In this blog, we will share some of the aspects of the Kindergarten year that make it so special and close with a list of upcoming events. You may notice that the pictures look a bit different in this blog. We chose to include pictures from Kindergarten classes over the years.

Three-Year Cycle

A Montessori Primary program is a three-year cycle. Each year is distinct and responds to your child’s natural development. When your child is a first year, they are adjusting to new routines, developing greater functional independence, and absorbing the classroom culture. In their second year, they are expanding on what they have learned in their first year: practicing their leadership skills, broadening their skills, and solidifying their place in the community. The Kindergarten year is the pinnacle where they bring all of that learning and practice together. 

Why is the Kindergarten year so important?

Kindergarten is such a special year in a Primary environment. All the work your child has been doing leads up to this capstone year- both the physical work on the shelves and the more ephemeral social and emotional learning. The classroom and community is truly their oyster now. During their first two years in the classroom, they have been observing the Kindergarteners- watching how they work, seeing how they carry themselves, absorbing how they act as leaders. The Kindergarteners set the tone for the community. It is your child’s opportunity to establish themself as a leader which in turn develops healthy self-esteem. When your child is a Kindergartener at Greene Towne, they will act as a role model for their younger peers, demonstrate their learning by sharing it with others, and show responsibility in their care for the environment and community. 

What makes Kindergarten different from your child’s first and second years?

Leadership: There are several special responsibilities and freedoms that Kindergarteners earn as they begin to consistently demonstrate their leadership skills. They can work in the hallway on big work, like the 1000 chain, because they can be trusted to be outside of the classroom. They can help with arrival by walking Toddler and Primary children to their classrooms on their own. They can deliver messages to other classrooms or adults that work on the second floor. They can visit other Primary classrooms for the morning and host other Kindergarteners as visitors. Eventually, they will be invited to lead a circle or a K time. 

K work: The Kindergarteners are responsible for their own work plans and have daily work expectations that we refer to as “K work”. This includes a daily calendar, journal, reading, and math work. The reading and math work incorporate invitations to work with peers or younger children. The Ks read to a younger child and then record that in a Reading Log. This keeps track of all the books they read for the year. The math work is done with a partner- either with a second year or another K. They have several works they can choose from and can also choose to give or receive a math lesson. They record the work that they did and who they chose to work with. 

K time: K time happens from 1:15-2:00 every day. In these 45-minutes, the Kindergarteners work with each other and a teacher on more advanced Montessori material, special crafts, cooking projects, etc. During this time, one day a week they have art with Ms. Diana and ukulele class with a teacher from Settlement Music. On a typical week K time can look like: Monday they might learn about reading a clock with Ms. Amanda; Tuesday they might work on memorizing phonograms with Ms. Maggie; Wednesday they will have art with Ms. Diana; Thursday they will attend ukulele class; and Friday they might do a science project with Teacher Milo. 

What makes Kindergarten at Greene Towne special?

The Kindergarten is special in a Montessori environment and the K year at Greene Towne is particularly unique. There are exciting programs that really bolster your child’s experience as a Kindergartener. They will be invited to participate in Lunch Around the World, field trips, special projects, and the K Celebration Ceremony at the end of the year. 

Lunch Around the World: Lunch Around the World is a lovely opportunity for your child to experience different cultures through food. Kindergarten families volunteer to provide food from a culture that represents them in some way. Along with the food, there are typically books, artifacts, dress, activities, music, etc. that further elucidate that culture. The whole K class- and now the Elementary- gather to share the meal together. The children look forward to the opportunity to eat and learn as a whole cohort. When they return, they are always bursting with excitement about the foods they tried and relishing the chance tell the whole class about it. 

Field Trips: Every year, the Ks go on several field trips as a cohort. These can vary from year to year but typically include a trip to the firehouse, PAFA, Chinatown, Reading Terminal Market, among others. This is again an opportunity for families to get involved this time as chaperones. It’s special that the Kindergarteners have the chance to experience these trips with their cohort. It further solidifies the bonds they have created and creates a cohesive K class. We also take impromptu field trips during K time sometimes.

Special Projects: Every year, we have recurring special projects that we do during K time. The biggest and most elaborate is our recyclables project. The Ks collect recyclables from around the school and their homes to repurpose into something new. This project is collaborative and completely directed by the interests of that K class. They work together to select something they want to build- for instance a castle, a city, a rocket ship, etc.- and then the children get to designing and creating it. It is a project that takes several weeks to complete and is totally organized by the Kindergarteners. The teachers are there to support and facilitate, but mostly just to use the hot glue gun. After the creation is complete, they invite other classes and their parents to view their hard work. Other special projects include tree tending with Ms. Erika and neighborhood trash pick up.

K Celebration Ceremony: When your child’s Kindergarten year comes to an end, they will participate in a celebration of their learning. It’s a lovely event that brings their experience in the Primary environment to a close. They will have the opportunity to be celebrated by their family and teachers for all their hard work. For several weeks before the celebration, the Ks rehearse with their cohort. Each year, they sing several songs some of which repeat year after year and some of which are new and represent the character of that class in particular. For instance, last year the children sang a song called “Draw the Circle Wide” as they were the first class post-Covid to be able to safely venture out of their podded classrooms to participate in classroom visits, cohort recess, Lunch Around the World, field trips, etc. 

If you’re interested in learning more about Montessori for Kindergarten, here are some resources from AMS:

Video– Montessori Kindergarten: Essential & Empowering

Article– Montessori Parent: Please Stay…Here’s Why

Upcoming Events

1/10: 9:00- 10:00- PARENT ED WORKSHOP- Preparation for Life: Emotions, Friendships, Impulses

1/12: NO SCHOOL

1/15: NO SCHOOL- Day of Service

1/18: 5:30- Younger Primary Parent/ Child Visit

2/1: Re-enrollment due

Thanks!

Maggie, Amanda, Bailey, Jamie, Milo, & Shawn