Neighbourhood Jr. Kindergarten

Description:

We are a small preschool operating in Lake Hill School offering a morning program for 4- year-olds (Junior Kindergarten) four mornings a week (Tues. to Fri.)The program consist of large blocks of free play and child choice activities balanced with short, teacher-directed group activities.

History:

Jane Hamm is combining an elementary education background in Ontario with 16 years of early childhood experience in Alberta and British Columbia. Although she had enjoyed teaching the older grades, Jane’s passion was early childhood education; moving to B.C. she found she had to make a choice to teach within the school system or begin a Junior Kindergarten under a Preschool License. Lake Hill became a K-5 school just as Jane finished her ECE training and she was able to rent two large classrooms for the Junior Kindergarten in 2003. For the last 10 years she has enjoyed working alongside colleagues in the primary grades and having access to school resources such as the library and gym. The Junior Kindergarten is part of the primary school choir, singing in concerts and attending assemblies when appropriate.

Program:

The Junior Kindergarten equips and prepares children for kindergarten and provides a culturally sensitive learning environment which touches on the needs of the whole child (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual). In addition to modeling and teaching social skills (including conflict resolution) we gently encourage language development and early literacy, building confidence and competence for later education.

There is a maximum of 15 children in the Junior Kindergarten class.

The program runs September to June with the same school breaks as Lake Hill School.

Parent Participation:

A strength of our program is the ability to provide variety and innovation within a predictable structure, allowing us to work with sensitivity to each child’s needs and interests. This is due in large part to our Parent Participation Program. “Another pair of hands” greatly assists us in meeting our goals,particularly in the areas of fine motor skills and social interactions.

Parent participation also provides valuable opportunities throughout the year for ongoing feedback/discussion between staff and parent. As they share the child’s first school experiences and friendships there is ample time to observe and discuss their child’s growth and development with the teachers.

Of course for the child it is his or her important day to be the class “Special Helper” with all that involves. Sharing it with mom or dad or grandma etc. is very exciting!

Each family has 8-9 opportunities to spend the school morning with us during the year; there are calendars posted for parents to choose the mornings that are good for them.

Tuition and Staffing

Fees for the 2013-2014 school year are $265.00 per month. There is a $50.00 registration fee for new families; a $25.00 registration fee for returning families.

Teacher: Jane Hamm B.A. B.Ed. E.C.E.

Assistants: Gay Ray  E.C.A.

                  Allison Stickney  E.C.A.