The Nursery Curriculum
Letterland and PALS
The stories and characters in the Letterland programme introduce the girls to letters and sounds. The PALS programme develops the auditory skills necessary for phonics and reading.
Mathematics
In the Nursery year, we continue with the development of the understanding of numbers and mathematical concepts. Concrete apparatus is used for counting, identifying shapes, colours, and numbers.
Social and Emotional Skills
In this learning area, we continue learning to develop an understanding of social interaction, our feelings, and forming relationships. We also focus on appropriate social behaviours and skills. They are taught how to use their words when someone is unkind or accidently hurts them. This is modelled in the weekly Bounce-back lessons using puppets, stories, videos, and songs.
Fine Motor skills
Here we focus on developing the small muscles required for manipulating small objects and writing tools. Every activity is carefully planned, and various media is used to support the development of the fine motor muscles.
Gross Motor skills (includes ball skills)
In these activities, we focus on strengthening and stimulating the large muscles to facilitate locomotion, coordination, balance, and build core strength. Additional apparatus is set up in our garden daily, in order to strengthen these areas.
Afrikaans and isiXhosa
Through song, dance, and poems, we reinforce and build on vocabulary learnt in Pre-Nursery.
Music and Movement
The girls enjoy a focused singing lesson, and a movement and percussion lesson with our Music Department twice a week. The girls enjoy walking over to the ‘big school’ for these lessons.
Library
Each girl has a book bag and they visit the school library to choose two books every week. Our amazing librarian reads stories with much dramatization and expression.
Grade R
This is a semi-formal and final year in the Pre-Preparatory Phase. The girls wear a ball skills uniform and follow a more structured routine and a combined ISASA and CAPS based curriculum.
The aim is not only to focus on play-based learning but to ensure school readiness for Grade One and to establish a firm foundation for all future learning. The holistic, integrated approach ensures all areas are developed.
Grade R Curriculum
Mathematics
In Grade R we use Number Sense and Maths Seeds. Small group teaching with concrete manipulatives takes place daily, reinforcing the understanding and knowledge of numbers.
Literacy
Letterland and PALS extend what has been learnt in Nursery. Listening and comprehension skills as well as thinking skills are included in the learning in this grade.
Fine Motor Skills
These include tracing, letter and number formation, cutting, patterns, paper folding, painting, drawing, and pasting. Manipulating small objects in construction activities all support the development in this area.
Bounce Back
In Grade R we have in-depth discussions about feelings and difficulties that they are experiencing with friendships and siblings. These lessons about social and emotional development involve stories, puppets, discussions, mindfulness activities, role-plays, and songs.
Library
Our girls visit the library once a week where they listen to a story and choose two books to take home.
Music and Movement
This enjoyable activity takes place in the school’s music block. The girls attend two lessons each week.
IsiXhosa and Afrikaans
These are formal lessons in Grade R. The vocabulary, songs, poems and rhymes learnt in Pre-Nursery and Nursery are extended in these lessons.
Gross Motor Skills (includes ball skills and swimming)
During the week, the girls attend a ball skills lesson that incorporates gross motor activities and a swimming lesson in the first and fourth terms of the year.
Bible Stories
Each week the girls hear and discuss bible stories and attend Little Prayers in the foyer of the Pre-Prep. We also attend chapel for Little Prayers once a term. These lessons happen in all three grades.
Theme Work
The girls are exposed to various themes throughout the term and year. Often, the girls will explore a ‘small world in a big world’ on the mezzanine level of our Pre-Prep building. Here they learn new vocabulary, information and make discoveries. For a few of the themes we also incorporate ‘dress-up’ days.
The Pre-Preparatory Phase of learning centres around all the cognitive and perceptual areas. It is vitally important for both these developmental areas to be enhanced so that the child can develop the auditory and visual perceptual skills in conjunction with using a variety of strategies to think and problem solve.
Hop on over if you would like to experience our fun and exciting Pre-Preparatory space.