Elementary Campus

What to Expect
Our goal is to help students develop a lifelong love for learning and establish a strong foundation for school success. This is achieved by providing a safe, joyful learning environment built on structure and routine, as well as by building relationships with students. In Kindergarten, every moment is an opportunity to learn, grow, and have fun!

Joyful Moments

• Field trips to Eveland Family Farm, Stages Theater Company, and InnerActive Playground
• Celebrate the 100th day of school
• Hatching baby chicks
• Animal habitat diorama projects
• Kindergarten graduation ceremony

A Day in the Life

• Morning Meeting: We start each day together as a class community, including a greeting, sharing, schedule review, and character lessons.
• Literacy Whole Group Instruction: Emphasizes key components such as phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, comprehension, and writing, giving students many opportunities to practice foundational skills in an engaging and developmentally appropriate way.
• Snack Time and Recess: Students enjoy having a healthy snack and playing with their friends during recess.
• Literacy WIN time: Students work in small, differentiated groups to complete hands-on literacy station activities. 
• Unit Studies (Science and Social Studies): Encourage students to be curious, explore, and connect to the world around them. Each unit focuses on a specific theme related to the time of year.
• Lunch and Recess
• Quiet Time: 10 minutes of calming, quiet activities to reset before afternoon learning.
• Math Whole Group Instruction: Using visuals, movement, think-alouds, and manipulatives to learn and understand key math concepts.
• Math WIN: Students engage in hands-on math station activities in small groups that are tailored to their individual needs.
• Choice Time/Free Play: Provides students with a chance to explore and interact in ways that foster social skills and creativity.
• Specials: Students rotate through Art, Music, Gym, Library, and Character Corner depending on the day. 
• Pack up and Dismiss

Communication

Building strong relationships with families is important to us!

• Daily folders are sent home each day with student work, important papers, and notes.
• Weekly newsletters and email updates sharing what we are learning and upcoming events. 
• We welcome phone calls, notes, emails, and in-person conversations to discuss questions, concerns, or celebrations!

Joy at Home: Tips for Families

Read aloud daily and talk about the characters. Ask, “What did you love learning today?”