Early Childhood School

List of 4 items.

• JPK Schedule (Full Day)

  7:45-8:05 a.m.	Drop Off Parents pull up to the EC entrance, and let a teacher assist you with dropping off your child.
  7:45-8:20 a.m.	Morning Routine We begin each morning with the same routine, starting with the children washing their hands, listening to the morning message and signing in, then it’s off to play ‘til morning meeting. We realize the importance of consistency and structure in our children’s lives.
  8:25 a.m.	Morning Meeting We begin each day building relationships with a greeting and a responsive classroom meeting. This is a great opportunity to incorporate the responsive classroom curriculum into our day. Responsive classroom and MVS both focus on creating a positive community where our children’s social and emotional development is at the forefront.
  8:35-10:45 a.m.	Mini Lessons, Open Exploration, and Outside Play Children are divided into four groups with a lead teacher and teacher assistant in each group. Numerous philosophies such as the Reggio Method, Waldorf, and Montessori are incorporated into our center time. While all the children explore the same subject matter, each teaching team brings their own creativity into the learning and exploration. Children also eat a nutritious snack during this time. Children need numerous opportunities daily to stretch their muscles, roll down the hill, explore the climbing wall, or build a volcano in the sandbox. Children will spend time outdoors each morning if it is above 20 degrees. We follow the lower school schedule and the six day rotation.
  10:40-11:20 a.m.	Co-curriculars Our co-curricular schedule follows a six day “color rotation” based on the colors of the rainbow. Co-curriculars include Spanish, Mandarin, physical education, performing arts, and library.
  11:30 a.m.	Half-day Dismissal Children who are signed up for our half day school are picked up at this time. Parents will pull up to the EC gate and teachers will walk children to their car.For those who stay for the full day, students either continue playing outside or, depending upon the energy level of the group that day, they may come inside to engage in a singing or movement activity, participate in story time, or sit down with a puzzle.
  11:50 a.m.-12:30 p.m.	Lunch Children come inside, wash hands, and sit down for lunch. They eat lunch they brought from home or the meal that was ordered from the school lunchroom. Teachers sit and eat with the children. This is a great time for conversation and independence.
  12:45-2:10 p.m.	Rest and Afternoon Stations In accordance with the Ohio Department of Education, all first year children (3-4 year olds) are provided a time to rest after lunch. Our second year students (4- 5 year olds) also rest at the beginning of the year as they adjust back to school. Yoga mats and flannel blankets are used by the children for rest time.In the fall, the students who will be going to kindergarten the following year will participate in our pre-kindergarten activities. All activities are geared towards enhancing and solidifying our children’s social, emotional, fine motor, gross motor, and cognitive development. We want the whole child to be ready for kindergarten.
  2:10-2:40 p.m.	Back Outside to End Our Day Another great time to ride a bike or build with the blocks. If the weather is uncooperative, the teachers will provide engaging activities such as art projects, dancing, puzzles, reading, etc. for the children.
  2:45-3:05 p.m.	Dismissal Students can picked up between 2:45pm – 3:05pm. Parents will pull up to the EC gate and teachers will walk children out to their car. After 3:05pm, all children will go to Kid’s Club (Extended Day).
  3:05 p.m.	Kids Club After school care for children limited to reservations only.

• JPK Schedule (Half Day)

  7:45-8:05 a.m.	Drop Off Parents pull up to the EC entrance, and let a teacher assist you with dropping off your child.
  7:45-8:20 a.m.	Morning Routine We begin each morning with the same routine, starting with the children washing their hands, listening to the morning message and signing in, then it’s off to play ‘til morning meeting. We realize the importance of consistency and structure in our children’s lives.
  8:25 a.m.	Morning Meeting We begin each day building relationships with a greeting and a responsive classroom meeting. This is a great opportunity to incorporate the responsive classroom curriculum into our day. Responsive classroom and MVS both focus on creating a positive community where our children’s social and emotional development is at the forefront.
  8:35-10:45 a.m.	Mini Lessons, Open Exploration, and Outside Play Children are divided into four groups with a lead teacher and teacher assistant in each group. Numerous philosophies such as the Reggio Method, Waldorf, and Montessori are incorporated into our center time. While all the children explore the same subject matter, each teaching team brings their own creativity into the learning and exploration. Children also eat a nutritious snack during this time. Children need numerous opportunities daily to stretch their muscles, roll down the hill, explore the climbing wall, or build a volcano in the sandbox. Children will spend time outdoors each morning if it is above 20 degrees. We follow the lower school schedule and the six day rotation.
  10:40-11:20 a.m.	Co-curriculars Our co-curricular schedule follows a six day “color rotation” based on the colors of the rainbow. Co-curriculars include Spanish, Mandarin, physical education, performing arts, and library.
  11:30 a.m.	Half-day Dismissal Children who are signed up for our half day school are picked up at this time. Parents will pull up to the EC gate and teachers will walk children to their car.For those who stay for the full day, students either continue playing outside or, depending upon the energy level of the group that day, they may come inside to engage in a singing or movement activity, participate in story time, or sit down with a puzzle.

