Pre-School Viewbook 2023 - 24

Imagine a Classroom Without Walls

At St. Anne’s-Belfield Pre-School, hands-on learning opportunities in the outdoor classroom abound. Our students navigate the natural world around them with wonder and perseverance. Our nurturing and experienced faculty guide our young learners each day as they gain skills and understanding. Keep reading to learn more about the joyful exploration and discovery your child could experience as a student in our Pre-School.

“My oldest daughter was the first to attend St. Anne’s. She blossomed and grew exponentially in her confidence, resiliency, and independence in particular. We fundamentally feel it is because of the outdoor learning environment and the fantastic teachers that support and foster kids’ imaginations.

“She is always eager to go back outside whenever she can after school and on the weekends, enthusiastically sharing her knowledge of our natural surroundings and the living animals and plants around us. Whereas before she needed ‘toys,’ she now creates magical outdoor kingdoms with her peers with only the sticks, rocks, and leaves that they find.”

Katharine

What Our Parents and Caregivers Have To Say

—

Brooks, P. ’32, ’34, & ’37

I’m a career educator, but I entered this community first as a parent. I had a daughter who was at school elsewhere and she was just fine...but she was just fine. She wasn’t thriving. So we came here. And from the moment she started, she was being noticed. She was being nurtured. She was being nudged, regularly. That’s what I want for your children. We want to really understand what makes them tick and what is more challenging for them, and not shy away from that. We want to know and support them with gentle pressure, relentlessly applied.

“When relocating to Charlottesville, we wanted a school that would focus on the whole child, challenge our children educationally, and that believed in differentiated learning. We got that and more from St. Anne’s-Belfield School. St. Anne’s has nurtured our children’s love of learning.”

— Nicole Robinson, P. ’22 & ’22

Did You Know?

A “sandbox kid” is a student who has attended St. Anne’s-Belfield since Grade 1. In the past four years, we’ve had 91 sandbox kids complete Grade 12! Read what this parent had to say about her two sandbox kids:

“My two children had very different learning styles and strengths but at each division the teachers at St. Anne’s-Belfield met each of them where they were, challenging and celebrating them at the same time.”

— Karen Moran, P. ’19 & ’21

— Lisa Keeler, P. ’15 & ’16, Head of the Lower School

Our mission:

Statement on Inclusive Excellence

St. Anne’s-Belfield School believes that exemplary citizenship and visionary leadership are best nurtured in a welcoming School community based on equity, inclusivity, and the pursuit of excellence. Our School provides a well-balanced educational experience that affirms the richness and diversity of humanity, creates an expectation of belonging based on shared human dignity, and encourages a desire to learn about and from each other.

Our core purpose is to inspire and prepare the next generation of exemplary citizens and visionary leaders.

— Mary Hyde DuVal, Founding Headmistress

“We wish our students to become strong in body, broad of mind, tender of heart, responsive in soul.”

Meet the Director

Kathy Carpenter, P. ’07, ’09 & ’12

“Even after 20+ years as a leader in early childhood education, I am learning from my students. I am inspired by their curiosity, engagement, and creativity in the world around them. There is power in breaking down the walls of the classroom and letting our youngest learners get ‘sticky’ as we call it. That is why we strive to provide the best environment possible to create unexpected situations and challenges to promote a growth mindset that are also beneficial for each of our students’ academic and social emotional needs. Joyful learning and nurturing and meaningful relationships for community and the natural world are at the heart of what our program is all about.”

The Pre-School Program

A groundhog dashes by and curiosity ignites. Where does it live, what does it eat? The joy of discovery blooms like wildflowers in the hearts of young learners. Imagine your child not just learning, but being actively engaged, each lesson a treasure they hold close. At St. Anne’sBelfield Pre-School, traditional academic goals are intertwined with practical magic under the sun. Think of STEM taught through a journey of balance beams and tinkering minds. Of early literacy learned both through books and woven throughout the outdoor classroom. Of hands-on experiences and outdoor exploration, sowing the seeds of lifelong respect and care for the environment. Here, school is a storybook adventure that invites your child to not just read, but to live and learn amidst the pages of nature’s book.

Cultivating Curiosity

When we switched to a primarily outdoor classroom in 2020, what emerged was a revelation. When the classroom walls melt away, children no longer bounce between different stations in groups of three to four. Instead, they create symphonies of boisterous group quests and quieter moments of individual creation. Surrounded by nature in its unpredictable and ever-changing wonders, students learn the art of focus and keen observation. Amidst the laughter

and the movement is a lesson in problem-solving, collaboration, and resilience, gently guided by our expert faculty. With curiosity as our guiding star, every discovery becomes a piece of the puzzle that shapes confident, empathetic individuals.

