Kindergarten
The MCH Kindergarten is a full-day Kindergarten that combines Montessori education with a more traditional room environment. We intentionally keep class sizes small, with typically 14 or fewer students, so that each student can benefit from individual attention. We do offer a half-day program, ending at 12:45 pm, for families who think that is a better fit for their child’s needs. Kindergarten is an exciting time in a student’s life! Each student receives work customized to his or her needs and level. We also meet and exceed the Virginia Standards of Learning. Our Kinders are joyful, happy learners, and it shows in our results. Our Kindergarten curriculum is quite comprehensive; for a detailed account of all topics covered, please refer to our current Kindergarten Curriculum document. The following summary is provided as an overview:
Language Arts:
Learning to read is the main work of Kindergartners at MCH. The Montessori Language Arts curriculum is a systematic, phonics-based, multisensory approach to teaching writing and reading.
Mathematics:
We offer a systematic, comprehensive math curriculum that uses a variety of concrete
manipulatives. Each student works on material at his/her level. Some instruction may be given in small groups, if there are several students working at the same level, and individualized instruction is also used.
Science:
Most of our Kindergarten science curriculum focuses on biology and earth science. We learn extensively about the plants, animals, and ecosystems that make up our natural world, as well as things like weather, the water cycle, etc. Kindergarteners are often fascinated with science, and it is a wonderful opportunity to expand their learning and understanding
Geography & Cultural
Students explore oceans,
continents, countries and major geographic features. They will participate in units on major historical figures, and are introduced to cultural studies of many major countries. They continue to practice Spanish, Japanese, origami, and have a
wide variety of music and art activities throughout the year.
Sensorial:
MCH students continue to develop and engage their senses in Kindergarten. Students build
on their pre-K sensorial work through more formal learning and practice in visual arts and music. Other Sensorial activities are integrated into our cultural and science activities.
Practical Life:
Students continue to build on their pre-K work, by taking care of their classroom and materials. They are quite proud of their abilities and increasing independence. Students have the opportunity to cook, garden, make crafts, and continue to learn and practice a variety of other useful life skills. In addition, our Kindergarteners are always working on their fine motor skills, which are essential
to development.
Kindergarteners at MCH continue to enjoy daily time for free play, guided movement, and outdoorrecess.
We strongly recommend that your child arrive in time for outside play at 8:00 am. Our instruction day begins at 8:30 am, but we believe that this outside time is very beneficial to our students. It is a soft, fun start that they won’t want to miss, and allows them to socialize and burn off energy so that they are ready to succeed when our day officially begins.