Kindergarten at Rivendell is designed to foster the development of the whole child (heart, soul, mind/academics, strength, and relationships) in a creative, loving and pleasant environment. This first year of formal education is designed to resonate with each child's God-given wonder, joy of discovery, and thirst for knowledge. Our whole child emphasis provides the philosophical grounding for our unique Kindergarten program in which we partner with the home to encourage children to continue to learn from their first teachers: their parents.
Our Kindergarteners attend school 4 days per week, Tuesday through Friday.
Our classroom program is both academic and developmental. Reading and math readiness activities are introduced. These include manipulative activities which engage several senses and do not require a student to read or write extensively. Kindergarteners are introduced to phonics, but formal reading instruction is not begun for the class as a whole until the first grade. Children who are reading upon entering Kindergarten or who begin to read during the year are encouraged to build on those skills.
We believe learning for our Kinders should be a joyful exploration of new skills and ideas, an imaginative and heroic quest, an opportunity to learn to care for one another, and a place in which students learn to practice the healthy habits of a classroom community.
