RIO GRANDE, An independent school serving students pre-K through sixth grade in Santa Fe, NM

Kindergarten

In our Kindergarten Program, students experience a well-balanced curriculum which supports cognitive, physical, social and emotional growth in an environment that celebrates the joy of learning.

In Language Arts, our teachers provide many opportunities for children to discover the characteristics of both oral and written language. Authentic reasons are used for reading and writing in order to develop strong emergent literary skills.

The Mathematics program is designed to help students explore counting, patterns, classifying, graphing, measurement, probability, estimating, problem-solving, and geometry, as well as basic math skills.

In Social Studies, students learn about themselves and the world around them. The study emphasizes self-awareness, appreciation of people's similarities and differences, and an understanding of how a community works. It provides the foundation to begin exploring the lives of children throughout the world.

In Science, students explore how the world is made up of living and nonliving things and that people have a responsibility to take care of the environment.

In Art, students begin to explore the elements and principles of design while developing their creative spirit.

In Drama, kindergartners explore their imaginations and build self-confidence and self-awareness through dramatic play.

In Multimedia, kindergartners learn basic desktop navigation, computer drawing, and pre-keyboarding and pre-word processing skills. The library program teaches students how to use the media center and supports them as emergent readers.

In Music, the kindergarten program prepares students to sing in a group. Familiar songs build confidence and emphasize the joy of performing.

In Physical Education, kindergarten students grow from varying levels of maturity and develop the ability to control the use of a pattern in a physical activity.

In Spanish, kindergartners use basic vocabulary about the family, colors, animals, foods, clothing, and weather. They practice simple greetings, participate in cultural activities and sing songs in Spanish.

Kindergartners are also involved in two service learning projects. The class cares for and plants a garden and visits a retirement community several times throughout the year.

>>  See "First Grade" curriculum >>