Kindergarten

The kindergarten year is an opportunity to grow in awareness of others, in paying attention, in organization, and in curiosity. Students daily memorize Scripture, learn about God’s character, listen to stories from the Bible, and hear the good news of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection!

Ambrose kindergarteners learn to read, to write the letters of the alphabet, and to count and use numbers 0-100. They study birds throughout the year, learning to recognize those that live in our area, to imitate their calls, and to understand their habitats. They memorize poetry and read stories related to birds, and even have a Puffin Pancake Breakfast in the spring!

In kindergarten, your child will:

• Learn the basics of phonetic reading and begin reading simple stories.
• Learn to print upper and lower case letters, begin sentences with a capital letter and end them with a punctuation mark.
• Begin composing simple sentences.
• Memorize passages of Scripture including the Lord’s Prayer, the Ten Commandments, and Psalm 1.
• Listen to and discuss stories from Scripture.
• Memorize and recite poetry and songs, such as “There Once Was a Puffin,” “The Mitten Song,” and “You’re a Grand Old Flag.”
• Learn and sing a new hymn every month.
• Write and count using the numbers 0-100.
• Identify shorter and longer, heavier and lighter, more and less, small and large, left and right, etc.
• Identify the date, day, month, and year.
• Count by 10’s, 5’s and 2’s.
• Learn about birds–their bodies, migration, habitat, calls, and habits.
• Visit the MK Nature Center and the Birds of Prey.
• Draw birds and practice basic elements of art such as color, texture, shape, and form.
• Practice gross motor skills such as jumping jacks, hopping, skipping, jumping rope, and balancing, and kicking, trapping, throwing, catching, and dribbling balls.
• Learn about the composers Bach and Beethoven and the music they wrote.
• Learn to tap a steady beat, have good posture for singing, sing softly and loudly, recognize high notes vs. low notes, recognize instruments, learn how different instruments are played and what they sound like, and move to music.

When can my child apply for kindergarten?

Students who will be five years old by the first day of school of the application year (August 23 for 2021-22) can apply for kindergarten. Applying students will meet with a kindergarten teacher who will assess their readiness for kindergarten.

When do classes meet?

We offer two kindergarten class times. Half-day kindergarten meets daily from 7:45-11:15. Full-day kindergarten meets daily from 7:45-2:15.

What does a typical day look like?

• Opening: Greeting, prayer, hymn sing, and Bible story
• Morning Meeting: Choose students of the day, talk about the calendar, recite poetry and other memory work together as a class
• Math lesson and practice
• Recess
• Snack
• Reading lesson and practice
• Penmanship lesson and practice
• Art
• Lunch
• Recess
• Rest time
• Story time
• Integrated activity
• Clean and pack up

Do students wear uniforms?

Kindergarten students wear uniforms, as outlined in the school uniform guide.