A Typical Day at Little Sprouts Pre-K
Linton Hall School’s Little SproutsLittle Sprouts Pre-K
Morning Activities: As your child arrives at school each day, a task will be set out to help them get seated and focused. These activities will include puzzles, playdoh, manipulatives, Handwriting Without Tears program, journal time and phonics worksheets/games. We will start off the morning with the Pledge of Allegiance, and a brief introduction of the day’s events.
Morning Prayer Time: At the start of each day, the children will meet as a group and pray, share bible stories, learn about our virtue of the month, and sing songs. During the course of the year, we will learn about various biblical events and people. The children will learn about and celebrate Advent with their classmates. We will discuss and exemplify specific virtues each month. The underlying goal is to express to the children how much God loves them.
Listening Time: After Center time each day, the children will join the teacher for a listening time in which the teacher will introduce the particular concepts being focused on throughout that week.
Language Arts: Your child will pass through various stages of writing and spelling, beginning before Kindergarten. Most Pre-Kindergarten children are within the emergent stage of literacy. The teacher will meet the needs of an emergent reader by dividing the instructional time to address the following.
- Fluency: The goal is to help the child recognize speech to print match. This will be accomplished through finger-point reading to rhymes, jingles, songs, Morning Messages and dictations. As well as, repeated reading of books. Music and Movement will be used to cross the midlines of our bodies, work on repetition, rhyme and sequencing.
- Comprehension: The goal is to help children understand how written language works and develop concepts about print. The children will listen to stories, retell stories, describe illustrations, and perform concept sorts.
- Alphabet: The goal is for the children to develop phonemic awareness. This will be accomplished through oral language play, alphabet games and activities, recognition/matching games, and sorts by letters and sounds. We will use materials from The Letter People Program, a Scholastic ABC Phonics Music Program, The Houghton Mifflin Reading Series, and Alpha Tales.
- Writing: The goal is for the children to begin forming letters when developmentally ready. Activities that involve drawing, labeling, and pretend writing will be offered. We will follow the Handwriting Without Tears Program.
Math Concepts: The teacher will provide a hands-on approach that introduces sorting and classifying, graphing, joining sets, concepts of time, patterns, sequencing, estimation and counting (by 1’s, 10’s, 5’s). Math manipulatives will be used to perform the various tasks. Some goals are recognition and formation of numbers 1 through 12 and counting with one-to-one correspondence. The children will also engage in daily calendar activities.
Center Time/Teacher-Directed Activity: Each day the children will break up into small groups and explore various centers that will be set up to meet their learning needs. There will be approximately four to six centers set up each day and the children will have free choice over a 45 minute period. At this time the children will also participate in another activity that will be teacher directed and related to the theme and learning objective of the week.
Outdoor Play: Each day, the class will go outside for twenty to thirty minutes to engage in large motor activities. The Pre-K children will have access to the playground equipment. The teacher and the assistant will reinforce safety rules, adequately supervise, and provide an alternative game or activity.
Lunch Time: The children will enjoy lunch with their classmates each day. Prayer will be offered and good manners will be encouraged. The lunch should be provided by the parent and sent into school on a daily basis, labeled and dated. Please be sure to send in healthy foods that are nutritious and will provide an energy boost. Some suggestions are fruit, raw vegetables, yogurt, crackers, and pretzels. Please refrain from sending candy, chocolate, gum, pudding and sweets to school. Please note that even though parents will be providing lunch for their own child each day, it is still essential that the teacher be informed of any food allergies. Throughout the year, children will celebrate birthdays and special events where it may be necessary to provide an alternative food choice. You will be informed at the start of the year if we have any classroom allergies. If we have any peanut allergies, we will become a “Peanut Free Classroom” and you will be provided with a “safe snack” list. Thank you.
PK Rotations: Once a month, the Pre-K teachers will set up stations in their rooms relating to the theme in the areas of math, science, social studies and language arts. Students will rotate through each classroom station.
Enrichment Program: Each day the children will enjoy a class period taught by a specialist in the following areas: Music, Hands On Science, Art, Movement, Spanish, Technology.
- Art: the overall process is emphasized, not the final product; exploring as many creative mediums as possible, the children will learn about drawing, painting, clay, colors, line/shape, 3-dimensional projects and famous artists and the artwork that is associated with them.
- Music/Movement: a creative extension of our daily learning environment that gives opportunities to explore music and sound through active involvement in singing, moving, listening, finger play, and playing instruments as well as being introduced to a variety of types of music, drama, interactive story-telling and creative expression. Basic sign language is also taught. Also, fundamental physical education skills like balancing, throwing, jumping, catching and skipping are introduced and built upon to build a strong foundation and awareness of one’s body’s capabilities.
- Science: opportunities to explore insects, animals, plants, rocks/minerals, and the world around us through activities, stories, and music as well as opportunities with natural and physical sciences and hands on experimentation. Learning about the natural world and how to be good stewards of our planet, caring for the environment, gardening, sustainability and recycling are also an important part of our program.
- Spanish: taught by a native Spanish speaking teacher, children are given an introduction to the language and culture, basic vocabulary (feelings, colors, numbers, greetings, family, animals, body parts etc.) taught through games, songs, videos and other activities as well as a Cinco de Mayo fiesta. The earlier a child begins to learn and experience a foreign language, the easier it is for them to find success.
- Spirituality: rooted in the Benedictine Charism, all children start each school day with prayer and/or a reflection of one of the 10 Benedictine values. Children are further awakened to their spirituality through songs, stories and thanksgiving all centered around how each person (child or adult) can make the world a better place. We will stop, love and listen to Jesus during our learning journey.
- Technology: following The National Association for the Education of Young Children’s (NAEYC) position statement about computer use for preschool, children will have occasional opportunities to use computers as appropriate but not as a replacement for highly valued early childhood activities and materials.
Guided by our mission, we provide a family-oriented, student-centered environment that empowers each student in his or her journey to personal academic, artistic, athletic, and moral excellence. We place great importance on the development of integrity, respect, responsibility and friendship and are deeply committed to our local and global communities.
Our students are resourceful, independent and disciplined learners who have the skills and confidence to take risks and who graduate ready for the challenges of college-preparatory secondary schools and to serve as honorable, responsible citizens for our country and our diverse world.