Spaces That Teach and Delight

There is no disputing that our Pre-School facilities, with our breathtakingly beautiful grounds and exquisitely appointed indoor spaces, are unmatched in the Charlottesville/Albemarle region. Picture the captivating meadow, where children learn to become members of a community, practice mindfulness,

Setting Motor Development on the Right Course

A pressing concern has emerged in the landscape of early childhood development this past decade: children are encountering difficulties with essential motor skills, both fine and gross. In our natural classroom, teachers are counteracting this trend. Children step into a dynamic world where their every move becomes a gateway to honing their motor abilities. Students’ bodies constantly encounter new and varied tactile sensations, climbing, exploring under branches, and navigating pathways. This

Nature forever brings new wonders, making every day in our Pre-School a joyful adventure.

Sample Daily Schedules

Each day in our Pre-School looks a little different as teachers capture the spontaneous learning opportunities that our natural classroom affords us. Here are some examples, however, of what a day might look like for your child.

Two-Year-Olds Program

8:30 Arrival

8:45 First outdoor rotation

9:15 Circle time

9:30 Snack (provided by the school)

9:45 Activity time, indoor rotation

10:30 Book looking

10:45 Second outdoor rotation

11:30 Story time

11:45 Dismissal

Pre-School 3 & 4

8:00 Arrival and natural classroom

8:30 Morning meeting

9:00 Group instruction and activity

9:30 First natural classroom lessons and exploration

10:00 Snack (provided by the school) and stories

10:15 Co-curriculars/second natural classroom lessons and exploration

10:35 Second natural classroom lessons and exploration/co-curriculars

11:00 Group instruction and activity

11:45 Closing meeting

12:00 Dismissal (if not participating in after-school care)

Junior Kindergarten

8:00 Arrival and choice activities

8:30 Morning meeting

9:00 Literacy skills

10:00 Snack (provided by the school)

10:15 Natural classroom

10:40 Co-curriculars

11:00 Science

12:00 Lunch

12:45 Outdoor recess/hike

1:15 Music & Movement/yoga

1:30 Mathematics/literacy skills

2:15 Tinker trays/rest

2:45 Closing meeting

3:00 Dismissal (if not participating in after-school care)

After-School Care

After-school care for PS 3 & 4 and JK only is available each day of the regular school year. Families must enroll by April 1 of the preceding spring semester.

& JK Full Day (snack provided by school)

The Saints Community

At St. Anne’s-Belfield School, we are first and foremost a community. The best way to help children flourish is to support and partner with our families. Our community reaches beyond the classroom to build strong, intentional relationships with the whole family. This connection begins even before our students arrive on the first day with Parent/ Guardian Partnership Meetings between family caregivers and faculty, and continues throughout the year with our Wednesday Wellness family education webinars, PreSchool parent/guardian chats, and volunteer opportunities on and off campus. Within our age 2 to Grade 12 community, relationships form between students of all divisions. Your young learners will meet and interact with students from all divisions of the School. From their first day of Pre-School to their last day of Grade 12, our students know they are part of a caring and vibrant community.

Highlights:

• 60+ Parents’ Association volunteer positions

• 86 all-school parent/guardian volunteers

• 148 Grandparents’ & Special Friends’ Day visitors in 2022-23

Parent/Guardian Programming

The Pre-School Program offers parent/guardian education on important developmental topics in a variety of formats, such as in-person chats, Curriculum Night, webinars, and written resources. Facilitators discuss the various stages of a child’s growth and development to provide the support and understanding needed to raise healthy, confident, and responsible children. We also know there is great value in offering space for parents/caregivers to share techniques and strategies with each other. We feel fortunate to be able to facilitate these connections throughout the year.

Partnership Meetings

The Parents’ Association (PA)

The Parents’ Association welcomes volunteers. From greeting visitors at Grandparents’ & Special Friends’ Day to helping in the library or at Saints’ Closet gently-worn uniform sale, we provide many opportunities for you to become involved. In your student’s class, parents/guardians serve as grade level reps, read to children, and serve at special events such as the Birthday Fairy, a treasured tradition.

Community Events

Cheer on our Saints athletes at a game, bring the family to a music or theatre performance, attend a speaker lecture, come decked in maroon

St. Anne’s-Belfield School

At A Glance

located in Charlottesville and Albemarle County, VA

55 acres of land between two campuses around the corner from University of Virginia

Pre-School

110 Pre-School students

10 average class size

7:1 student-teacher ratio

20 countries represented in the student body

52% Class of 2023 enrolled in a very selective college (<25% acceptance rate)

Quick Facts

4,841

78% of faculty have advanced degrees 100% of students complete an internship prior to graduation living alums in 49 countries

21 Advanced Placement (AP) exams offered on campus

937 students age 2 – Grade 12

54 competitive sports teams

631 family households

46 zip codes represented in the day student body

Next Steps

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The School admits qualified students of any race, color, national origin, place of birth, ancestry, sex, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, mental or physical disability, or any status protected by applicable law, and extends to them all the privilege to participate in the educational programs generally accorded or made available to students at the School.