Rivermont Collegiate Curriculum Guide 2014 - Early School

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Early School (PreSchool & Junior Kindergarten)


Rivermont’s Early School builds a strong academic and social foundation in a caring, supportive environment. Teachers weave experiences throughout the day that foster creativity and critical thinking. Students are challenged to think like scientists, artists, writers, and mathematicians through a variety of learning adventures.


Early School at Rivermont includes both PreSchool and Junior Kindergarten. PreSchool is a fantastic entry level program for 3-4 year olds who are ready to experience school for the first time. Junior Kindergarten is a Kindergarten-readiness program for 4-5 year olds designed to prepare students with the social, emotional, and academic skills necessary for success in Kindergarten the following year. Both programs feature a low student-teacher ratio that enables teachers to know every student well.


Early School students learn to work independently and cooperatively through a combination of individual, small group, and whole group learning activities. Individually, students use guided play time to explore classroom centers. The art, writing, dramatic play, or music centers are popular for students feeling creative, while the science or library centers are favorites of those who enjoy learning through discovery. As students explore centers, faculty engage them by asking questions and guiding them to express ideas, solve problems, and think more deeply about their work. The structured morning routine also includes working as a group to update the calendar, report on the weather, sing and dance, and listen to stories read by the teacher.


Learning takes on many shapes in Early School. Long term projects based on students’ interests allow for in-depth study of topics across multiple disciplines. Growing a flower can turn into a science experiment as students investigate the bulb, a literacy lesson as they read about flowers, a writing lesson as they diagram and label the plant, and a math lesson as they measure and chart its growth. Spanish language and culture is introduced in Early School, starting with basic vocabulary, numbers, songs, and stories. This early exposure provides a stepping stone to success in foreign language study in Lower, Middle, and Upper School. Early School students also visit Rivermont’s wonderful library. Students begin to learn about story structure and the parts of a book, use illustrations and other visual elements to understand text, and select books to borrow based on their interests.


Students are introduced to a variety of learning environments and social situations to extend learning beyond the classroom. Field trips take students off campus to pick pumpkins, visit museums, and see ballets. The Reading Buddies program pairs PreSchool and Junior Kindergarten with older Rivermont students to read favorite books together. Early School students also present musical programs each year for which they prepare and share their talents with parents, grandparents, and special friends.


For those who wish to extend the day beyond the morning program, families have the option of adding lunch and our afternoon program, Afternoon Adventures. Afternoon Adventures complements the morning program in a less structured environment where enrichment activities are presented in a non-sequential manner. Early School at Rivermont is a great place to start your child’s education, giving them a solid foundation and instilling a life-long love of learning.


There’s always more to learn.

RIVERMONT COLLEGIATE The Quad Cities’ only Private College Prep School for PreSchool through 12th Grade 1821 Sunset Drive - Bettendorf, IA 52722 (563) 359-1366 WWW.RIVERMONTCOLLEGIATE.ORG


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