Ursuline Academy’s Pre-K/Kindergarten Program introduces your child to the first stage of formal education through fun and thought-provoking lessons in our loving and nurturing classroom environments. Focused on feeding the spiritual, physical, intellectual, social, and emotional needs of the whole child, our teachers engage your child in multi-sensory activities that promote exploration and foster curiosity, while surrounding them with literature and a language-rich environment. Your child masters advanced math, language, and artistic skills while also improving important social skills through daily interactions with students, teachers, and the school community, in preparation for success in our Lower School. Because creative expression is a program cornerstone, activities are open-ended to encourage different learning styles, which enhance the depth of your child’s academic understanding across a variety of disciplines.
Language Arts
Through immersion in our Language Arts curriculum and daily journaling exercises, your child will distinguish between upper and lower case letters, associate sound awareness, and write with beginning sounds of words to encourage reading and writing comprehension and fine motor skill and advanced language development. Our teachers foster a deep appreciation for reading and writing through library time, storytelling, and composition, which enhance brain development and open new learning pathways.
Math
Basic concepts of sorting, classifying, and graphing using real-world examples allows your child to develop a foundation for mathematical reasoning and application, which aid in future scientific, geometric, and statistical comprehension. Your child masters number value association and identification of numbers 1 – 12, as well as one-to-one correspondence and concepts of more or less and equal.
Science
Our Early Childhood Outdoor Classroom provides a hands-on opportunity for your child to explore science in action from September through June. Our students cultivate a vegetable garden and watch as their plants transform from season to season, nurturing a love of science at an early age. Our teachers and students get their hands dirty and play in the natural world around them as they experience the science of life cycles, biology, and plant development.
Social Studies
World leaders throughout history serve as a guide for your child’s journey through our Social Studies curriculum. Our students learn about historical milestones with the help of George Washington, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and St. Angela Merici, among others, while studying different world traditions and holidays to understand the diversity of our global society. To develop a deep interest in social studies, our teachers use technology and interactive curriculum to bring history alive.
Religion
As a Catholic, independent school, Ursuline lays a spiritual foundation for your child based on the life and lessons of St. Angela Merici. By promoting God’s love through our warm and nurturing classroom environments, our Early Childhood teachers instill in your child a spiritual foundation that will only grow in time at Ursuline. Children are taught to love, respect, and help one another in the spirit of Serviam, which becomes an integral part of the fabric of your child’s character.
