Building a Strong Foundation
Our Preschool, Junior Kindergarten and Senior Kindergarten early years programme provides children with an excellent start to their future academic career. We encourage our students to work both individually and in cooperative groups in a variety of hands-on learning experiences. Fern Hill teachers understand and share the importance of all aspects of language – reading, writing, listening and speaking – and they work with children on the essential skills and concepts that will form the foundation of their education.
Experience the Fern Hill Difference Right from the Start
We pride ourselves on providing our youngest students with an exceptional educational programme and welcome them into the culture and community from the very start. From joining morning assembly to participating in school cultural festivities including Eid, Chinese New Year and Christmas Assembly, our Preschool, Junior and Senior Kindergarten students are a vibrant part of the school.
Fern Hill offers both full-day and half-day programmes in Preschool and Junior Kindergarten. Senior Kindergarten is a full-day programme. Recognizing the importance of early development, Fern Hill has created programmes and spaces that stimulate learning and self-confidence. French, Music, Drama and Physical Education instruction are taught by subject specialists beginning in Preschool. This approach continues and expands throughout the Fern Hill years and allows the children to experience these disciplines through qualified, experienced teachers who bring a passion to the area of study.
A Typical Day
In the morning, children are greeted by their teachers at the school door. They walk to their classroom and place their backpacks in their own cubby. An exciting day is about to begin. Activities from which the children can choose are already organized and on tables.
Once everyone has arrived, students go to the gym where the daily school assembly organized by the students will take place. During the year, they too will have the chance to be the ones at the front of the gym welcoming the school and leading the morning assembly.
After listening to the students tell the news, recite poems and perform, they will return to their sun-filled classroom. As the day unfolds, our Preschool, Junior and Senior Kindergarten children eagerly wait to see what their teacher has in store. Today, one group is beginning by making spiders; another group is counting and sorting plastic bugs and some other children are practicing works with the letter “B”. They will also have one-on-one time working with their teacher on reading or math.
Recess will quickly arrive. It will be time for a snack, talking with friends and playing outside. Maybe they’ll go on a bug hunt or jump rope.
When they return, activities will have been put away and today they have a visitor! An entomologist has come in to talk about bugs – a continuation of the day’s lesson. The morning half-day students are ready to go home. The other students cannot wait for the activities that will unfold in the afternoon. Maybe they’ll be cooking, reading stories or playing with puppets.
Every day is a learning adventure – one day it may be off to the gym for Physical Education or French class, Music with the Orff instruments or quiet time in the library. At Fern Hill there is no end to the learning process. Students enter a world where block towers become skyscrapers, computers become a canvas and where their imagination can take flight.
Challenging the Senses
“We consider that the period of early child development is equal to or, in some cases, greater in importance for the quality of the next generation than the periods children and youth spend in education or post-secondary education.”
- The Early Years Report by Dr. Fraser Mustard and Honourable Margaret McCain
The Early Years Study, administered by Dr. Fraser Mustard and the Honourable Margaret McCain, and mandated by the provincial government, researched early child development by studying neuroscience, developmental psychology, human development, sociology, pediatrics, health, learning and economic growth in Canada, the United States and Europe.
They found that the early years of life, especially from birth to age six, are extremely important in the future learning, behaviour and health of our children. Fern Hill’s strong primary programme takes these findings into consideration and sets a sound foundation for its students. The Early Years Study specifically mentioned the importance of visual activities; emotional reaction behaviours and responses; language and literacy.
Our Preschool, Junior and Senior Kindergarten programme has been developed to challenge the individual child in all of these areas – recognizing that children develop at different rates and different times. Our philosophy towards providing an academic setting with teachers who are subject specialists is a core value of our programme. We believe this allows children to experience these disciplines through qualified, experienced teachers who have an excellent understanding of child development.
