Pre-Kindergarten (3 -5 years old)
Meadow Montessori provides a caring and supportive environment that promotes optimal early childhood development. Our programming and curriculum is child-centred and taught by warm and nurturing early childhood professionals. We believe that by providing a program tailored to ensure the quality of a child’s daily experiences we will be building a foundation for future learning and greatly increase children’s chances of success. This, in turn, promotes children’s chances of achieving better learning outcomes while at school and better education, employment and health as they mature.
Montessori
Children are encouraged to use manners and develop empathy for one another. Conflict resolution development among children is paramount in our school. Teachers model respectful, peaceful interactions and utilize natural teachable moments that come up throughout the day to promote the practice of grace and courtesy.
Children develop skills which will be used throughout their lives such as pouring, cleaning and doing up buckles and buttons. The list of practical life building skills is endless and the children love to develop their self-sufficiency.
Children move from the study of their home and school environment to discover the greater world around them. Montessori cultural materials such as wooden maps, flags and globes beautifully promote this exploration. Cultural themes will be built upon with lesson extensions in Art and Cooking classes.
Our Montessori program sensorial materials promote children’s spatial awareness and appeal to the development of their five senses. The materials are colourful and lovely to handle with many built-in lesson extensions which truly engage children.
Beginning with sandpaper letters children learn the phonetic sounds of each letter of the alphabet. Through a series of one on one lessons, children begin to make connections between the sounds of individual letters and the printed word. The Montessori language materials seamlessly build upon newly acquired language skills promoting children’s understanding of language as a whole.
Children are introduced to numbers by using Montessori math materials. They learn what quantities feel like and look like before they are introduced to a numeric symbol. The Montessori Mathematic materials promote the children’s mathematical understanding through exploration, one on one lessons and games.
Enrichment
We have a beautiful kitchen where we host monthly baking and cooking classes. Starting with kitchen safety, lessons culminate to cooking and serving for the Annual Mother’s Day Tea. The kitchen is modified to include a child height table for the little cooks to work from.
Children plant, maintain and harvest a variety of flowers, herbs and vegetables in our garden; they also care for the plants in the classroom. Children learn about plants and how things grow. They explore where our food comes from and learn nutrition and healthy eating. When possible (seasonal) the children will use the harvested vegetables and herbs in wholesome recipes in the baking and cooking classes.
The doors to the fenced primary playground area open directly from the school. Many activities take place outdoors including gardening, sandbox area and free play with a host of interesting outdoor equipment. When weather is not conducive to outdoor activities children will enjoy exercise and play with music indoors.
Daily exercise is important and children spend 30 minutes daily engaged in physical activity in the playground and auditorium . Yoga instruction, games, free play and physical activity stations will engage the children and encourage physical fitness. Creative movement specialists teach once per week; the efforts of their lessons are shared at our twice yearly concerts.
We have a teacher on staff that is passionate about engaging children in music appreciation and musical development. Numerous presentations are utilized to engage the children musically such as Greeting and Name Songs, and the use of small percussion instruments, Singing Games, Call and Respond Songs, Recorded Movement Activities. Children attend Music class weekly for approximately 30 minutes and music is incorporated daily.
Well stocked art shelves are available for the children to have endless opportunities to spontaneously create art with a myriad of art materials. Additionally, group art lessons will be held weekly to build upon the various cultural themes children explore throughout the year.
Our French teacher holds 30-minute instructional French lessons weekly. Children will be introduced to the French language through direct instruction, games and songs.
Program Details
Our primary class has 20 children between the ages of 3 and 6 years of age comprised of 10 Pre-K students and 10 Kindergarten students.
The program is licensed through Fraser Health under the Community Care and Assisted Living Act (CCALA) and Child Care Licensing Regulations (CCLR).
Children must be toilet trained and independent in toileting (able to wipe themselves and pull up their clothes).
All children are welcomed into the class gradually in small groups during the first 2 weeks (Gradual Entry) to provide each child with the most positive experience of beginning school.
The primary class opens it’s doors at 8:20 a.m. for entry and ends at 3:00 p.m. We offer both half day and full day programs, 4 or 5 days per week.
Healthy morning and afternoon snacks are provided by volunteer parents and sweets are not encouraged.
All day children bring a packed lunch that is easy to eat independently and does not require heating. Our Lunch Lady hot lunch program is available too!
All children enjoy outdoor play each day, weather permitting.
We have regular field trips with parents, picnics to enjoy and two concerts per year.
Parent/teacher conferences are held twice yearly, as well we send home report cards to illustrate your child’s progress.
