Private Kindergarten | Bay Area Private School

Kindergarten students laugh in the library as they listen to a story

Kindergarten at Episcopal Day School is a warm, joyful experience that provides children with the social and academic foundation for a lifetime of confident and successful learning experiences. Kindergarten is about building a sense of agency - instilling in children that their actions make a difference, and giving them the skills to do so.

Leadership development is foundational to the Epsicopal Day School experience, and even in Kindergarten, students are given opportunities to be the "big kids" on the Charles House campus, take responsibility for their classroom, and serve others.

Academically, children enter kindergarten with a wide range of skills, and our experienced faculty develop a deep and nuanced understanding of each child's learning. Our small class sizes and regular small group work ensure that each child is challenged and develops strong foundational skills in all academic areas. Equally important is the attention given to kindergarteners' social and emotional growth, supporting the development of strong friendships, self-awareness, and confidence.

Lower School Admissions Calendar

A Day in the Life of Pre-K & Kindergarten

KATIE MCDOUGALL
Lower School Director

Mustang Afterschool Program (MAP)

We provide after-school activities Monday through Friday.

School Day Schedule

Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri:		Wed (late start):
Arrival	8:05 a.m.	8:50 a.m.
Dismissal	2:50 p.m.	2:50 p.m.

Core Curriculum
Specialty Curriculum

Core Curriculum

reading, Writing, and language Arts

Episcopal Day's Language Arts program is a rigorous, engaging program built on the science of reading and deeply integrated into our multidisciplinary program.

In kindergarten, students learn strong word recognition skills via a systematic approach to phonological awareness, decoding, and sight recognition of words. Simultaneously, they develop the foundation of strong language comprehension that is required to go beyond decoding to truly make meaning of the words on the page. These skills include vocabulary, verbal reasoning, language structures, and building a fund of rich background knowledge.

Reading and writing instruction are deeply connected at Episcopal Day. Students in kindergarten practice phonics and spelling patterns in both decoding (reading) and encoding (writing), while also building skills in written expression through informational, opinion, and narrative writing pieces. Fine motor skills, efficient letter formation, and writing conventions are key skills developed in kindergarten.

As a part of our broader kindergarten curriculum, our multidisciplinary knowledge units provide students opportunities to develop and employ core language arts skills, including reading, writing, speaking, and listening in the context of engaging literature, science, and social studies content.

An experienced teacher and her pre-Kindergarten work together during social studies

Science

Fully integrated as a part of our multidisciplinary curriculum, kindergarten students engage in hands-on explorations of science content. These include: the five senses and the experiences of people with blindness or deafness, seed germination and plant growth, agriculture, nutrition, and food systems, and seasons, weather, and climate. Ecology is a key theme in kindergarten, as students understand the interconnectedness of life on earth and explore how their actions can make a difference. Through these explorations, students engage deeply in the science skills of questioning, observation, and logical reasoning. Literature and informational text, writing, music, art, and field trips help integrate and deepen students' science learning.

Students listen to their teacher present during world languages class

Math

Math in kindergarten is dynamic, hands-on, collaborative, and thinking-focused. Students build foundational computational and number sense skills, while also frequently engaging in teacher-facilitated small groups focused on complex problem-solving tasks and applying mathematical thinking to real world situations. Examples include creating a model of the classroom using toys and manipulatives to develop spatial reasoning, or determining new and creative ways to group and quantify collections of objects to develop number sense. Math games and puzzles help build number sense and computational fluency while developing important mathematical practices, including using mathematical models, explaining their thinking, using multiple methods to solve a problem, and persisting in problem-solving.

Pre-K students wait for their Librarian to visit the class

Social Studies

Kindergarten Social Studies challenges students to think about the world and their place in it. Students learn about their classroom community, school community, and greater communities, both locally and globally. Students explore identity and think about how individual differences can enrich a community. Through literature and hands-on activities students learn to explore multiple perspectives to help develop compassionate, informed, and engaged citizens of the world.

Specialty Curriculum

Physical Education

In PE class, students develop large and small muscle coordination through strength building activities, endurance, balance, and hand-eye coordination. Cooperation and teamwork are practiced both in PE class and during free play.

SPANISH

The kindergarten Spanish curriculum is designed to give students a fun, dynamic, and meaningful introduction to the Spanish language. Students are introduced to basic vocabulary and phrases through games, songs, and art projects. Communication is emphasized as students learn to answer basic questions, which they will develop into short dialogues. Repetitions and enacting the words are the keys to learning at this age.

Library

As a part of our multidisciplinary program, weekly library class deepens connections as students are exposed to literature, non-fiction texts, and visits from characters (who often bear a striking resemblance to our librarian!) who bring the learning to life as they begin to learn interview and research skills in a high-engagement way. Regular storytime also welcomes students into our school culture of joyful engagement with books and literature.

Visual Arts

Kindergarten art is deeply integrated into the academic program. Students explore various media and engage in a joyful art making process, while also being exposed to foundational principals of art. Students are inspired by diverse and contemporary artists, culminating in a class research project in which students explore and compare art from around the world.

Music

Movement, music, and performance are an important part of the weekly kindergarten curriculum. Kindergarteners learn everything and anything about the percussion instrument family including shakers, tambourines, hand drums, bells, rhythm sticks, maracas, triangles, and more. Students learn basic rhythm notation and design their own rhythms, and they engage with games, movement, and musical storytelling that builds joyful engagement in musical learning and confidence in performance.

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