Kindergarten in Woodridge 68

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  • The kindergarten year is a critical time in a child’s early development. The Woodridge 68 kindergarten program is designed to encourage and support children’s social, emotional, physical, and academic growth. Children are involved in daily learning experiences with speaking, listening, reading, writing, mathematics, purposeful play, social sciences, science, technology, health, music, movement, and art.

  • Woodridge 68 offers full-day kindergarten in all six elementary schools. Research shows that children participating in developmentally appropriate, full-day programs make greater academic and social gains. Full-day kindergarten provides children the time to engage with their teacher and classmates to maximize not only their academic growth but their social and emotional growth as well. A half-day option is available for parents who prefer a more condensed day for their child.

     

    The kindergarten program:

    • Focuses on daily learning experiences that help children to communicate orally, interact with others, participate in problem-solving activities, and think critically.
    • Provides opportunities for children to interact with books, identify sounds, rhyme words, and develop letter-sound relationships.
    • Promotes writing development.
    • Encourages children to demonstrate mathematical understanding by using real objects as they discuss, investigate, question, and verify.
    • Enables children to acquire knowledge about themselves as individuals, and as members of a family, a community, and the world.
    • Offers opportunities for children to observe, explore, experiment, and investigate the world around them.
    • Utilizes a variety of learning centers and stations to reinforce skills.
    • Encourages children’s creativity and higher-level thinking.
    • Provides individual Chromebooks to each student as a tool to use in their educational journey.

     

    Program Goals

     

    • Build, promote and provide opportunities to develop positive self-esteem.
    • Provide experiences that will develop and enhance critical thinking and problem-solving skills. 
    • Provide experiences that will strengthen and enhance the ability to communicate and interact with others. 
    • Prepare each child for elementary school, by focusing on student social emotional and academic knowledge, skills, and attitudes.
    • Promote a positive home/school connection through parent and teacher interactions and by encouraging parent involvement.

     

    Early Entrance to Kindergarten

    Nominations for early entrance to kindergarten (or first grade) can be found under Gifted Services. All nomination requests are due in the spring of the preceding school year, no later than April 1.