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kindergarten and extended kindergarten programs

OVERVIEW

The Kindergarten (for children turning 5 by December 31) and Extended Kindergarten (for children turning 6 by December 31) programs are full-day offerings, representing the final year(s) in the Primary classroom. This year is a milestone for children as they hone their skills, foster independence, and take on leadership roles within their learning environment.

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PURPOSE 

The Kindergarten year serves as a period of integration, where children build on foundational skills and experience breakthroughs in understanding previously challenging tasks and concepts. With increasing independence, they work on both newly introduced materials and activities they've mastered, often sharing these skills with younger peers.

Throughout the year, children refine their knowledge, demonstrating a clear grasp of classroom routines and social expectations. As senior members of the class, they embrace the role of mentors, guiding and supporting younger students with pride and confidence. Their leadership helps create a collaborative and respectful classroom community where every child feels empowered to grow.

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Opting for Extended Kindergarten offers children a valuable opportunity to deepen and expand their understanding of foundational skills and concepts in a familiar and supportive environment. This additional year allows them to revisit and master the Kindergarten curriculum, gaining confidence and proficiency while exploring more advanced material at a comfortable pace. Extended Kindergarten students benefit from individualized attention, allowing them to fully absorb and apply their learning, which fosters a sense of accomplishment and self-assurance.

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With a curriculum extension, children in Extended Kindergarten have the chance to build upon what they’ve learned and explore subjects with greater depth. This could involve advanced literacy exercises, more complex mathematical concepts, or extended science and cultural studies, enabling them to develop stronger analytical skills, creativity, and critical thinking. The familiar routines and relationships in the Primary classroom provide a stable base for them to take intellectual risks, deepen friendships, and further develop social skills essential for leadership.

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Additionally, this extra year encourages children to refine their problem-solving abilities and social interactions by taking on meaningful roles in mentoring younger classmates. In guiding others, they reinforce their knowledge, practice patience, and develop a strong sense of responsibility, self-discipline, and empathy. This level of involvement allows them to grow not only academically but emotionally and socially, setting a robust foundation for the next stages of their educational journey.

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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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