San francisco preschool guide: Preschool and Early Education Guide

Опубликовано: February 21, 2023 в 6:40 am

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Категории: Miscellaneous

Our Curriculum | San Francisco International Preschool

The Early Learning program inspires children to think and reflect. By suggesting level appropriate problems, asking open-ended questions that require looking for answers and solutions, children are engaged. They recognize overlapping situations, they call on their knowledge, they make the inventory of what is possible, they make choices, they venture.

They question. They create. They explore.

    HAPPY PLAY CLASSES FROM AGE 1 

    LA PETITE ECOLE AT AGE 2

    COLOR AND LEARN

    Our bilingual, academic curriculum blends the best practices of the U.S education system with the high standards of the French national curriculum, the Cycle System of learning.

    Cycle 1 (Maternelle) of the Cycle System guides a child’s learning in Preschool.

    • U.S. Grades: Pre-K (Age 3), Pre-K (Age 4), Kindergarten
    • French Equivalent: Petite Section, Moyenne Section, Grande Section
    • French Immersion: 80%

    Language

    Children are naturally interested in the languages they hear. They make spontaneous attempts to reproduce sounds, forms and structures in order to communicate with their surroundings. The teacher will encourage students to speak, by carefully articulating, repeating, proposing a reformulation, at times translating, and constantly correcting to improve vocabulary and sentence structures. S/he will invite students to move progressively beyond the spontaneous spoken word to slowly participate in more organized group conversations. They learn to express an opinion or formulate a question effectively communicating with others in the language of the class. 

    The Preschool program at LFSFS also familiarizes children with writing and the written language. The teacher will read stories that are increasingly long and complex. Children start to discover the function of writing as a way to share or recall information that triggers one’s imagination. They also grasp the relationship between the letters they learn to identify and the sounds they represent, in both languages.  From learning to hold and guide a pen to controlling lines and drawing shapes then letters, graphic exercises practice fine motor skills that will naturally lead to practicing cursive writing.

    English in Preschool at LFSF

    The curriculum is designed to foster comfort with English as a means to connect to others, express feelings, needs, and to join group experiences. Introductory math and reading concepts are introduced through songs, games and stories, instilling a joy of learning. Above all, students develop the ability to listen to others, join in routines, interact positively with peers, and develop their natural curiosity.

    Through the years, students solidify their language skills and continue to construct the phonological awareness that will prepare them for reading in Gr1. Teachers continuously monitor and support their social and emotional development, while gradually increasing the complexity of activities and concentration time. Language instruction is focused on building listening comprehension skills and fostering more sophisticated oral expression. Basic math, emergent writing and beginning reading concepts are introduced through songs, games, activities and stories. Students are active participants in group learning activities and discussions who can confidently approach new challenges and complete academic tasks independently.

    • Start Exploring the world: time and space

    • Structured thinking: exploring shapes, sizes and organized suites

    • Exploring the world: objects and matter

    START EXPLORING THE WORLD : TIME AND SPACE

    In the Early Learning program, children will gradually develop awareness of time and space. They acquire temporal references and understand the concept of duration. A daily routine is key : its organization and rituals provide children with the first stable elements of a chronology, allowing they to anticipate or recall. The notion of duration starts around age four when children cannot yet measure time strictly speaking, but can visualize with hourglasses for example.

    Experiencing space is related to movement, distances and spatial references developed in the course of school activities to explore, navigate, distinguish between fixed and mobile elements. From the observation of familiar environments (class, school, neighborhood …)children are led to discover less familiar ones (countryside, city, sea, mountain …), to learn about human constructions (houses, shops, monuments, roads, bridges …), countries, cultures… These explorations are opportunities for questioning, producing images, searching for information, learning to respect one’s environment and other’s cultures and languages.

    STRUCTURED THINKING : EXPLORING SHAPES, SIZES AND ORGANIZED SUITES

    Children can intuitively compare and approximate. At school they start to discriminate small quantities. They learn to count and gradually to understand that numbers allow both to express quantities as well as a rank or position in a list. This learning takes time and confrontation with many situations involving pre-numerical and then numerical activities.

    The Early learning program invites students who intuitively discern forms (square, triangle …) and dimensions (length, capacity, mass, area …)to build knowledge and skills. They are familiarized with plane shapes, objects of space, magnitudes through observation and manipulation. Activities are always supported by language to identify and describe characteristics. Although they remain limited, these activities are a first approach to algebra and geometry.

    EXPLORING THE WORLD : OBJECTS AND MATTER

    As part of the Early Learning program, children begin to understand what distinguishes the living from the non-living. They learn about and manipulate animals and plants. They discover the cycles of life, identify, name or group animals according to their characteristics (hair, feathers, scales …), their modes of movement (walking, crawling, flight, swimming …), their living environments, etc. They learn to identify and name the different parts of the body and are introduced to the importance of a healthy lifestyle and good nutrition (taste week). They develop their sensory skills.

    Throughout the program, children discover natural (water, wood, earth, sand, air …) and made by man materials (paper, cardboard, semolina, fabric, etc.). Activities include to mixing, transforming, heating or cooling while observing their effect and building the related vocabulary. They are playfully introduced to physical phenomena they will study much later such as gravity, the attraction between two poles, the effects of light, etc.).

    New technologies are used wisely by the teacher and support other learnings through research or introduction to coding.  

