Dear Parents,
Welcome to Pre Kindergarten 2. My name is Claire Upperton and I have been the teacher of Pre K 2 since 1994. I am also the Deputy Principal of our school. I am a graduate of the University of Bath in the United Kingdom with a B.Sc. (Hons) in Sociology. I hold a Post Graduate Certificate in Education from the University of Brunel aslo in the United Kingdom. I am a Corporate Member of the Institute of Personnel Development. Mrs. Erva Smith ably assists me.
Pre K 2 is a lively class with a maximum size 14. We intoduce the children to reading and writing using an early and systematic phonic method of teaching during this year. This means that the students are taught the main 42 sounds of English, not just the alphabet sounds. With this knowledge they are taken through stages of blending sounds to form words and then to reading. At the same time they are taught to write by identifying the sounds in words and relating the letters to those sounds. The letter sounds are introduced in a multisensory and active way that is particularly suitable for young children. The teaching is divided into 5 basic skills as follows:
- Learning the letter Sounds
- Learning the letter formation
- Blending - for reading
- Identifying the sounds in words - for writing
- Tricky words - irregular words
In Mathematics we begin with Number Zoo from 1-10 and then 0 in the form of number stories and activities. Oral, mental and written Mathematics is taught daily.
We cover the following areas during the year;
- Counting and recognizing numbers
- Reading and writing numbers
- Comparing and ordering numbers
- Adding and Subtracting
- Solving problems and reasoning about numbers and shapes
- Problems involving real life and money
- Exploring pattern, shape and space
We follow the Harcourt Curriculum for Pre Kindergarten in Science. subject areas include:
- Using my senses to observe
- Learning about me
- Living and non living things
- Animals
- Plants
- Living things grow
- Where plants and animals live
- Earth's land
- Earth's water
- The sun and shadows
- The sky
- Weather
- The seasons
I encourage the children to become Scientists in discovering and investigating our world.
We begin to learn computer skills using a fun and interactive program.
AND most important of all, we have daily prayers, a daily Bible story, say Grace, learn to care and share in the classroom, perform Christmas andEaster plays and learn stories from the Old and New Testaments using the ACSI curriculum.
Yours sincerely,
Mrs Claire Upperton