Kindergarten
(For children age 5 or older by August 31)
St. Louise Kindergarten consists of two classrooms that are each typically made up of 16-20 students. Each classroom has a teacher and an instructional assistant which reduces the teacher student ratio, as well as a reading specialist who helps provide differentiated instruction to the various reading levels. Up-to-date, research-based curriculum is utilized in reading, math, and many other core subjects.
The Kindergarten curriculum focuses on teaching to the whole child – the physical, social-emotional, intellectual and spiritual aspects of five and six-year-olds. The child’s spiritual side is nurtured and developed through daily religion class to help students develop their personal relationship with God. Gospel values are interwoven into every part of the day and curriculum. Kindergarteners learn Catholic traditions, attend Mass with the student body twice monthly, pray, and read Bible stories daily.
Kindergarten Curriculum
Religion
Text: Sadlier, We Believe: Catholic Identity Parish Edition
Focus: Introduce children to their faith mainly through fundamental sensory experiences; learn about God in relation to themselves and others. Learn about the gifts God gives to us by experiencing the familiar elements in the children’s lives in a prayerful way.
Focus: Introduce children to their faith mainly through fundamental sensory experiences; learn about God in relation to themselves and others. Learn about the gifts God gives to us by experiencing the familiar elements in the children’s lives in a prayerful way.
Reading
Text: Houghton Mifflin, Reading - Journeys
Focus: This reading series will focus on phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
Focus: This reading series will focus on phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
Math
Text: Big Ideas
Focus: This program focuses on problem based interactive and visual learning to deepen conceptual understanding.
Focus: This program focuses on problem based interactive and visual learning to deepen conceptual understanding.
Science
Text: Picture Perfect STEM
Focus: This science program focuses on weather, engineering, motion, force, plants, and animal habitats.
Focus: This science program focuses on weather, engineering, motion, force, plants, and animal habitats.
Text: Mystery Science
Focus: This interactive and hands-on science program is centered on weather, solar system, force, engineering, and motion.
Focus: This interactive and hands-on science program is centered on weather, solar system, force, engineering, and motion.
Social Studies
Text: Story Path; The First Thanksgiving
Focus: Help students understand the world around them, the first thanksgiving, and the way it affects our lives today.
Focus: Help students understand the world around them, the first thanksgiving, and the way it affects our lives today.
Text: Scholastic “Let’s Find Out.”
Focus: Explore and learn about the world around us.
Focus: Explore and learn about the world around us.
Handwriting
Text: Zaner-Bloser, Handwriting
Focus: Developing fine motor skills as students learn to write capital and lowercase letters of the alphabet, numerals, words and sentences.
Focus: Developing fine motor skills as students learn to write capital and lowercase letters of the alphabet, numerals, words and sentences.
Additional Subjects
Physical Education, Computers, Music, Library, Art, and Health.
Service Projects
Kindergarten supports the Bellevue Fire Department as their year-long service project. Kindergarteners are encouraged to do chores around the house to earn money, and each spring they use this money to buy teddy bears for the Fire Department’s “Teddy Bear Patrol.” The bears are used by the firefighters to comfort children in times of trauma. Also, students collect items for the Eastside Baby Corner in Issaquah. From socks to diapers, they help children, ages newborn to twelve years old, receive things they need.
In addition to their grade level service projects, the Kindergarten classes work together with the entire school on two school-wide annual service projects;
- The November Thanksgiving Basket collection teaches the importance of stewardship and giving to others. With the leadership of the 6th graders, the entire student body creates about two dozen complete, traditional Thanksgiving meal baskets. Together with the Parish and St. Vincent de Paul, the baskets are delivered to needy families in the community.
- Throughout February and March, each homeroom teacher promotes the importance of fasting and almsgiving during the Lenten season; students donate to Seattle's Union Gospel Mission, helping the less fortunate in our community and worldwide. This 40-day season of giving begins on Ash Wednesday with a schoolwide “Rice & Beans Lunch,” when all the students and staff give up their usual lunch that first day of Lent for a simple bowl of white rice and pinto beans and the money they would have spent on an ample meal is donated to the Union Gospel Mission.
Classroom Enrichment, Special Projects, and Events
Special Projects in Kindergarten are held throughout the year. The students perform for parents, grandparents, and the community. Special events include a Get Acquainted Parent Lunch, a Fall Concert, a reenactment of The Nativity Story during Advent, a Dad’s Day, a Mother’s Tea, and a Spring Concert. At the Nativity Performance, the Kindergarteners bring gifts for Baby Jesus which are then donated to the Eastside Baby Corner.
The Kindergarteners are each paired with a Third Grade Buddy. The buddies get together every week to do special projects and activities and buddies sit together during school Masses.
Various guest speakers visit the Kindergarteners each year. Animal Encounters come in the spring with baby animals and a petting zoo. The firemen come to school in their fire truck to collect the teddy bears from the Kindergarteners Teddy Bear Patrol Service Project Collection.
