Kindergarten
Learning. Laughter. Discovery. Kindergarten at ACDS encompasses the creative play of childhood and learning opportunities designed to enrich the whole child.
The ACDS Kindergarten program features small class sizes enabling our dedicated teachers to provide individualized attention. Kindergarten at ACDS features a wide range of activities that engage the spectrum of developmental skills critical to later academic success: pre-academic practice, self-care, focus and self-control, social interaction, sensory-motor progression — and fun!
Our teachers create a joyful, safe learning environment that includes circle time, instructional centers and self-directed tasks.
Overview
Class Schedule
- Monday-Friday 8am - 2pm with an optional hour of supervised, child-directed play
- Optional extended care through Apple Tree is available from 3pm - 6pm
- Before-school care is complimentary for students in Kindergarten to 8th grade
Teachers
- Experienced and credentialed teachers supported by regular visits to our full-time Librarian, STEM Science Specialist, and Musical Movement teachers.
- 12:1 student to teacher ratio.
Curriculum
Language Arts
Pre-Reading Skills
- Phonemic awareness
- Print awareness
- Letter formation
- Sound and letter recognition
- Letter and sound sequencing
- Listening skills
- Letter and sound blending
- Punctuation
- Comprehension skills
- Literature
- Building vocabulary
Social Studies
- Thematic units following the calendar
- Seasons
- Citizenship
- Patriotism
- Native Americans
- Holiday traditions and cultures
- Mail system
- Maps and globes
Math & Science
Math
- Calendar skills
- Numeral printing
- Geometric shapes
- Measurement
- Rote, skip and backward counting
- Graphing
- Place value
- Time and money
- Addition and subtraction
- Numerical sequence, patterning, comparing numbers, classifying and sorting by numbers
- Estimation, number operations, number sense
- Mathematical reasoning and problem solving
Science
Discovery and observation through:
- Senses
- Garden activities, pumpkins and apples
- Solar system
- Arctic, Antarctica and penguins
- Rainforest and ecology
- Shadows
- Weather
- Nutrition
- Spiders and bats
- Plant growth
- The five senses
- Weather and the seasons*
- Trees throughout the year
- Animal defenses and adaptations*
- Sun and shadows
- Water cycle
- Earth care
- Engineering projects*
Movement
Musical Movement Program
- Body and space awareness
- Non-locomotor and locomotor skills
- Manipulative skills (throwing, catching, dribbling, kicking, jumping rope)
- Motor memory skills; visual & auditory cues to copy and recall single movements and movement/rhythm patterns
Dramatic Expression/Creative Movement
- Self-initiated movement and expression through music, poems and stories
- Ability to listen for musical cues as they relate to movement
Physical Education
Regular weekly P.E. instruction builds fitness, coordination and skill progression, while increasing students' readiness to learn in all subjects.
Art & Music
Art
- Colors
- Thematic projects on connections, relationships and applications
- Creative exploration and expression
- Visual literacy
Music
- Exposure to the Orff music program, which combines movement, instruments, speech and song
- Developmental music; dramatic play
- Exposure to folk, classical, patriotic music and children's favorites
- Identifying and creating patterns in music
Technology
Students learn how to use technology as a learning tool. They also learn how to use applications to review, reflect on, and share learning through the use of iPads in small groups.
Library Visits
Field Trips
Big Buddy Program
Each Kindergarten student is paired with a "Big Buddy" from grades 5-8. Throughout the year, Big Buddies meet to work, play and learn together in a variety of activities. Big Buddies care for their Little Buddies, and Little Buddies look up to their older friends, forging affectionate connections and lasting memories. The beloved Big Buddy Program is a highlight of the ACDS experience for younger and older children alike.