Welcome, we’ve been waiting for you!

We are delighted to have you as part of our London District Catholic School Board family. We can’t wait for our youngest students to begin their learning journey with us!

Every child is unique and has individual needs. Our educators are committed to providing a learning environment to meet these needs. Our Kindergarten Program provides your children the opportunity to actively explore, discover, solve problems, and make connections to the world around them. At the end of our kindergarten program, you will be amazed at how much your child has learned and accomplished.

Our team of educators is dedicated to helping your child reach his/her full potential spiritually, academically, socially, emotionally, and physically. As your child journeys through our Catholic schools, we look forward to working closely with you to support this exciting K-12 journey of learning.

Although it may seem like a long way away, our goal – even in kindergarten – is to help prepare your child to become responsible and caring graduates who contribute to the world in their own unique way.

An education rooted in faith is unique and special. Parents tell us they can feel the difference when they walk through the doors of our Catholic schools, and is something they value and cherish. Community, inclusivity and common purpose come together through the home, school and parish relationship.

Welcome to Catholic education!

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Our Kindergarten Program at LDCSBKindergarten is a two-year experience that builds community and provides rich and inclusive learning for all children. We want to establish a strong foundation for learning in the early years in a safe and caring play-based learning environment. It is designed to help children build on their prior knowledge and experiences, form concepts, acquire foundation skills, and form positive attitudes towards learning. In addition, it lays the foundation for children’s smooth transition to Grade One and for success throughout their school years.

We know that all children arrive at school with different backgrounds and experiences as well as at different stages of development. All children learn differently, and so our educators pay particular attention to offering experiences that help your child learn skills, understand concepts and make connections. We respect diversity and teach students to recognize their individual potentials as uniquely gifted by God.

Our team of professional educators, support staff, and school principals/vice-principals teach the “whole” child: the spiritual, academic, social, emotional, and physical growth in children. We believe that each of these components is inseparable from others.

We believe that God has created each child as a unique individual and that is why we promote an atmosphere that includes and accepts everyone in our school. Your child will be able to nurture relationships with children from a range of cultural and diverse backgrounds.

Our philosophy of inclusion helps ensure that all members in a classroom contribute in meaningful ways. Children with special needs are provided with support and encouragement so they can participate within the classroom.

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The Next Step in Your Child’s Learning JourneyYou are your child’s first teacher and, whether you know it or not, you have already been working to get your child ready for the next stage in learning. By encouraging independence, fostering responsibility, instilling Gospel values, and nurturing self-esteem, you have created the foundation for a positive and healthy step into Kindergarten.

Once you have registered your child for school, you can turn your attention to getting set for the big day. There are many things you can do over the next few months to prepare your children for a smooth transition to school. Consider some of these “ABCs” and “123s” to prepare your children to become the youngest members of their Catholic school community.

Language Activities• Surround your children with language – talk

to them often and respond to their questions.• Read to your child daily and talk about

the stories or pictures. Read nursery rhymes , traffic signs, and other print in the community.

• Involve your child in the writing you do.

Math Activities• Count every day objects up to 5 or 10.• Use old boxes or containers for building.• Look for patterns.• Sort and match toys and socks.• Measure ingredients for baking.• Solve problems together.

Growing in Faith Activities• Attend Mass and say prayers together.• Help your child to recognize and enjoy the

wonders of God’s creation.

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Building a Learning CommunityChildren are unique individuals who live, learn, and develop within families, the school, the parish and the broader community. These groups work together to meet the needs of our young children.

The Educator TeamThe Kindergarten Teacher and an Early Childhood Educator create a nurturing and stimulating learning environment to support the unique needs of each child.

Teachers are responsible for long-term planning, organization of the program, management of the class, effective instruction, formative assessment and evaluation, and formal reporting.

Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) focus on age-appropriate program planning to facilitate experiences that promote each child’s physical, cognitive, language, emotional, social and creative development and well-being.

PrincipalsPrincipals work in partnership with all stakeholders to establish open lines of communication between the school, parents and the community, and to ensure that every child has access to the best possible early learning experiences.

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ParishWe believe in fostering a strong relationship between home, school and parish. Educator teams support your child’s ongoing growth in faith through Mass, prayers, religious education, and a program infused with Gospel values. Your child will frequently see priests and other members of the parish pastoral team at school.

ParentsAs their children’s first and most powerful teachers, parents provide important information that makes us better able to meet children’s individual learning needs.

Community PartnersOur schools work with community partners to strengthen families. Community partnerships and collaborations are essential in supporting our schools and families, as they may help ease transitions and provide access to additional resources and services.

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Areas of Learning in the Kindergarten ProgramChildren entering Kindergarten bring with them the capacity to wonder and imagine, and the ability to discover and experiment as a means to finding answers. When children are able to explore the world around them with their natural curiosity, they are fully engaged and see themselves as contributing members of their world.

The four areas outlined below support an approach that aligns with the way a child’s learning naturally occurs and focuses on aspects of learning that are critical to young children’s development. The areas reflect the integrated way in which learning occurs during children’s play and inquiry in Kindergarten.

Belonging and Contributing• Sense of connectedness to others• Relationship with others, and their contributions

as part of a group, a community, and the natural world

• Understanding of relationships and community, and the ways in which people contribute to the world around them.

Self-Regulation and Well-Being• Their own thinking and feelings, and their

recognition of, and a respect for, differences in the thinking and feelings of others

• Regulating emotions, adapting to distractions, and assessing consequences of actions in a way that enables them to engage in learning

• Physical and mental health and wellness.

