KindergartenAustin Catholic Schools offers an all day everyday kindergarten program offering a variety of educational experiences to help develop our students sense of wonder. Kindergarteners will focus on participating in group activities, demonstrating respect, practicing self-control, managing transitions, demonstrating respect, demonstrating responsibility, and interacting with peers.
Curriculum Highlights
Religion: Your child's religious growth is achieved through a variety of means; the use of a religion curriculum daily prayers, Mass attendance, Bible stories and art activities.
- Weekly Mass- Kindergarten students attend weekly Mass. They are given the opportunity to participate in the liturgy of the Mass as each grade takes responsibility for planning the various Masses.
Reading: Austin Catholic Schools introduces VoWac and visual phonics skills, sounds, rhymes, letters colors with color names, and sight words in our reading program. Your child's reading experiences also involves the use of the Scholastic Literary Place reading program.
Math: Kindergarteners will be introduced to the Saxon Math series. This is the foundation for a math program that is used throughout our system in the coming years ahead.
- Visually identify numbers from 1-25
- Use basic addition
- Identify shapes
- Identify coins
- Pattern identification
- Calendar skills
Handwriting: Your child will focus on handwriting both capital and lowercase letters, first and last names, sight words, and short sentences.
Science: Our kindergarten program will develop your child's awareness of plants, animals, the five senses, personal well-being, nutrition, and cooking.
Social Studies: Our kindergarteners develop an awareness of the world around them, fostering citizenship.
Kindergarten Enrichment
Art: Your child will learn "what artists do". Creativity is encouraged and natural inquisitiveness is promoted. Students learn to work using different tools and media with a variety of hands-on projects. They will create an art book illustrating some of the elements and principles of art, focusing mainly on color.
Character Education: Our school's wide character education program is introduced in kindergarten. The FISH philosophy is a character development program that Austin Catholic Schools reinforces in daily teachings and examples. The four philosophies encouraged are: Make Their Day; Be There; Choose Your Attitude; and Play. Your child will be encouraged to participate in the four principles of the FISH philosophy.
Physical Education: Physical education class begins with a prayer to remind us of all the good gifts we have been given. Goals for Kindergarten Physical Education focus on:
- Motor skills
- Ball skills
- Music
- Tumbling
- Jump rope
- Small activities
- Games
Computers: The kindergarteners gain computer knowledge both in the classroom and in the computer lab. Introduction to computer basics include, using a mouse, and using computer games to enhance classroom learning.
Field Trips: The kindergarten curriculum is enhanced by various field trips throughout the year.
Celebrations: Our students celebrate Halloween, Christmas, and Valentine's Day with class parties. For Thanksgiving they enjoy a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. Some of the other days we have celebrated previously include Bat Day, Clifford Day, and Penguin Day.
Library:
- Introduction to library etiquette
- Story predicting/questioning
- Story structure
- Learn book vocabulary; author, illustrator, title, copyright, etc.
Spanish: In lower elementary, students will learn to appreciate and enjoy the Spanish language. They will learn basic vocabulary like numbers, colors, days of the week, month of the year, animals, seasons, weather, etc. The emphasis, at this stage, will be on listening and speaking. As they progress, we will introduce some reading and writing. The students will learn though many avenues like music, movement, and stories.