Little Hearts Booklet

Discover early education in the Sacred Heart tradition.

Big Ideas.

Little Hearts.

Welcome to Little Hearts, Stone Ridge’s coeducational Early Childhood Program (Infants & Toddlers through Kindergarten). Little Hearts is

where the love of learning begins in our Sacred Heart family. Stone Ridge is part of an international family of Sacred Heart schools, rooted in a mission that lives the Goals and Criteria of Sacred Heart education: faith, intellect, service, community,

and personal growth.

At Stone Ridge, our teachers engage children using developmentallyappropriate practices and curriculum based on how children develop and learn best. Our cognitive expectations, taught through researched-based best practices, The Creative Curriculum and The Project Approach, promote exploration within a structured and nurturing environment.

Compassionate

“Children have a strong disposition to explore and discover.

The Project Approach builds on natural curiosity, enabling children to interact, question, connect, problem-solve, communicate, reflect, and more. This kind of authentic learning extends beyond the classroom. Children become active participants in and shapers of their worlds.” www.projectapproach.org

A sample of The Project Approach at Stone Ridge: TYPES OF BRIDGES

WHAT ARE THEY FOR?

Cars Sidewalk – Walking, Rollerskating Road Adventures Going over water

BRIDGES WE CAN MAKE BRIDGES Models

- strong - holds our weight - test it out - draw them - decorate - colors

Materials - paper - wood - blocks - boxes - metal - chairs

WHAT ARE THEY LIKE? Some open and close Tall Brick Strong

Pictured left and above: A web explanation of The Project Approach which involved Kindergarten students learning about bridges. The project incorporated a cross-divisional partnership with students in our high school Engineering class.

Infants & Toddlers The Infants & Toddlers Program serves our youngest learners, boys and girls from three months to two years old.

Our teachers create learning opportunities through play, hands-on activities, and rich interpersonal relationships.

The infants and toddlers have daily opportunities to explore the outdoors, experiment, interact, imagine, create, and problem solve.

Preschool The Preschool classroom provides a child-centered environment, promoting inquiry, exploration, and socialemotional development of three and four-year old children. The focus of our Preschool program is to meet the developmental needs of the children within a safe and loving community.

Intentional PRESCHOOL SAMPLE SCHEDULE: Center Work Art or Music & Movement or French Morning Meeting Goûter (‘to taste’ in French) Center/Project Work Outdoor Play Lunch Outdoor Play Rest Story Center Work Closing Circle

“Our daughter’s teachers in Little Hearts have been the perfect combination of professionalism, compassion, and Sacred Heart values.”

– Parent

Pre-Kindergarten In Pre-Kindergarten, our teachers support an increasingly more independent learner: the emerging reader, the budding mathematician, curious scientist, and experimental artist. As children in Pre-Kindergarten learn more about their unique gifts, our teachers work with each child to meet his or her developmental needs.

PRE-KINDERGARTEN SAMPLE SCHEDULE Center Work Morning Meeting Project Work Goûter (‘to taste’ in French) Art or Music & Movement or French Outdoor Play Lunch Rest Story Project Work Closing Circle

KINDERGARTEN SAMPLE SCHEDULE Center Work Morning Meeting Workshops (Reading, Writing, and Math) Goûter (‘to taste’ in French) Workshops (Reading, Writing, and Math) Outdoor Play Lunch Art or Music & Movement or French Religion Workshops (Reading, Writing, and Math) Project Work Closing Circle

Attentive Kindergarten The Kindergarten classroom is a special place where children engage their hearts and minds in learning every day and begin to find confidence in their own voice. The program meets the developmental needs of children through purposeful play and inquiry-based exploration.

The learning environment is designed for children to make choices and learn responsibility for maintaining the classroom as well as the materials. The children learn cognitive skills in a cooperative model using the Reading, Writing, and Math Workshops, and construct understandings through guided “Little Hearts academic inquiries.

appropriately supports the development of young children through play, exploration, investigation, and fun work together as a community all made and loved by God. We honor children for being children.”

– Kindergarten Teacher

In Kindergarten, the social curriculum is as important as the cognitive curriculum. Our teachers implement Responsive Classroom® strategies for social-emotional learning to create and promote a cooperative community culture.

For more information or to schedule a tour, visit

www.stoneridgeschool.org, and call the Admissions team at 301.657.4322 x388

9101 ROCKVILLE PIKE, BETHESDA, MARYLAND 20814 WWW.STONERIDGESCHOOL.ORG