KindergartenNOTE: If you are interested in enrolling your student at Pacific School, please complete the appropriate Interest Form. More information about our enrollment procedures is Here.
Age Eligibility
Kindergarten serves students who turn five years old on or before September 1 of the school year. (Transitional Kindergarten serves students who turn four years old on or before September 1 of the school year.) Overview Kindergarten is taught by Ariana Mindelzun ("Ms. Ariana"). Kindergarten meets Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 8:15 to 2:45 and Wednesdays from 8:15 to 12:10. After School Recreation is available every day from dismissal until 5:15 p.m. The Independent Study (IS) program is available to kindergarten students. IS students attend school on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays and study at home or attend optional field trips on Wednesdays and Fridays. Ms. Ariana's Teaching Philosophy
Education is perhaps the most important element existing in our society. The children of today live our world of tomorrow, and therefore it is critical that we provide them with the most outstanding education possible. A child's educational experience influences how they feel about themselves, the world, others, and learning. I am committed to being the most effective, inspirational and life-changing teacher I can be. I am devoted to each child that I teach and believe that they deserve the best from me. Being a teacher is one of the greatest honors I can imagine. Being a teacher means teaching children to think and create to their greatest capacity. It means inspiring children to be the best person they can be, both academically and socially. Teaching means being a nurturing, supportive and encouraging role model. Being a teacher is about not only instructing a learning goal but also fostering the desire to learn and the thirst for knowledge. I believe that children learn best when:
At the end of the day, I measure my success as a teacher by asking the following questions:
As a teacher, I strive to provide each and every student with a learning environment supported by parental and community involvement, integrative curriculum and learners who are excited to return the following day. I am committed to creating a learning environment where students excel and shine each day, and walk forward into the world with this confidence. Parent Resources. Curriculum Our Kindergarten classroom fosters a creative and joyful environment in which students apply their early learning experiences to mastering subject matter and skills in preparation for their future first grade classroom. The emergent curriculum centers on children’s interests, play, and discovery. We believe that children are naturally curious about their world. Science Children learn experientially through hands-on investigations of the Earth, Life, and Physical sciences in the classroom and garden. Their study of materials, animals, and plants is supported by the FOSS (Full Option Science System) hands-on science curriculum. Literacy Our literacy curriculum emerges from a text-rich environment in which children seek and engage with books and print as meaningful, useful, and joyful communication. As children recognize letters and sounds, they develop their skills in reading emergent-reader texts and producing responses using writing, drawings and dictation. Children work in an Explode the Code workbook, keep a daily journal, collect high frequency sight words, and engage in activities to decompose and create words. Math Our mathematics exploration begins with guided math talks around numbers and patterns and deepens with children’s play and manipulation of a wide variety of counters, collections, shapes, and blocks. Children practice counting, cardinality, comparison, classification, measurement, and addition and subtraction with written equations. Our year-long block-building curriculum grows children’s understanding of number, physics, size, shape, and balance. Math Goals. Art, Music, and Dance Woven into all of the children’s experiences are rich opportunities to express themselves in the arts through plays, song, dance, paint, clay, sculpture, collage, pastels, pencils and markers. The children study color theory, composition, and expression through a mix of guided and independent work. Community Throughout their day in the classroom, children are taught how to be productive and valued community members and practice the necessary social and emotional skills needed for a school setting. We love to help children form new friendships and support them in resolving conflicts through read-aloud stories, meeting conversations, and restorative circles. We extend our learning beyond the classroom through field trips to our beautiful State Parks and local areas of interest and by inviting community members with experience in many fields to share their passions and interests with us. Weekly Activities
Communication Open communication between teachers and parents of enrolled students* is always of great importance to me, and it is paramount to our children’s success. Please reach out any time. Emails: amindelzun @ pacificesd.org *To allow teachers to focus on the education of their current students, prospective families are asked to direct all questions to the office, not to teachers. |
Ariana Mindelzun, Kindergarten Teacher
Kindergarten student at Grandfriends' Tea, celebrating a year of instruction in the school's Life Lab garden.
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