OUR PRIMARY school

Kindergarten

Kindergarten develops children’s spiritual, cognitive, social and emotional growth-all with Christ as the center. Children learn through play, large and small group instruction, as well as thematic centers. The goal of kindergarten is to work with the children (and their parents) to establish routines and enhance reading/phonics concepts, math discovery skills, and positive classroom work habits which foster the independence necessary for the transition to first grade.

Kindergarteners engage in reading readiness work in phonics and comprehension, practical numeracy work as they grow their mathematical skills, and learn more about God's world in science and social studies. In addition to their daily routines, they enjoy weekly specials classes including PE, art, music, and library time. Weekly worship with the K-8 students in Chapel is supplemented with monthly early childhood Chapel that includes preschoolers and kindergarteners. As Saint Paul kindergarten students learn and grow, they become confident students who are excited and well-prepared for a lifetime of learning.

A day in the life of the primary 1st and 2nd grade students is noisy, active, calm, exciting, and busy all rolled into one. Our day begins as the 8:15 bell rings and the children are anxious to get to the classroom to see their friends and start the day. Before the 8:30 bell rings, the students get pencils and papers ready for the day, sometimes having time to use the classroom computers.

After the Pledge our day continues on with news. In first grade, the teacher writes a “newspaper” about exciting happenings the children want to share. Parents type the paper once a week and each child gets a copy of the news. By 2nd grade, the students write their own news on a “Weekly News” sheet to then share with a partner. Primary students have so much excitement to share!

Jesus time then kicks off our day of learning and fun with Bible stories like the creation, Jesus’s birth on Christmas, the Easter resurrection, and many stories in between.

Math is a hands-on, exciting time for the primary grades. Things like simple addition and subtraction lead us to working with two digit numbers and other important skills like telling time and counting money.

Along with math, reading is a main focus in the primary grades. Starting with letter sounds and simple books at the beginning of 1st grade, reading turns into independent reading by 2nd grade. 2nd graders can earn free books by reading to fill a gem jar. By 2nd grade the students are writing sentences and making up their own stories. 1st graders use centers during reading time to work at their own pace and level while small groups read with the teacher. Small group reading continues in 2nd grade with more emphasis on comprehension.

We don’t forget about Science and Social Studies with units on animals, plants, seasons, senses, Native Americans, presidents and our planet.