills: §§ Begin to find books using knowledge of the alphabet. §§ Learn to identify fiction and nonfiction. §§ Begin to judiciously choose independent §§ Listen attentively when books are read aloud. reading material. §§ Respond thoughtfully to literature selections. §§ Care appropriately for books and take responsibility for §§ Make connections to a theme through literature and returning them in a timely manner. enrichment activities.

Education Technology OVERVIEW Technology is intentionally integrated into the senior kindergarten curriculum to engage students in active, hands-on experiences that enhance, support, and extend students’ learning and differentiate for each child’s unique development and needs.

One unique use of technology is the collaborative writing of a fairy tale that incorporates the elements discussed during a genre study in language arts and the vocabulary acquired during the castle unit. Students create illustrations to accompany the story and record their voices reading the text for a presentation to the Lower School at a Community Meeting.

GRADE-LEVEL EXPECTATIONS In senior kindergarten, students work to master the following education technology skills: apps effectively, and navigate the iPad keyboard). §§ Illustrate and communicate original ideas and stories §§ Design with drawing tools, create stories using audio using digital tools. and video features, and navigate various applications to §§ Communicate about technology using developmentally extend curriculum. appropriate and accurate terminology. §§ Demonstrate an understanding of basic §§ Demonstrate the ability to navigate in virtual coding language. environments such as electronic books. §§ Demonstrate the safe and cooperative use §§ Demonstrate an understanding of how the iPad of technology. operates (i.e., turn the iPad on and off, select and use

EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER—SENIOR KINDERGARTEN

Information Literacy, Education Technology

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Physical Education & Wellness OVERVIEW The mission of the physical education & wellness program is to help students develop a lasting appreciation for physical activity and acquire the skills, strategies, and knowledge that lay the foundation for a lifetime of well-being through athletics. Teachers strive to inspire a commitment to health-related fitness and positive lifestyle choices regardless of athletic ability. Our goals are to enhance students’ ability to lead, work together as a team, participate fairly with sportsmanship, and develop respect for peers. We encourage active participation from all students.

GRADE-LEVEL EXPECTATIONS In senior kindergarten, students work to master the following physical education & wellness skills: §§ Demonstrate cardiovascular endurance. §§ Demonstrate locomotor (i.e., running, skipping, §§ Participate cooperatively in structured group activities. jumping, hopping, galloping) and §§ Listen and follow directions. non-locomotor skills. §§ Participate actively in class. §§ Demonstrate manipulative skills (i.e., throwing, §§ Assume responsibility for positive behavior. kicking, catching). §§ Demonstrate sportsmanship (i.e., fairness and respect). §§ Demonstrate body and spatial awareness.

INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES Throughout the year, senior kindergarten children participate in hands-on, interdisciplinary units of study. These studies encompass the fundamental academic disciplines with an overarching theme of interactions. You'll find examples of these engaging interdisciplinary studies throughout the curriculum.

The Leg Bone’s Connected to the Thigh Bone

Students become the educators and feel empowered to teach others what they have discovered throughout an interdisciplinary study of the human body. It includes:

§§ how we are alike and how we are different. §§ a study on brain neuroplasticity and fostering growth mindsets §§ information about nutrition and exercise. §§ literacy activities. §§ mathematical activities, such as weight and measurement, graphing, and problem solving.

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EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER—SENIOR KINDERGARTEN

Physical Education & Wellness, Interdisciplinary Studies

Hear Ye, Hear Ye, Come to the Royal Feast!

Senior kindergarten students love castles and costumes! After discovering what students already know about castles, teachers link new information to children's prior knowledge, activate their interest and curiosity, and infuse instruction with a sense of purpose. Research has proven that this is how children learn most effectively. The dramatic play/dress-up center, as well as a castle model, provide opportunities for students to use the vocabulary and act out what they have learned. §§ The team of senior kindergarten teachers who traveled to Great Britain to study castles share stories and a PowerPoint about what they saw and heard. §§ Students: §§ learn why castles were built and various features of the castle. §§ discover who lived in castle times and about their jobs, where they, lived, what they wore, what they ate, and what activities were part of a typical day. §§ dress up in a role of their choice and paint a royal portrait. §§ participate in a Royal Feast and entertain each other with a period dance learned in music class and juggling and scarf throwing in physical education & wellness.

Students Become Social Scientists!

An interdisciplinary culture study is designed to develop a better understanding of the larger world. Culture is defined as what we say, what we do, what we make, and how we live. Authentic costumes and artifacts allow children to dramatize during free exploration what they have learned. §§ Children greet each other during Morning Meeting using the word for “hello” from various cultures (e.g., Israel, Italy, Korea, China, Africa, and France). §§ The photographs in Children Around the World provide detailed visuals about the way children in other countries live, allowing for meaningful connections and comparisons to be made. §§ The team of senior kindergarten teachers who traveled to Kenya share stories, artifacts, and a comprehensive PowerPoint presentation about the Masai culture. §§ Students learn about aspects of various cultures around the world such as: §§ birthday traditions §§ games children play §§ art §§ food §§ clothing §§ Students and/or families are asked to share about their culture.

EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER—SENIOR KINDERGARTEN

Physical Education & Wellness, Interdisciplinary Studies

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learning is a partnership At Lake Forest Country Day School, we believe that the optimal educational experience requires a partnership between the parents, the students, and the School, resulting in a community of focused, joyful learners. Lake Forest Country Day School offers many options for parents to connect with our school community. Beginning with an intake conference with your child’s advisor or homeroom teacher, informational coffees in early September, and grade-level social events, there are many opportunities to establish important connections. As the school year progresses, there are multiple ways for parents to volunteer, from classroom activities and field trips, to a variety of volunteer positions with the Parent Association and the School’s annual Auction. The Parent Association Office is open each day and welcomes all LFCDS parents to stop by for coffee, peruse the spirit wear, and connect with other school families. In addition, parents are always welcome at our weekly Wednesday Community Meetings and for Coffee and Conversation on Tuesdays in the Parent Relations Office. Throughout the school year, LFCDS hosts outside speakers such as bestselling authors Dr. Michael Thompson, Dr. Ned Hallowell, Dr. David Walsh, Dr. Lisa Damour, Dr. Mark Brackett, Director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, and New York Times parenting columnist Jessica Lahey. All community members are welcome to attend.

The School’s portal offer a wealth of information, including:

§§ Enrichment Activities and Resources: At LFCDS, we believe that summer is an important time to balance learning with leisure. This page provides information about required summer work, book lists for particular grade levels, mathematics and science challenges, and parent resources. §§ Grade Level Curriculum Guides: Each year, faculty members prepare a detailed description of the curriculum for each grade level. These guides provide an in-depth review of the educational experiences your child will be a part of at each grade level. §§ Teacher Communication: Many teachers share classroom experiences through newsletters and photo sharing sites, emails, and phone or personal conversations. §§ Curriculum Review Information: On an ongoing basis, a faculty task force examines and revises a specific curriculum component. §§ Parent Association Information: The Parent Association web page provides up-to-date information regarding volunteer opportunities and other parent-related events.

Social media is a timely way to tell the story of Lake Forest Country Day School. The School regularly maintains and updates its Facebook page, Twitter account, and Instagram with relevant information regarding the School.

Please note that we have a strict social media policy and never post individual student names or information on these channels.

We encourage you to explore the website and learn more about the Lake Forest Country Day School Experience.

Questions? Please contact the Admission Office at 847-615-6151.

Lake Forest Country Day School 145 South Green Bay Road Lake Forest, Illinois 60045 (847) 234-2350 | www.lfcds.org