Kindergarten

Education is a journey, not a race. And that journey begins in Kindergarten. At Frederick Adventist Academy (FAA), Kindergarteners are encouraged to learn and grow through a multimodal approach.  Students engage in hands-on activities, including field trips, hands-on science, and classroom and outdoor play activities.  Next year, the FAA Kindergarten curriculum will be further enhanced by a Spanish class, Kindermusik, and a new Lego education program.

The use of technology in the classroom adds to the Kindergarteners’ learning experience at FAA.  Classroom computers provide students the opportunity to learn and play through educational games, and Smartboard technology is used to enhance learning in various academic subjects.

Children also learn through play, so students are given adequate playtime during the school day.  In Kindergarten, students develop social skills and learn how to work and play together cooperatively during creative playtime.

The students also spend time developing their fine motor control by cutting, writing, and coloring.  In art, students further develop their fine motor skills by learning to manipulate glue sticks, pencils, crayons and markers, and by using paint brushes and other art materials.  We use Arts Attack, an innovative art program that teaches art skills, as well as art appreciation.

Phonics is stressed in order to provide a strong foundation in reading.  Kindergarteners use Saxon Phonics, a program that carries over into first and second grades.  Since the introduction of this program at FAA, we have seen our Kindergarteners’ reading abilities increase dramatically.

Our new math program, Go-Math, teaches the Common Core State Standards. These rigorous education standards establish a set of shared goals and expectations for what students should understand and be able to do in Kindergarten. The standards are research- and evidence-based and internationally benchmarked.  Go-Math provides hands-on learning through manipulatives and visuals displayed on the Smartboard.  Go-Math also includes clear instructions to help meet the needs of kinesthetic, visual, and auditory learners, when possible. Additionally, students are given opportunities for self-practice, guided work, and assessment.

Most importantly, we are helping students begin a relationship with God.  Every day begins with worship and singing; and related hands-on activities bring the Bible stories to life. Our students are learning to be like Jesus: what more meaningful lifelong journey could you hope for your child?

Kindergarten students must be at least five years of age on or before September 1 of the current school year.