Language + Literacy

 During a child’s first five years, language develops from babbling sounds to an emerging reader.  We are aware of the many steps in this process and stress mastery of each before a new step is undertaken.  Our Twos are encouraged to speak to their peers and their teachers.  Our Threes are encouraged to listen to simple stories.  Our Fours are encouraged to converse in detail.  Our Kindergarteners are encouraged to tell and write their stories. 

Every day our students are exposed to mathematical concepts that are the foundation for future success in addition, subtraction and beyond.  Numbering, patterning, matching shapes, proportions, spatial relationships, and one-to-one correspondence are a few of the concepts our teachers incorporate into everyday activities such as calendar, finger plays and songs. 

Everything the children touch, hear, taste, see and smell can become a science experiment.  A water table full of sinking and floating objects, a paper left in the sun to fade, a pan of flour, and a cup of scented water are experiments waiting to happen.  Children of all ages and stages are natural scientists.  We supply the tools and they supply the questions. Theories and hypotheses are discussed and handled according to the child’s interest. Teachers are the facilitators in this magical world and the children are the explorers. 

The world is an intriguing place that fascinates all children.  People from other lands, places, cultures, customs and traditions are explored through a variety of classroom experiences.  Literature, music, the sharing of family traditions and the dramatic arts all help bring a little bit of the outside world to life. 

At Cross Roads, art is not a class but rather a teaching tool.  On a daily basis, the teachers provide creative opportunities with a wide array of media for each of the children to explore.  It is easy to admire what the children are learning during the school day by the ever-changing art displayed on the walls and in our halls. 

Music provides children with the opportunity to play and move in a meaningful way.  Movin’ and groovin’ to various rhythms, acting out finger plays and creating their own percussion sounds and beats encourages the growth of each child’s musical gifts.  Nursery rhymes, folk songs, echo songs and traditional holiday songs take us all merrily through the school year. 

Studies show that the acquisition of a second language at an early age is the best way to go.  One day a week, the children are immersed in the Spanish language with the focus of the learning on colors, number, body parts and simple commands.