Hours of Operation
8:55 a.m. to 2:35 p.m.

"I hear and I forget; I see and I remember; I do and I understand." This is the cornerstone of the St. Andrew's kindergarten program. Through hands-on experiences, every child is allowed to progress at their individual rate. Our program places a great deal of importance on the value of the individual.

Two teachers and our longer day allow us to create a highly individualized program designed to meet every child at their current developmental level. Only a child with a positive self-image can find satisfaction in what he or she does, and consequently, begin to develop positive attitudes toward learning.

Facilities and Curriculum
St. Andrew's kindergarten is housed in the Kinderhouse—a very special facility that enhances our full-day program. We have a room devoted to creative block-building. This is a wonderful space for learning, as the children explore science and math and strengthen social skills. We are fortunate to have the entire room available for this activity—one that does not need to be cleaned up every day allowing the children to expand on prior work.

Cognitive. The kindergarten children are actively involved in language art activities through the utilization of literature, class- made books, poetry, and other activities. The classroom is a language-rich environment.

Reading begins with phonemic awareness. Children will learn one to one letter-sound correspondence. The printed word is introduced to children by: songs, stories, poetry, and sight word collections.

Writing is an integral part of the program. The children work in individualized journals. They make use of invented spelling or “kidsspell.” There is also participation in experience stories and shared writing.

Children will learn about mathematics by using a variety of manipulative materials to count, sort, graph, measure, compare and estimate. The children will use mathematical knowledge to represent, communicate, and solve problems.

Cooking. Each day, two children are in our kitchen preparing part of the classes' lunch—counting, measuring and working as a team. This is an important and satisfying part of each Kinderkid's experience at the Kinderhouse. One of the first reading tasks that our non-readers master is reading the cook's chart, with the names of the days of the week and the names of the cooks. After washing their hands, the cooks begin to prepare the dishes for lunch, using critical thinking and math skills while having fun.

Science. The science curriculum builds upon each child's natural curiosity, as we define and encourage the observation skills used by all scientists. As children express curiosity about something, they learn that answers are available in books and computer encyclopedias. With the help of a teacher, they research and dictate their findings. Once illustrated, the report is ready to be shared with the Kinderkids and made part of the class Curious Book. During the year, specific lessons are presented exploring animal life cycles, properties of water, whales, insects, and more. These lessons are structured so that the children make discoveries and verbalize and document their observations.

French. Each day, the children are exposed to the French language through songs, games, stories, and fingerplays. The children begin with basic vocabulary (including colors, numbers, shapes, animals, clothing, manners, and family members). As the year progresses, the children move on to short sentences, learning to follow and respond to simple instructions. This early exposure to a foreign language helps lay the groundwork for languages presented in elementary school.

To truly appreciate kindergarten life, one must visit when the children are here. To schedule an appointment, please call the school office at 908 464-4878.

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