KINDERGARTEN AT MARIN HORIZON
At Marin Horizon, Kindergarten is a joyful and wondrous time! Our program is built upon the foundations of robust and developmentally-appropriate academics, social-emotional development, and a nurturing community. Our Kindergarten classroom is part of the Marin Horizon Lower School program.
Kindergarten is a natural entry point for families into Marin Horizon School.
We have created an intentional class size of up to 24 students, with a student to teacher ratio of up to 12:1, to provide a thoughtful and personalized introduction to a child's formal education.
Through large and small-group instruction and hands-on, collaborative learning, our young friends will expand their critical thinking skills and learn to self-advocate, preparing them for success in first grade and beyond.
Admissions season is in full swing here at Marin Horizon! We are currently accepting applications for the 2024-2025 school year. Learn more
Literacy
Students enjoy a combination of immersion in rich, authentic literature and a structured literacy program. Through the Wilson Fundations phonics program, students are introduced to letter-sound relationships and decoding skills. The Heggerty phonemic awareness curriculum complements this work, providing students with targeted practice in phonemic and phonological awareness.
Social-Emotional Learning
A student’s social-emotional development is just as important as their academic growth; the skills of self-advocacy, community engagement, compassion, and empathy inform students’ academic experience and vice versa. Through a philosophy rooted in Responsive Classroom and restorative justice, students learn positive, community-based values that explicitly and implicitly teach the value of self while honoring those around them.
Math
A manipulatives-based, hands-on math program brings problem-solving to life for our kindergarteners. Students work together daily to develop number sense (counting, cardinality, patterns, etc.) and flexible math thinking in math centers. The ability to visualize, discuss, and troubleshoot gives students the opportunity to discover mathematical concepts in the world around them while developing the conceptual skills needed to succeed in later elementary grades.
Community
Building a classroom community is an important part of the kindergarten experience. In addition to creating a list of class agreements, putting a special emphasis on community-building at the beginning of the year, using “I statements” to express feelings, and celebrating each student’s birthday in class with a birthday circle, there are activities specific to just Kindergarten. Students also interact with other classes for various buddy activities, such as reading to the younger Primary students or engaging in service projects with upper school students.
Sample Daily Schedule
8:20–8:50 AM Morning Circle
8:50–9:30 AM Word Study – Phonics, Phonological Awareness
9:30–10:00 AM Snack and Recess
10:00–10:45 AM Math
10:45–11:30 AM Reading
11:30 AM–12:30 PM Lunch and Recess
12:30–1:00 PM Quiet Time and Small Group Work
1:00–1:30 PM Science/Social Studies/Social-Emotional Learning
1:30–2:00 PM Specialist Class or Activity Timer – Art, Music, PE, Spanish, Class Project, or Playtime
2:00–2:30 PM Closing Circle and Dismissal – Read-Aloud, Mindful Moment, Share
Specialist Program
Library: once a week, 30 minutes
Art: once a week, 1 hour
Spanish: 2 times a week, 80 minutes total
PE: 4 times a week, 2 hours total
Music: 2 times a week, 1 hour total
Kindergarten Overnight
In the spring, kindergarteners enjoy an overnight at China Camp State Park. For many students, this is their first night awayfrom their families and a chance to practice independence in a safe and supportive environment. Students gain an understanding of themselves and their peers outside of the classroom while experiencing the first of our K-8 outdoor education curriculum.
