early childhood

Philosophy

Our preschool program is designed to promote the social, physical, emotional and intellectual development of each child. While striving to encourage development in each curriculum area, our overlying concern is the child's development of a healthy self-esteem, which enables children to inquire, challenge, encourage, support and examine their immediate surroundings and the larger world around them. Beyond that, our general goals are that each child will: enjoy school; be able to follow simple routines; be challenged by new skills; have opportunities for many successful experiences; and develop a nurturing respect for others as individuals.

We believe that each child is an individual. As every child's perspective and innate capabilities vary greatly, their strengths in learning situations do as well. It is our goal to discover each child's special abilities through careful observation and interaction, and to develop an individualized education plan that strengthens the child's overall capabilities. As such, our program is designed to ensure successful situations for each child, and to create a strong sense of self-esteem.

Learning is an active process and children learn best by being agents of their own surroundings. Play is the most vital tool through which a child organizes experiences and gives meaning to his or her world. Through play, our environment is a carefully planned laboratory for investigation; teachers in this environment actively participate in the child's self- discovery by asking open-ended questions that encourage children to think independently.

Curriculum Overview

When creating our weekly lessons, careful consideration is given to how each child will respond to the environment socially, emotionally, physically and intellectually. This careful prediction is recorded in the teacher's lesson plan binder, and can be viewed at any time at the parent information station, directly inside the preschool door. These plans are both developmentally appropriate and individually reflective of what each child will respond to most positively.

As we believe that an individualized approach to curriculum planning focuses on each child's self-discovery, children are encouraged to explore the environment at their own pace. Children often play in groups, and are free to use any areas of the classroom that they choose. Activities in the classroom are often repeated during the week so that the child is assured full exposure to the subject matter. The repetition of daily routines and experiences reinforces learning and leads to the mastery of skills. This mastery is a building block to growth. As growth occurs, children become more interested in their environment, more defined in their explorations, more specific in their inquiries, and more motivated to discover the world around them.

Mathematics: Mathematical Reasoning and Problem Solving

Our math curriculum connects mental math and logical reasoning skills to mathematical concepts and applications. Curriculum standards are set for each grade level to align and surpass state and national standards. The curriculum developmentally spirals. Integral parts of the program include manipulative, cooperative learning, problem-solving and real-life applications.

Young children learn quantitative skills and concepts along with the perception of relationships such as similarities, differences, and sequences of size or amount. Our children work together using a one-to-one number correspondence to help them identify and count out our monthly class calendars. Mathematical knowledge is enhanced through the use of puzzles, matching games, blocks, and manipulative tasks that encourage comparing, discriminating, classifying, and patterning.

Language Arts: Language Development

Built around the strong connections between reading and writing through core literature pieces, the purpose of the Language Arts curriculum is to provide students with the language abilities they need to communicate effectively as individuals and as members of society. Both oral and written communications promote a respect for oneself and diversity, as well as strong
critical thinking skills.

We build on children’s love of language and literature by reading and storytelling. Children build vocabulary by hearing and using new words in a meaningful context. Storytelling & dictation by children to teachers is regularly employed for vital literacy preparation. Letter lotto, alphabet bingo games, and picture cards help us to explore the sounds of each letter. Children practice name writing and copying to begin the process of letter formation mastery. Dramatic play, music, and puppetry encourage verbal skill development and enhance children’s imaginations.

Science: Physical Knowledge

Hands-on discovery and experimentation encourage students to develop skills in observation, description, and investigation. Students learn to collect, organize, and interpret data from their environment using the scientific method. In 3rd to 5th grades students follow the Parent Educator Program (PEP) and in 6th to 8th grades they follow the Growth Education Program which focuses on safety, health and development.

In addition to the on-going science activities that happen in the classroom, preschool and pre-kindergarten also enjoys science with the school’s elementary science specialist. Children delve into a hands on program with experimental topics ranging among liquid and solids, gases and air, effects of nature, sink and float, bubble making, and light.

Foreign Languages

Our philosophy is that if children can experience the sounds, gestures, and feeling of a foreign language, they will develop not only an ear for French and Mandarin, but also for learning other foreign languages and for language acquisition in general. The foreign language instruction starts in preschool and students meet with foreign language specialists three or four times a week according to the grade.

Through a multi-faceted, interactive approach involving songs, poetry, stories, games, art, drama, rhythm, conversation, and visual aids, these young children learn to think in French and Mandarin. While the primary focus is on receptive skills rather than language production, children do consistently learn to recall vocabulary in contextual situations. One of the primary goal is to impart an appreciation for different languages and cultures.

Social Studies: Social and Emotional Development

The social studies program follows a specific continuum.  In the elementary grades, an integrated approach is used to connect with all the academic areas that are being taught. In the middle school, history and geography are taught with a reliance upon source documents, artifacts, personal involvement and the use of technology. The program also seeks to develop a respect and understanding for individual differences and commonalities.

Social Awareness: We strive to consistently help each child develop skills in cooperation, tolerance, altruism, negotiation, conflict resolution, and mutual respect.

Cultural Awareness: We strive to build an awareness and understanding of various cultures by sharing stories, foods, music, games, and holiday celebrations of different ethnic groups with the children. Games, pictures, music, costumes and foods are discussed and explored.

