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 Holliston Public Schools

Traditional Kindergarten Program

“Traditional Kindergarten is not ‘Traditional’  in Holliston”

            The Kindergarten curriculum in the Holliston Public Schools is dynamic, developmental and based on the latest instructional techniques and educational programs.  Our goal is to build self-awareness and develop confidence in the children we teach.

Young children are not simply younger versions of older children; they have particular needs and capabilities.  They acquire knowledge by manipulating, exploring and experimenting with real objects, and they learn almost exclusively by doing and through movement.  The traditional Kindergarten program reflects our acknowledgement that the thinking processes of young children are qualitatively different than those of older children.

As children develop, they move from concrete activities and materials to those that are representational, then from the representational to the symbolic.  Within the traditional Kindergarten classroom setting, young students are provided with a variety of language and literacy rich experiences that help to guide their learning and expand their repertoire of the skills needed for school success.  The traditional Kindergarten classroom is adaptable, flexible, and always welcoming.

A typical traditional Kindergarten day includes a group sharing time.  Teachers encourage children to share their thoughts, ideas or special possessions with classmates.  This verbal sharing is an important tool in our language based classrooms.  Teachers often use this group time as a vehicle for explaining the activity responsibilities of the day or for presenting a group lesson.

There are language arts and mathematics activities and instruction,

group/circle time, thematic units, learning centers and many opportunities for reading and

emergent literacy activities scheduled throughout the Kindergarten day. Teachers who have a strong understanding of the healthy growth and development of young children provide art and creative movement and music fun each week.

Classroom equipment varies from room to room and from season to season.  Some typical equipment includes blocks, a housekeeping corner, sand table, easel, puppets, books, puzzles and a listening center.  These “centers” provide our young children with learning experiences that will stimulate and encourage development of the child’s gross and small motor skills, auditory, visual and language skills.  Within the “work centers” children have the opportunity to manipulate and practice their skills.  This fosters independence and choice making, while at the same time providing repeated opportunities for practice of the foundation skills that will eventually form the basics for successful reading and writing.  Good work habits are also encouraged as children learn the importance of closure – beginning and completing a task. 

            The Holliston Schools Standards for Instruction and the Massachusetts Department of Education Curriculum Frameworks guide the instruction within our traditional Kindergarten classrooms.  Our classrooms offer a strong literacy program that includes a phonics curriculum that was developed by the Kindergarten staff and provides a strong emphasis on learning letter names and the sounds of letters used in reading and writing.  

Literacy, and reading and writing across all curriculum content areas is key to the success that students feel in the traditional program. Making the connections between letters and sounds (phonemic awareness) is a critical component of the program. Teachers work with small groups of children who are similar in their reading development and able to read about the same level of text, assisting the children in ways that help make them independent readers and comprehenders.

            At the same time, exposure to good children’s literature, and the opportunity to become writers themselves, is a very important part of the traditional program. 

      We believe that a balanced approach to literacy provides the best opportunity to develop the reading, writing, speaking, listening, and thinking skills necessary for academic success and personal satisfaction.  This means:

• exposure to excellent literature (in all genres and representing a variety of cultural contexts) as the primary source of motivation to read
   
• immersion in a literate environment that emphasizes the importance of reading, writing, self-expression, and thoughtful discussion, and celebrates the joys and pleasures that come from these activities.

• teachers engaging students in dialogue about literature with other students and a general focus on the importance of literacy as the key to success in other formative areas.

Our Kindergarten classrooms use the Addison Wesley Scott Foresman Math program.  This standards based math program challenges the children through a comprehensive strategy to learn the concepts necessary to succeed in mathematics by developing arithmetic thinking and practicing basic skills that will form the building blocks for more advanced math work in the years ahead.

The traditional Kindergarten program is filled with challenging enjoyable learning experiences that help build student self-esteem and nurture positive self-image. Our staff create a supportive atmosphere for your children as they encounter the challenges of educational, physical, emotional and social growth during their Kindergarten year at Placentino School .

“I feel good about myself and what I can do!”