Kindergarten
Kindergarten emphasizes teaching children a love of learning through developmentally appropriate hands-on activities for growing socially, academically, spiritually and physically.
The program consists of the following:
- Religion
- Language Arts
- Math
- Science
- Social Studies
- Spanish
- Technology
- Library
- Music
- Physical Education
- Art
The language arts program is phonics-based with a strong emphasis on literature. Manipulatives and cooperative learning groups are used daily in math, social studies, science, and art classes. Religion lessons are integrated daily as we stress sharing and kindness to one another in all that we do.
Religion
Catholic Schools have the unique educational purpose of presenting a Catholic worldview to our students. At Immaculate Heart of Mary School, a Catholic worldview is a way of looking at the world through a Catholic Church lens, derived from Catholic Church teachings, scripture, and Catholic Church traditions. “Bringing Good News” is the Archdiocese of Baltimore Religion Curriculum for Elementary Schools. This standards-based curriculum serves as a guide for both teachers and students as they embark on a journey, which will provide them with the knowledge and understanding of the faith as witnessed in the teachings and the traditions of the Catholic Church.
Mathematics
Children will represent their mathematical understandings in ways that are meaningful to them – for example, by writing or drawing on paper, by using pictures and/or numbers and some words, by using materials such as blocks or counters, or by using electronic media such as applications on tables.
By the end of Kindergarten our students are able to:
- Recognize number names and the count sequence
- Understand addition as putting together and adding to, and understand subtraction as taking apart and taking from
- Describe and compare measurable attributes
- Sort and classify objects and count the number of objects in each category
- Analyze, compare, create, and compose shapes
English Language Arts
By the end of Kindergarten our students are able to:
- Learn to pay attention to the way print and books work
- Learn that printed letters and words represent the sounds and words of oral language
- Listen to each other with attention and engage in give-and-take conversations
- Become aware that some words rhyme or start or end in the same way, and thus begin to develop phonological awareness
- Begin to share their ideas and responses to texts in a variety of ways
- Learn that writing can communicate a message
- Begin to explore different purposes for writing
- Represent their thinking graphically by drawing
- Express their thoughts and ideas using new vocabulary taught in the classroom
- Ask and respond to questions that demonstrate and require predicting, making inferences, connecting, and critiquing.
Additional Subject Areas
While there are not defined standards in preschool for the following subject areas, Catholic schools offer exploration and introduction to the content that will be learned in future grade levels:
- Science
- Instructional Technology
- Social Studies
- Visual and Performing Arts
- Physical Education/Health
- World Languages
- Library
- Spanish