• Kindergarten Curriculum

  The MVS kindergarten curriculum is thematically driven and enhanced with special enrichment programs in world languages, reading, science, and math.
  
  

  Because we know routine is important for our young learners, we spend the first part of the school year building a safe environment, introducing classroom management, becoming familiar with one another and setting expectations for the year.
  
  

  Kindergarten instruction is guided by the KWL approach: What do you Know? What Would you like to know? And what did you Learn?This methodology gives students ownership over their learning‚ they’re more invested and excited when they have the opportunity to guide instruction with their curiosity. Perhaps the students are curious about space, nutrition, France…collectively and in a collaborative way, our young learners pick the topic of study and our trained kindergarten teachers create lessons that dive deep‚ and wide‚ in that topic and incorporate all subject matters. Students may learn about space through singing songs, making rockets and cooking astronaut food.
  
  

  Experiential learning is woven into the kindergarten curriculum in many ways but heavily through “Center Time.” Center Time is an afternoon block where students have the opportunity to directly apply what they’re learning at that time. They become more exposed to a concept or topic and learn it from all subject matters. Center Time can be individual or group led; more structured or unstructured and it’s always fun!
  
  

  While every day in kindergarten involves hands-on learning, students participate a two-week Immersion Term in January, during which children dive into topics of interest, studying in multi-age groups with dedicated teachers. Outside of Immersion Term, signature immersive opportunities include the annual Kindergarten Cafe, where students create and run their very own restaurant for friends, family, and faculty. As part of this cafe experience, students visit local restaurants and grocery stores to learn about the business of food and plan their menu, learn about nutrition and building a healthy plate, and work on doing math with coins in order to calculate guest checks and make change.
  
  

  Kindergarten Course Overview

  • Language Arts
  • Mathematics
  • Performing Arts
  • Physical Education
  • Science
  • Social Studies
  • Visual Arts
  • World Languages (Spanish & Mandarin)

  Of these courses, Language Arts, Mathematics, and Social Studies are taught in the classroom by homeroom teachers, while Science, World Languages, Performing Arts, Visual Arts, and Physical Education are taught by subject-area faculty in their own learning spaces. These subject-area teachers also teach in our lower school (grades 1-5), which facilitates a smooth transition between kindergarten and first grade.

   

   

• PK Schedule (Full Day)

  7:45-8:05 a.m.	Drop Off Parents pull up to the EC entrance, and let a teacher assist you with dropping off your child.
  7:45-8:20 a.m.	Morning Routine We begin each morning with the same routine, starting with the children washing their hands, listening to the morning message and signing in, then it’s off to play ‘til morning meeting. We realize the importance of consistency and structure in our children’s lives.
  8:25 a.m.	Morning Meeting We begin each day building relationships with a greeting and a responsive classroom meeting. This is a great opportunity to incorporate the responsive classroom curriculum into our day. Responsive classroom and MVS both focus on creating a positive community where our children’s social and emotional development is at the forefront.
  8:35-10:45 a.m.	Mini Lessons, Open Exploration, and Outside Play Children are divided into four groups with a lead teacher and teacher assistant in each group. Numerous philosophies such as the Reggio Method, Waldorf, and Montessori are incorporated into our center time. While all the children explore the same subject matter, each teaching team brings their own creativity into the learning and exploration. Children also eat a nutritious snack during this time. Children need numerous opportunities daily to stretch their muscles, roll down the hill, explore the climbing wall, or build a volcano in the sandbox. Children will spend time outdoors each morning if it is above 20 degrees. We follow the lower school schedule and the six day rotation.
  10:40-11:20 a.m.	Co-curriculars Our co-curricular schedule follows a six day “color rotation” based on the colors of the rainbow. Co-curriculars include Spanish, Mandarin, physical education, performing arts, and library.
  11:50 a.m.-12:30 p.m.	Lunch Children come inside, wash hands, and sit down for lunch. They eat lunch they brought from home or the meal that was ordered from the school lunchroom. Teachers sit and eat with the children. This is a great time for conversation and independence.
  12:45-2:10 p.m.	Rest and Afternoon Stations In accordance with the Ohio Department of Education, all first year children (3-4 year olds) are provided a time to rest after lunch. Our second year students (4- 5 year olds) also rest at the beginning of the year as they adjust back to school. Yoga mats and flannel blankets are used by the children for rest time.In the fall, the students who will be going to kindergarten the following year will participate in our pre-kindergarten activities. All activities are geared towards enhancing and solidifying our children’s social, emotional, fine motor, gross motor, and cognitive development. We want the whole child to be ready for kindergarten.
  2:10-2:40 p.m.	Back Outside to End Our Day Another great time to ride a bike or build with the blocks. If the weather is uncooperative, the teachers will provide engaging activities such as art projects, dancing, puzzles, reading, etc. for the children.
  2:45-3:05 p.m.	Dismissal Students can picked up between 2:45pm – 3:05pm. Parents will pull up to the EC gate and teachers will walk children out to their car. After 3:05pm, all children will go to Kid’s Club (Extended Day).
  3:05 p.m.	Kids Club After school care for children limited to reservations only.