What do you remember about kindergarten? For me it was all about picking out a book and pretending to nap on those tiny rug squares. Maybe you remember NOT wanting to be separated from your Mom. Or, maybe you were secretly happy to get that feeling that a little bit of independence gives when you are five or six years old and away from home. I rode on a school bus for the first time with a driver named “Blanche” who wore her blonde hair in a big beehive. I thought I had finally arrived into that mysterious world of “the big kids” my mom was always talking about.

Perhaps you didn’t even attend kindergarten, but for many of us, it was the first school experience we had. Today, most children’s first school experience starts when they are two or three years old and they begin preschool. We want our children to attend kindergarten to learn to communicate, play, and interact with others appropriately. Often this is where their first real friendships outside of their family are formed. Kindergarten also helps make the transition to first grade a bit less formidable.

That must be what Friedrich Froebel had in mind when he invented the whole idea of kindergarten. (No, I am not making this up!) Froebel was a German educator who created the kindergarten concept in 1837 as a way to provide an educational situation less formal than that of the elementary school but one in which children's creative play instincts would be organized constructively. Herr Froebel searched for a word to best describe the sunny educational experience that would cultivate children like plants and let them bloom like flowers, literally Kinder-Garten, meaning children's garden. When you think about it, that’s a pretty neat way to describe it -- a place where children literally blossom before your eyes.

If you’re still with me, I’ll move on to the heart of the matter. Next September, St. John the Evangelist will be offering full-day kindergarten where 25 bright little people will be cultivated into one big beautiful bouquet under the loving guidance of Sister Doreen Willis, IHM, kindergarten teacher, and a full-time aide. Okay, let’s get real. We all love our kids, but most of the time we don’t regard them as lovely little sweet-smelling blossoms. So maybe full-day kindergarten is just what that genius Froebel had in mind.

Just the Facts, Ma’am

Thirty or so parents gathered in the school library for a breakfast meeting with Sister Kathleen Lannak (IHM), SJE principal, and Sister Doreen on Oct 25th to hear more about the school’s plan to offer full-day kindergarten in the Fall of 2008.

“There was a lot of soul searching and research behind this decision to go from a half-day to a full-day kindergarten,” said Sister Kathleen. “But, the fact remains that we are living in an area where for most families, both parents have to work or a single working parent is the only income source for the family. So, naturally, the demand for full-day kindergarten is high and we want to meet that need in our surrounding community.”

The reality is that St. John’s is the only kindergarten in Montgomery County offering a half-day option and the only school in the Archdiocese that still offers the half-day option. And while this change to full day has not been mandated by the Archdiocese, when Sister Kathleen spoke to them about making this change, it was strongly encouraged by the Archdiocese.

Kindergarten Curriculum

Currently, the St. John’s kindergarten curriculum is based on Archdiocesan standards, which are based on national educational standards and that will not change. The entire school from K to Grade 8 follows these same guidelines and all of our students must be considered proficient in these standards in order to matriculate to the next grade level.

In religion, the kindergarten children are given a simple introduction to the mysteries of their Catholic faith in order to grow in understanding and appreciation of God’s love for them. In addition, a sense of belonging to the Catholic community is stressed. One of the things that sets St. John’s kindergarten program apart from many other programs in the area is the early introduction of the Catholic faith and its Christian values. The children learn through Bible stories and service learning projects, such as collecting food for local shelters at Thanksgiving and gifts to families in need at Christmas.

The kindergarten language arts component combines phonics, reading and comprehending stories, an introduction to grammar and its usage, writing and drawing pictures, and listening with oral comprehension.

In mathematics, the children learn the relationship of numbers and quantities up to 10, how to sort and classify objects, how to identify common objects and describe their geometric features. They are introduced to basic concepts of time and money and focus on problem solving with simple addition and subtraction equations.

Sister Doreen is excited to be able to expand the amount of time she currently spends on each subject in the kindergarten curriculum. Says Sister Doreen: “For example, each fall we study the story of Johnny Appleseed. With a full day of school, I will be able to examine this unit more thoroughly by incorporating its themes into their reading, language arts, math projects, as well as in their creative writing and story telling,” she explains. “I will also be able to focus more time on social skills such as cooperation, respect and sharing. You’d be surprised at how hard we work on simple things such as how to line up and avoid running over your neighbor on the way down the hall!” she says.

Daily Schedule

Since we are adding considerably more time to the kindergartners’ day, you are probably wondering what their daily routine will be like. The day will be split into two segments. The morning schedule will concentrate more heavily on the academics, leaving the afternoon schedule with a bit more flexibility. But, rest assured there would be plenty of built in “down time” for the little ones too. The afternoon schedule will include lunch and recess and a certain amount of much needed quiet time. The afternoon will also include educational “specials,” such as PE, music, art and Spanish. (See schedule sidebar.)

Change is Good

Some say change is good. But, change can be hard too – whether you are 5 or 55. And there is no doubt that making the change from a half-day to a full-day kindergarten program will present some unique challenges. But that’s where the professionals at St. John’s come into play. You can rest assured that when your children are in SJE kindergarten, they are in good and capable hands. Not only will they learn and enjoy themselves, but they will also begin to practice valuable skills that will prepare them for First Grade and beyond.