Pre-Kindergarten

The Meridian School believes that our youngest learners are innately curious about the world around them. We believe that given the opportunity, they will seek to find answers to questions by exploring and investigating their social and natural world each day. Our Pre-K classroom is designed to keep our four-year-olds curious and engaged and focuses on teaching the whole child. Through our emergent curriculum, we are dedicated to helping our students foster a community that is delighted in awe and inquiry.  

Curriculum

By listening to, learning about, and observing each child, the teachers help design a program, that fosters growth and creativity within each child in four areas of development:

• Emotional & Executive Functioning – the faculty helps children understand and name their emotions and teaches emotional regulation skills. Skilled in positive discipline techniques and appropriate limit-setting, the faculty will lead children to practice executive function skills of planning, inhibition, delay of gratification, and emotional regulation through lessons and play. 
• Social – the children learn how to handle conflict through problem-solving and communication so that they become confident and capable individuals who respect others and embrace differences.
• Cognitive – the faculty uses a variety of approaches, so that the children become excited and confident learners in literacy (reading and writing readiness), pre-math, science, and exploration of the natural world. 
• Physical wellness– the school’s program helps build healthy bodies and encourages the development of physical skills, a love of the outdoors, and a sense of wonder and respect for nature.

Our curriculum is designed to encourage children to enjoy the process of learning and inquiry. We want children to explore their environment and cultivate an appreciation of being stewards of their world. Inquiry-based “hands-on” learning activities and child-initiated activities are encouraged and supported by the teachers.

We implement both:

Emergent Curriculum – the exploration of projects by the class, inspired by the area of the children’s interests.

Thematic Curriculum – which includes activities that the teachers recognize as interesting and engaging to children.

The curriculum is age-appropriate, play-based learning, recognizing the predictable sequence of growth and development of children, respecting the way young children think, feel, and interact, and acknowledging each child’s unique abilities.

At Meridian, each child feels nurtured, respected, loved, secure, and open to learning. In the school’s caring and supportive community, families, as well as the children, thrive. Each child finishes Meridian’s pre-K ready for kindergarten and the opportunities of elementary school and beyond.

Assessing Student Learning

Each child at The Meridian School pre-K will have a portfolio that reflects their story, their strengths, accomplishments, and interests. The portfolios will include documentation in the form of work samples, teacher and parent observations, journal entries, photographs, and the analysis of these photos and learning stories of the child.  

Twice a year, families will participate in parent-teacher conferences where their child’s work will be shared with them with a summary of the child’s socio-emotional growth, and academic milestones and goals. In the spring, a culminating portfolio share facilitated by their child will occur, along with a final summary by the teacher provided demonstrating the child’s readiness for kindergarten.

What to Expect on a daily basis:

• Full-day schedule from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm, Monday through Friday
• Two dedicated and passionate pre-Kindergarten teachers with 16-18 students
• Weekly Specialist classes including art, music, library, science lab, creativity lab, and health and fitness 
• Housed in their own learning space but connected to the Meridian K-5 campus
• Daily activities that include explorations in literacy, math, science, and social studies
• Indoor and outdoor learning and play 
• Inquiry-based activities and thematic units of study 
• Meridian Cares: Emphasis on the community within our classroom, our school, our neighbors, the park, and beyond with a focus on respect, and cooperation
• Opportunities to develop empathy for others and for the natural world
• Daily fine and gross motor activities
• A commitment to helping students practice mindfulness as a way to be present and intentional in their interactions and learning
• A commitment to Meridian’s equity and inclusion initiatives and appreciation of the diversity of our community.

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