Lower Prep

Academic Programme

Prekinder and Kinder

In Prekinder and Kinder we aim to create a warm and welcoming environment, recognizing every child as an individual with their own unique potential. We achieve this through small class sizes and a broad, balanced and fun curriculum. Children’s enthusiasm for learning is built upon and enhanced by our beautiful gardens. We truly believe happy children will be more successful in their learning journey. Strong links between home and school are encouraged to ensure all children feel secure, valued and happy. We have an open door policy; no problem, worry or concern is too small. Through a carefully managed program of pastoral care we help all children develop all-rounded, enthusiastic and confident personalities, ready to take on the challenges ahead.

Seven Areas of Learning are promoted to ensure school readiness with social confidence as children progress through Prekinder and Kinder:

• Learning is planned for in Three Prime Areas: Communication and Language; Personal,  Social and Emotional Physical Development.
• And Four Specific Areas: Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the World, Expressive Arts and Design.

By encountering a broad range of carefully planned activities we enable each unique child to enjoy their education whilst learning good manners and respect for each other.

By the end of Kinder our pupils have the skills to start them on the path to independent learning that will help them feel secure and confident when they get to First Prep.

1º Básico and 2º Básico

The emerging cognitive and social skills of a 1° Básico pupil make it a prime time for the development of communication, academic and social abilities. As a parent you play a key role in promoting good literacy habits and encouraging your child’s development by knowing the range of goals for 1° Básico, including those for language, maths, science, social studies and personal growth. As in the previous years, your home involvement and communication with the classroom teacher are key.

A major goal in the 1° Básico classroom is to extend pupils’ abilities to work independently and in groups. These important life skills are taught in the context of the classroom community as children are working independently, learning in new ways, organizing their daily work and assuming initiative to seek help when needed.

1° Básico is the gateway to literacy. The foundation and building blocks of Letters and Sounds, learned in past grades, will continue to be reinforced at this level. As the year progresses, First Prep will read with more fluency and write with more confidence, moving into conventional spelling as they gain experience as readers and writers. During this year of exploration, 1° Básico pupils also develops a mathematical number sense, an understanding of the scientific process and an appreciation of the culture of the world around them.

2º Básico is a year of transitions and curriculum milestones. In language arts, pupils spend less time learning to read and more time reading to learn. Pupils will be expected not just to read a short story but also to answer questions about events that may not be explicitly revealed in the text. As the year goes on, pupils will learn to discern whether the story is fiction or nonfiction. Pupil writing also takes on greater length and depth, as pupils now finish writing their own extended story, report or poems.

Maths lessons are challenging and may include patterning, graphing, basic geometry, fractions, measurement, and two-digit addition and subtraction, with pupils learning to re-arrange, re- group or bridge numbers. Teachers are less likely to dictate one way to solve a problem and more likely to give pupils room to find their own methods of getting the right answer. In math, they learn skills that translate to daily life. It’s a year in which learning becomes more nuanced and pupils are expected to be more independent.

Throughout the First and Second Prep we aim to promote skills and opportunities in all areas of the curriculum from Academics, Arts, Athletics and Technology, having pupils realise their strengths, identifying their needs and establishing personal goals. The Grange Essential Manners (GEMS) are tools used within the framework to support and promote the founding school pillars of Fair Play, All Rounder, Good Manners, and Spirit of Service.

Pastoral Care

The children’s happiness is the centre of all we do. We want them to go home full of joy, bursting with the excitement and learning of the day. Each pupil’s wellbeing and personal progress is carefully monitored and are encouraged to get involved in all aspects of school life. By doing so they discover their own interests and passions, thus developing their individuality and healthy self-esteem.

As a School we work hard to develop children’s inter-personal skills and there is a strong emphasis placed on good manners, kindness and consideration for others.

The form teacher is at the heart of the pastoral system, guiding and supporting their classes on a daily basis supported by the Staff team as a whole.

Deputy Head Pastoral has the overall responsibility for the Pastoral Care in the Lower Prep, which includes a combination of the carefully tailored Personal Social Health Education programme (PSHE); Quality Circle time programme and pastorally focused assemblies.

PSHE

The PSHE programme was developed to suit our pupils, School and Community; giving careful consideration to our School ethos and aims and our pupils’ needs.

We aim to support the development of the “whole child”, by helping them to understand how they are growing personally and socially as well as promoting their social, mental and physical development. With a wider cross curricular approach to teaching PSHE, children are provided the opportunity to learn about rights and responsibilities and appreciate what it means to be a member of a diverse society.

Spirit of Service

Service is one of the School’s pillars and in the Lower Prep children learn to develop their Spirit of Service, leadership and team building skills by successfully collaborating with others for the greater good of all.

We understand why learning to give back to others is vital for a positive child’s development. School, parents and communities play an important role. Our pupils grow from an understanding of how we fit into society to how they can help and give back to society. This developmental process grows empathy and fosters children’s identities as engaged citizens.

Assemblies

Assemblies are part of the traditions and heritage of the School and are helpful in developing a community spirit among pupils. During assemblies they get to see, feel and know how the Lower Prep is an organised group.

We hold a weekly assembly where we get together to share and celebrate children’s work and achievement, introduce the Golden Rule, recognise those pupils who have been following them, and in occasions, invite guests and parents to join us and share these special moments.