enrichment programs
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Spring Session 2018 Enrichment Classes
Hoboken Montessori School’s Enrichment Programs offers students an in-depth exploration of a chosen subject in a fun, after school setting. Classes are drop off only for indicated age group and run 45 minutes from 3:30 pm to 4:15 pm. Please register below and see the calendar for session dates.
enrichment programs
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Spring Session 2018 Enrichment Classes
Hoboken Montessori School’s Enrichment Programs offers students an in-depth exploration of a chosen subject in a fun, after school setting. Classes are drop off only for indicated age group and run 45 minutes from 3:30 pm to 4:15 pm. Please register below and see the calendar for session dates.
the kindergarten year
OVERVIEW
The Kindergarten program is a full-day program and is the final year of the three-year cycle in a Primary classroom. It is an exciting year for children to master their skills and become leaders in the classroom.
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PURPOSE
The Kindergarten year is one of integration where previously difficult tasks and concepts begin to fall into place. The children can work independently on many activities. They can be working on newly introduced materials or showing familiar tasks to younger peers. They work for mastery and to consolidate their knowledge. They know the routines and social expectations of the classroom. Kindergarten students rise to become the leaders of the class and mentor the younger students. They truly respect this position and are proud of their senior role in the class. As such, they confidently help their younger friends.
DESCRIPTION
HMS Kindergarteners enjoy a year of spectacular growth. Students explore special units of study and focus increasingly on academic skills in preparation for their transition into elementary school. In the Kindergarten year, the children work on small group projects to develop academic skills and collaborative abilities. Various projects and topics allow children to work with an extended work cycle to explore topics in more depth. Kindergarten children engage in more advanced activities that often extend into the afternoon hours allowing the children more time to strengthen their math and language skills—critical for successful transition when they move on to various elementary settings.
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The following provides a brief description of our reading, writing, and math program for Kindergartners:
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Reading Program
With a firm foundation in the phonetic Montessori Language curriculum, our Kindergarten students continue to build their reading skills. Varied exercises introduce consonant blends, double and long vowel sounds, as well as many common phonograms and sight words, expanding the reader’s vocabulary. Daily lessons strengthen the student’s word attack and blending skills, as they become more fluent, competent readers. Parts of speech (nouns, adjectives, and verbs) are introduced through fun and engaging activities to stimulate interest. In addition to our vast Montessori curriculum, students also work with the ‘Go Phonics’ reading series. This Orton-Gillingham-based series is sequential, multi-sensory, and compliments our Montessori-based curriculum.
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Writing Program
Using the Montessori metal insets and supplemental activities, the children continue to develop good writing habits. By using a multisensory approach, the children enjoy learning to form letters and numbers neatly and consistently. In the Kindergarten year, good handwriting habits are well established, enabling the children to be clearly understood in journaling, school work assignments, and creative writing.
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Math Program
The Kindergarten year is the one in which the concrete math instruction of the previous years comes to fruition. The children are now incorporating all of the concepts, from learning names for quantities one through ten to exchanging numbers. While teaching the decimal system, formation of numbers, and operations, concrete materials are consistently utilized, enabling the child to visualize and handle the materials, thus noting the differences in numerical value. As the hand is the child’s best teacher, he teaches himself the concepts needed to progress through math while using the Montessori math materials. After a multitude of exercises in the practice of math, the abstract begins to be introduced, in the form of recording answers. This is an important step in the gradual process of handling materials. The child now has the tools needed to progress to higher math of an abstract nature, with the understanding of basic mathematical concepts internalized.
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Geography
In the study of geography, the children discover the connectedness of cultures around the world as well as terms shared as in landforms, weather, and the exploration of space and the oceans. The language to describe types of families, homes, and traditional costumes and holidays opens up opportunities for the children to see the similarities between people and their customs all over the globe.
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