    PHYSICAL AND ARTISTIC ACTIVITIES

    The practice of physical and artistic activities contributes to the motor, sensory, emotional, intellectual and relational development of children . These activities mobilize, stimulate, enrich the imagination and are the opportunity to experience emotions and new sensations. They allow children to explore their physical abilities, expand and refine their motor skills, improve their balance and experience the pleasure of movement and effort to better know and respect their body.

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    • Two programs working together

    • The value of playtime

    • A partnership between home and school

    • Evaluations in Preschool

    In our Early learning program, teachers work together sharing resources, tools, practices and materials, presenting children with varied while comprehensive experiences. Situations of problem solving, story telling, playing,… are selected according to the needs of the group and those of each child. Modern technologies will find their rightful place in the classroom, provided that their objective is to support the learning activity. 

    Learn more about our approach to bilingualism

    Playtime is important in preschool as it feeds all subjects of learning. It allows children to exercise their autonomy; to re-enact reality and explore fiction developing their imagination; to exercise motor skills and to experiment with various social rules and roles. It promotes communication with others and the building of friendships. Teachers make sure to reserve time for free play, observing the group to get to better understand personalities and what children focus on at the moment. Structured play periods with specific learning objectives are also used to support learning.

    The success of the Early Learning program is rooted in a constructive dialogue between families and our academic teams, based on trust and a regular exchange of information in the interest of the well-being and overall success of the child. Times of exchange are as many opportunities for parents to better understand the way to school operates and the program is implemented.

    Evaluations are a time for parents to regularly assess their child’s progress with their teacher. They are based on a careful observation and interpretation of what the child says or does during the day. Beyond the results, teachers also strive to emphasize the progress that is made. Parents and teachers get a chance to identify conjointly the child’s successes, to keep track of his/her progress and set new goals. Teachers are attentive to what children can do on their own, with the help of an adult or with that of the other children, taking into account differences in age and maturity within the group.

    Français

    Our Guides (Teachers) | Glen Park Montessori Preschool

    Rosemary Rae, MA

    Head of School

    I tried teaching Kindergarten but it wasn’t until my daughter was 3 that I realized that this was the most enjoyable and rewarding age to work with, at least for me. It is an age of innocence and wisdom, joy and delight, clarity and heart-felt honesty, and unbridled curiosity. So I started a small school in Glen Park where I stayed with my own small group of students until I was offered the opportunity to move to the commercial space on Chenery Street. The school has now been in existence for 24 years growing and improving all the way. I love the effortless way the Montessori Method allows children to teach themselves, explore their world from many points of view, and cooperatively create a peaceful and respectful environment in which to learn and teach each other.

    My favorite…
    Color: Sunrise peach.
    Food: Curry.
    For fun: I love to write and work with medicinal     herbs.

    Ana Padilla, MA

    Director

    I was born in El Salvador, Central America. I have always enjoyed working with children even at an early age. My inspiration to become a teacher was my 4th-grade teacher. Her love and kindness towards children deeply touched my heart. I especially enjoy children’s curiosity, honesty, and desire to learn. I have been a teacher for 15 years–and a mother for longer! I love the amazing community and supportive environment at Glen Park Montessori Preschool. The students, my fellow teachers, and all of our families make this a very special second “home.”

    My favorite…
    Color: All of them.
    Food: El Salvadorian.
    For fun: Spending time with my children and reading.

    Lisa Baranco Smith, PhD candidate

    Lead Teacher

    I have worked in the field of education for over 20 years as a Teacher, Director, Curriculum Designer and Researcher. I currently hold a Montessori Credential as a Master Teacher for trainees of children 3 years through 6 years and 6 through 12 years of age. I have also earned my B.A in sociology with a minor in education for the University of California Berkeley, two Masters in Educational Leadership, my first Masters from Saint Mary’s College in Orinda and my second Masters form Mills College in Oakland. I am currently a second-year graduate student at Mills College working toward my PHD in educational research. I have spent 15 years in the Montessori Classroom and 6 years as a public-school teacher. My love of Montessori pedagogy comes from one of Maria Montessori’s quotes:

    “Our care of the child should be governed, not by the desire ‘to make him learn things,’ but by the endeavor always to keep burning within him that light which is called the intelligence. ”. Maria Montessori

    The education of the whole child is a gift that I have only seen within the Montessori environment. A respect of self and nature does not always come naturally unless it becomes a part of your own purpose. This is and has been my purpose for over 30 years.

    Maria Sanchez

    Teacher

    Hello I am Ms. Maria!
    I am so excited to be back at GPM! I have been teaching for seven years. I am a San Francisco native. I have always enjoyed working with children. Their intelligence, curiosity, and energy led me to pursue my studies in education. I like how the Montessori method encourages children to work independently. As a result, it gives them the confidence to accomplish their goals.

    Favorite food: Italian
    Favorite color: turquoise
    Fun fact: I love music!

    Shannon Rice, MA

    Communications Director

    I was an assistant teacher at GPM from 2012-2014. Since moving away from San Francisco many years ago, I have held the position as Communications Director. Although I miss working with the kiddos, I am happy to hold this position as I understand how important clear, consistent communication is for a school’s functioning. I am happy to still be involved with GPM as it gives me a reason to come back and visit the city that I love so much every once in a while. I have completed an MA program in Buddhist Psychology at Naropa University, and am currently living in Portland, OR

    My favorite…
    Color: Green.
    Food: New Mexican.
    For fun: Hiking with my pups, traveling with my husband, and lots of yoga.

    Management of the preschool institution / About the kindergarten / Kindergarten No. 12 “Little Country”