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Kindergarten:
Our
Sapling Program
Kindergarten at Tall Cedars
Academy is a special place. Through a
full-day program, small class sizes,
ample materials and supplies, and
degreed, experienced teachers, children
grow and learn at their own pace,
developing the self-esteem necessary to
enter our primary program prepared and
confident.
At Tall Cedars Academy, we believe it
is necessary to present children with
both teacher-directed and
child-initiated activities. Our
Kindergarten curriculum contains
objectives that exceed the Washington
State Standards of Learning, and include
reading, math, science, language,
writing, social studies and foreign
language, along with fully integrated
activities in character development,
technology, art and music.
Children develop at their own pace,
with varying strengths, needs and
interests, so implementation of the
curriculum is fluid and flexible to
support every learner. Teachers observe
and assess children's development daily.
While whole group instruction is
important, especially for building
community, the early childhood teacher
knows that young children learn best in
small groups with lots of one-on-one
support. That is why you will see small
groups of children working with adults
or other children for a large part of
our day.
In the Tall Cedars Academy
kindergarten classroom you will see
children refining and strengthening
their muscles in many ways; painting,
building, drawing, working play dough,
and writing. You will see children
building solid math foundations by
manipulating concrete materials,
(blocks, Legos, pattern blocks,
counters), and by playing guided math
games. You will see developing artists
painting and doing craft projects.
Scientists explore artifacts in the
science area or do experiments in small
groups. Children learn that they can be
writers as we study authors and text,
exploring the many ways to communicate
through print. Children learn beginning
reading skills through a wide variety of
daily, guided experiences with print,
developing strategies to figure out text
and experiences with outstanding
children's literature. Through
participation in one of our in-depth
study projects, children learn how to
become learners as they plan, research,
problem solve, document and share their
learning with others. They learn that
the facts and skills they acquire are
connected across the curriculum and to
their own world, because we study things
that are relevant to the world of young
children. They also learn about the
importance of teamwork and that each
child brings something of value to the
team.
Building a close community is
important to the success of any
classroom. We learn and practice our
Tall Cedars Academy “sapling” skills
every day as we learn what it means to
be a productive and contributing member
of a community. We share our ideas, our
feelings and our stories. We learn to
solve problems proactively and we
support each other day to day to develop
selfdiscipline and cooperation skills.
Families are a very important part of
our community and we highly value the
foundations families build for
children's learning at home and at
school. There are many ways for families
to be involved in the school experience,
from helping with homework to
participation to regular classroom
volunteering! Family support is
essential to children's learning and
their ongoing success at Tall Cedars
Academy. .