Field Trips

Saklan believes that children learn in more depth and breadth when the real world and the classroom are connected, when they see and experience the things they are studying. Field trips expose children to people from varying backgrounds who are passionate about what they do. This, in turn, helps them understand that learning is not limited to the classroom or a certain time of life - it can happen anywhere, anytime.

Sample trips:

Fire Department – Community Helper & Safety Unit
Post Office and Public Bus Experience – Community Helper & Safety Unit
Oakland Zoo – Animals Unit
Little Farm – Tilden Park – Animals Unit
Clayton Valley Pumpkin Patch – Halloween & Fall Activities
Visit a Neighborhood Restaurant – Nutrition Unit
Live Performance (Dean Lesher Theater)
Chabot Space Center – Space Unit
Deer Hill Ranch – Plants & Animals and Spring Activities

Arts

Saklan realizes that art is fundamental to the learning process because it develops right brained thinking and encourages whole body learning. We seek to expose our students to a variety of materials and techniques while exposing them to art forms from around the world.

Dramatic play, puppetry, language arts, music, art, and dance serve to foster the child’s imagination and aesthetic appreciation. We encourage the children to experiment and explore a wide variety of materials. We emphasize the creative process rather than imitation and the final product.

Children paint and sculpt in various ways. For example, they will use their hands to paint and develop their sensory motor skills. Students create art projects related to the classroom theme. Their art is representative of what is happening in the classroom. Students are encouraged to express their views, thoughts, and feelings through their art.

Computers

We teach students how to use computers creatively and responsibly while we prepare them for the technological challenges of the 21st century. Technology is integrated in the classes starting in third grade with the use of laptops. Digital art is also an integral part of our program.

Each classroom in the preschool and pre-kindergarten has a computer. Age appropriate software is installed on the machines. Children use these computers as a complement to the curriculum. They learn to associate, disassociate, find patterns, and discover size and shapes through those very interactive tools. It is also an another way to introduce letters, phonetic sounds, and story telling. Through these games, students learn to use the mouse and the keyboard which reinforce their motor skills.

Library

The mission of the school library program is to ensure that all students become life-long learners and effective and responsible users of ideas and information. Information literacy skills are developed at each grade level and promote exploration and autonomy.

The students visit the library once a week to hear stories. Children begin to learn how to check out their own books and how to take care of them. All books are kept in the classroom for the students to share throughout the week. The librarian makes each library visit an adventure, where reading books opens the world to learning, and imagination and creativity plays an important part. For example, during Halloween, the librarian reads many different age appropriate stories, provides teachers additional material for their classroom, decorates the library, dims the lights, turns on lighted pumpkins. The curriculum seeks to foster a lifelong love for reading.

Music

Saklan seeks to develop lifelong musical abilities and connections between music and other facets of life, including other arts, humanities, science, and math. These classes develop skill and understanding in the basic elements of music via experiences in varied performance, such as and singing, movement, and drama and creative group and individual projects, such as building instruments, writing songs, and written reflections.

Learning new songs, finger plays, and developing a sense of special awareness within music movement activities, happen on a daily basis. To develop their imagination, cultural awareness, sense of melody and rhythm, and ability to reproduce sounds and text, the music specialist visits twice a week, bringing poems, games, and music in many languages from multiple cultures. Musical instruments are brought to the classroom for the children to use and explore.

Physical Education

Physical Education offers fun and appropriate programs that teach physical skills while developing health, fitness and sportsmanship. Students are taught how to develop healthy habits that will help them throughout their lives. It is our mission to educate the whole child by integrating kinetic, cognitive, and social abilities.

Physical Development
Large motor skill development is encouraged through outdoor play in the Little Yard with a variety of diverse and adaptable apparatus for climbing, jumping, sliding, swinging, and balancing. Preschool and Pre-kindergarten have a structured physical movement class with the school’s Physical Education specialist for 15 minutes three times a week.

Health and Nutrition
Throughout the year our children learn about good nutrition by the introduction of a wide variety of healthy foods during snack preparation and cooking projects. Children discover the five food groups through hands-on games, projects, and food activities. Health practices and information about how our bodies function are integrated into the curriculum.

Learning Centers

In addition to our learning centers, it is important to understand that learning occurs through all senses in all areas of the classroom. Through every activity that we plan, or every environment that we create, there are sound holistic plans for growth.

Art

This includes an easel for painting, a free-art table which is stocked with pens, pencils, crayons, scissors and paper, and a planned art or language arts activity which is set up differently each day.

Language

The language area contains a book corner with a cozy reading area, a tape recorder, flannel pictures on a board, and a table with chairs.

Dramatic Play

The dramatic play area changes often, depending on thematic units. It may be a house, doctor's office, fire station or a post office.

Blocks

This area consists of solid wooden blocks, classified by shape and size. The Brio train set, colored wooden blocks, and block manipulatives are rotated.

Manipulatives

Manipulatives include puzzles, duplo blocks, put-take activities, pegboard activities, classification activities by color, size, and shape, stringing activities, and sewing activities. These items are frequently rotated to insure the child's mastery of the process.

Science

A variety of items are explored on the science table and shelves. The items revolve around the thematic units, the daily curriculum, and daily discoveries. A sensory activity is usually available on the science table.