Fast Facts
NORTHERN LIGHT SCHOOL EDUCATING THE WHOLE CHILD SINCE 1989
PRESCHOOL & PRE-K PROGRAM
About Northern Light School Northern Light School is an independent, coeducational school serving students in Preschool to 8th grade. Our mission is to provide an empowering education for children from all cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. Our small class sizes (capped at 20) ensure that students have the opportunity to practice problem solving, collaboration, and inquiry-based learning, while expressing their knowledge in creative and critical ways. Northern Light is deeply committed to social justice, and the importance of developing engaged citizens who, in the words of Paolo Freire, “participate in the transformation of their worlds.”
AGES: For children 3, 4, and 5 years old
MAXIMUM CLASS SIZE: 24 Students
SCHOOL DAY HOURS: 8:00 am - 3:30 pm
EXTENDED DAY HOURS: AM Extended Day - 7:00 - 8:00 am PM Extended Day - 3:30 - 6:00 pm
TEACHER TO STUDENT RATIO: 1 to 8
NORTHERN LIGHT SCHOOL 3710 Dorisa Avenue Oakland, CA 94605 510.957.0570 www.northernlightschool.com
Preschool Program
Program Overview The Northern Light School Montessori based Preschool classroom is desgined to help children develop a joy for learning and discovery. This environment allows each child to develop at his or her own pace in several areas of study which include Practical Life, Sensorial, Language, Mathematics, and Cultural Studies. The activities in each of these areas aim to assist each child in acquiring independence, concentration, coordination, and self-con dence.
Curriculum Areas PRACTICAL LIFE
Sample Schedule 7:00 - 8:00 am
Morning Extended Care
8:00 - 10:00 am
Work Time & Practical Life
10:00 am
Snack Time
10:00 - 10:45 am
Morning Lesson & Circle Time
10:45 - 11:45 am
Outdoor Play
11:45 am - 12:30 pm
Lunch Time
12:30 - 2:30 pm
Nap/Rest Time
2:30 - 3:30 pm
Outdoor Play or Quiet Work
3:30 pm
End of Regular School Day
3:30 - 6:00 pm
Afternoon Extended Care
Practical life materials and exercises respond to the young child’s natural interests to develop coordination, concentration on care of self, care for the environment, while fostering independence.
SENSORIAL The sensorial materials provide a range activities and exercises for children to experience the natural order of the physical environment, including such attributes as size, color, shape, dimension, length, texture, and weight.
LANGUAGE The Montessori language materials provide experiences to develop use of a writing instrument and the basic skills of reading a written language. For writing skill development, the metal insets provide essential exercises to guide the child’s hand in following different outline shapes while using a pencil. For reading, a set of individual letters, provide the basic means for associating the individual letter symbols with their corresponding phonetic sounds.
MATHEMATICS Manipulative materials are provided to show basic concepts such as numeration, place value, addition, subtraction, division, and multiplication.
CULTURAL STUDIES
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The classroom includes materials and other resources to learn cultural subjects such as geography, science, history, art, and music.