VOYAGER AND 2ND LANGUAGE LEARNING EXPERIENCE PROGRAM: CHILDREN 4 - 5 years AS OF SEPTEMBER 1, 2024
These children are voyagers because this is the beginning of their long journey into formal education. The voyage should have a strong and hopeful beginning where ideas, curiosity, and creativity are highly valued commodities and imaginations are given the time and space to soar. Children at this stage engage in complex social understanding and their interest in justice and fairness make for engaging discussions and challenging problem solving. While memory and skill acquirement are important, the complexity of children’s understanding must also be honored. "Education is the not the filling of a bucket, but the lighting of a fire." W.B. Yeats. It is our intent that the voyagers spend their year on a journey that inspires them and lights a fire for the long voyage ahead.
Spanish language experience infuses preK curriculum with Spanish. If your child was not previously enrolled in Spanish, but you are interested in this option, you may still choose this option. Preference will be given to children previously enrolled in the 3 year old spanish experience.
Italian Experience will continue in the multi-age Italian classroom with the Italian language and culture being a part of the day. These 2nd language learning classes continue to honor children’s curiosity and competence. The flow of the day, the materials, environment, and educational approach are the same as our other classrooms. In this language learning experience, we will continue to emphasize child-directed and play based learning. The primary language learning strategy is based on the belief that language learning is an organic and natural process for children. Therefore the teachers communicate in the language as they go about building the daily life of the classroom. We will also include strategies such as: memorization of songs and interactive learning through stories and games utilizing pictures and other visual clues to guide each child in second language learning.