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Demonstrating Literacy and Mathematics Behaviours• Communicating thoughts and feelings through gestures, physical movements, words, symbols,

and representations• Literacy behaviours, evident in the way they use language, images, and materials to express

and think critically about ideas and emotions as they listen and speak, view and represent, and begin to read and write

• Mathematics behaviours, evident in the ways they use concepts of numbers and patterns during play and inquiry; access, manage, create, and evaluate information; and experience an emergent understanding of mathematical relationships, concepts, skills, and processes

• Active engagement in learning and a developing love of learning, which can instill the habit of lifelong learning.

Problem Solving and Innovating• Exploring the world through natural curiosity in ways that engage the mind, the senses, and the

body• Making meaning of their world by asking questions; testing theories, solving problems and

engaging in creative and analytical thinking• The innovating ways of thinking about and doing things that arise naturally with an active

curiosity, and applying those ideas in relationships with others, with materials and with the environment.

Religious EducationOne of the things that makes Catholic education truly unique is that we integrate Catholic beliefs and values into the curriculum. In Kindergarten, this involves children’s songs, activities and prayers related to topics such as me, community, church times, special days, plants and animals and changes. Through various activities inside the classroom and outdoors, children are invited to experience the gift of God’s presence in creation.

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Learning-Based PlayKindergarten provides a balance of explicit instruction, guided instruction, and exploration. There are times when a member of the educator team guides the children’s learning, and times when children are given opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge. Educator teams plan for whole-class instruction, small group learning, independent learning, activities at learning centres, and indoor and outdoor play.

We believe that four and five-year olds are capable and active learners. In our classrooms, young children actively explore their environment and the world around them through a process of learning-based play.

Because play provides opportunities for learning in a context in which children are at their most receptive, child-initiated free play and more structured play-based learning opportunities are integral parts of early learning classrooms.

Learning in Real-Life ContextsYoung children learn best when they can connect their learning to their lives and the world around them. Children engage in real-life activities in the classroom, the school and the neighbourhood. They also handle, explore, and experiment with materials that are familiar to them.

Learning Through Exploration Through exploration, children manipulate objects, act out roles, and experiment with various materials. Throughout the process, children are encouraged to think creatively, explore, investigate, discover, solve problems and share their learning with others.

Learning Through InquiryChildren engage in inquiry-based learning by exploring and investigating to see how things work and why things happen. Inquiry-based learning engages students in the process of asking questions, investigating answers to questions, constructing new knowledge and reflecting on their learning.

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Assessment, Evaluation and ReportingAssessment and EvaluationYoung children show understanding by doing, showing, and telling. We use assessment strategies of observing, listening, and asking probing questions in order to assess and evaluate children’s achievement.

We observe, monitor, and document children’s learning continually. Observations are captured through notes, pictures, videos and the child’s own representations. The information gathered is used to make plans for further instruction and learning and is also used for formal reporting.

ReportingReporting is ongoing and ranges from informal notes and conversations with parents/guardians to formal written reports and conferences.

Formal reports throughout Kindergarten indicate the child’s progress, growth, and achievement in relation to the learning expectations. Reports also include next steps and suggestions for ways parents can assist and support their children’s learning at home.

GROWING SUCCESS – THE KINDERGARTEN ADDENDUM

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Tips for a Successful Start to Kindergarten

Practice and RoutinesEstablish a consistent bedtime and wake up schedule by getting your child in the habit of going to bed and waking up at a time that will match the schedule that you will be following once school starts.

LABEL EVERYTHING! In order to avoid confusion, your child’s name should appear on everything - knapsack, footwear, outerwear, lunch containers, etc.

Practice walking to school or to the bus stop so that this becomes a familiar routine.

Teach your child and praise your child for independence in dressing and personal care routines such as toileting, grooming, hand washing, care of personal items, and putting toys away.

Dressing for SuccessChildren will be participating in a wide range of activities. They will be sitting on the floor, jumping, running and bending. It is important that your child has clothes and footwear that will be comfortable during these activities.

Educator teams have many children in a class and will often have to help put on and take off footwear and other pieces of clothing. By choosing items that are simple to take on and off, you make things easier for the educators so that they can spend more time teaching. You will also be helping your child develop independence.

It is important to dress your child in clothes that are durable and easy to clean. Because we value outdoor play as part of the Kindergarten day, it is also important that your child’s clothing is suitable for all types of weather.

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Knapsack Know-HowChoosing a knapsack and lunch box can be a fun experience for your child and is one way that you can generate excitement about going to school.

You will want to find a knapsack that is large enough to carry a lunch box and extra clothing as well as other items (such as notes, books, activities, and crafts) that your child will regularly carry back and forth from home to school. Children should feel comfortable carrying, opening, and closing their knapsacks so that it doesn’t become cumbersome or frustrating.

Lunch boxes should be large enough to hold snacks, drinks, and a lunch. Containers your child can easily manage mostly alone are best.

Children are so thrilled when they can say, “I did it myself!”

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Your Child’s Big DayOn the first day of school, try to keep things as normal as possible.

You may find it helpful to wake up a little earlier than usual so that your child can get ready in a calm and unhurried way.

Consistency and routine are essential to children, especially once they start school.

Now the hard part!

When you say goodbye to your child on the first day, make it quick, light, and reassuring.

Give a hug and remind your child that you or the usual caregiver will see your child after school.

As difficult as it may be, try not to let your feelings of anxiety or concern known to your child.

Remember … it is an emotional and exciting time for you and your child!