Classrooms  → Kindergarten → Kindergarten Orientation/All Day K

    Kindergarten Orientation

    All Day Kindergarten

    "I truly love all day kindergarten."  - Susan Edwards, kindergarten teacher 

    Susan Edwards is a kindergarten teacher at Harmony Hills. She has been teaching for 28 years. She has taught as many as 54 students a day in past years: 27 in the morning and 27 in the afternoon and was accountable for the progress of all of those students. Now she has 17 students for the whole day. These are the comments from the kindergarten, grade one and grade 2 team on the many benefits of all day kindergarten and smaller class sizes.

    There is Now Time for Students to:

    • Form closer relationships with the teacher.  We now have a connected emotional bond.  I know "everything" about them.  Since in-depth relationships are formed more quickly, the learninng process can begin much sooner.   
    • Work at their own pace 
    • Revisit their work and to write in their journals. 
    • Develop technology skills.  We go to the lab twice a week and they can now visit the technology centers set up in the classroom on a more regular basis.
    • Participate in developmentally appropriate activities.  Play is important for kindergarten students and now this activity is also incorporated into the rigorous, academic curriculum.
    • Participate more.  More time and less students mean that students have a greater opportunity to participate in class discussions.

    k3  

    "There is time for every child to shine.  No one falls through the cracks."

    k2 

    Smaller Class Size Gives the Teacher Time to:

    • Talk and listen to all of the students.  Language is so important for these students 
    • Work with the shy students.  Half of my students are ESL.  They are more comfortable participating in a smaller group. 
    • Be a better student advocate 
    • Meet the students'needs better.  Behavior issues are often from needs not being met.  The smaller class size lets me meet those needs.  Classroom management is easier.  "It's simply more peaceful." 
    • Make assessments immediately and adjust the instruction 
    • Relate to the students on a one to one basis. 
    • Have meaningful parent conferences.  Since there are less students, we can spend more time with each parent.
    • Plan.  Less time is spent on grading and report comments
     k1 

    Generally Speaking

    • Just moving around in the classroom space is easier.  There are less desks in the room and there is more space to have groups. 
    • There is less out of pocket expenses for the teacher. 
    • It is less stressful for the teacher and the student.  Behavior issues  decline thus leaving more time for on task instruction.