Junior Kindergarten Programme

The Glenfir School's Junior Kindergarten programme is especially designed for children aged three and four to have a positive and innovative introduction to learning about their world and preparing them for the future. Young learners experience a range of dynamic learning opportunities through creative art, dramatic play, and music appreciation, along with language, math, science, and literacy development. The Glenfir School's Junior Kindergarten children complete our programme ready for Kindergarten and, we believe, on the right track to a truly positive experience as young learners.   

Glenfir's JK Programme has a low student to teacher ratio of 8 to 1 and a maximum classroom size of 12 for three year olds and 13 for 4 year olds. There are two programmes available for Junior Kindergarten: one for 30 months or older and the other for four year olds as a comprehensive preparation for entry into a full-time kindergarten programme. The two classes are dynamically designed to meet the developmental needs of each age group with additional attention to the needs of each child as they make individual progress.

Choose the time that best suits you and your young learner:

 Our Mission
The Glenfir School strives to promote the attainment of each young learner's full potential through a dynamic and inspiring learning experience in cooperation with the learner's family. While participating in our programme, children learn the necessary skills and concepts through consistent guidance, activities and play. Children are encouraged to grow and develop creatively, intellectually, socially, emotionally, and physically.

Programme
The Junior Kindergarten Programme is theme based and has been designed to develop strong phonetic and numerical skills. Each week a letter is emphasized with stories and puppets. In addition to academics, the students attend assemblies with the Kindergarten to grade twelve students, participate in special activities, partake in field trips, enjoy a hot lunch programme, use the school's newly renovated gym and music room, benefit from bus transportation, receive individual interims and report cards, and participate in parent teacher interviews.

Click here to download our 2009 junior kindergarten brochure.

Facility
The Glenfir School offers a stimulating, nurturing, and safe environment for your child by providing two separate, but adjoining, classrooms for the three and four year olds, with their own entrance, two private bathrooms, and a private fenced playground. Two classes allow for students to be nurtured in accordance with their age groups, though the classes do unite for certain activities. Individual cubbies are provided for each student's belongings teaching them to respect their possessions and those of their fellow students.

Staff
The Glenfir School provides the best quality of care by having professionally trained early childhood educators who regularly attend seminars, courses, and workshops to build on their skills, educational techniques, and expertise.

Ms. Bootsma, a dedicated educator, works to provide a warm, inviting atmosphere of endless learning opportunities in order to enhance your young learner's developmental needs and to help build both their self-esteem and awareness.

Ms. Bootsma                                            

All Glenfir teachers and staff have their Red Cross Child Safe Certificates and criminal record checks are mandatory.

For more detailed information about any of our teachers please refer to their bios at www.glenfir.com/faculty

Click here for detailed junior kindergarten fee information for the 2009-2010 academic year.

To download our Registration Form, plesae click here.

Parent Communications
The Glenfir School believes in working together with parents in a supportive community environment. There is an on-going opportunity for parents to be involved in their child's education, and they are kept well informed of classroom events. Each month, parents are provided with programme activities and calendars explaining the exploration of weekly themes, upcoming special events, and field trip reminders.

Adjustment Period
JK teachers appreciate that each child has unique needs and therefore offers each young learner an adjustment period of one month. During the first month, through patience, understanding, and caring, our staff will work closely with your child to ensure that our programme is well suited for them. Throughout this period, we will offer you feedback concerning behaviours and feelings that may be exhibited during that time.

Discipline
The Glenfir School provides the Junior Kindergarten students with an interactive, happy, and safe environment. In order to maintain this atmosphere and instill feelings of security, children and parents learn the expectations and standards that are necessary to participate in our JK programme. Safety rules, proper hygiene, consideration of others, manners, and personal responsibility are carefully and diligently followed.

Glenfir values action as opposed to reaction in order to prevent difficult situations. Positive reinforcement is consistently demonstrated when good examples of behaviour are exhibited and young learners are offered the opportunity to correct their inappropriate behaviour in order to learn what is expected of them. Parents are consulted as soon as there are any ongoing disciplinary or other problems affecting their children.

A day in the life of a JK Student at Glenfir - Morning Programme

 A day in the life of a JK Student at Glenfir's afternoon programme

 Free Play
Fine motor skills are developed through puzzles, cooperative games, manipulative toys, and felt boards.

Art
Students choose from a variety of art activities each day which include
alphabet stories where the young learners cut out alphabet pictures to create books, puppet making, hand painting, water colours, directed drawing, cutting and gluing, and creative art including a variety of malleable materials, such as sand, water, feathers, fur, seeds, and wood.

Circle Time
Students are brought together to engage in daily group activities.  They have circle time for 20-30 minutes a day and the senior students have circle time for 30-40 minutes a day. Music and body movement are developed through singing, musical instruments, free movement, dancing, and finger plays. Language is developed through stories, talking, listening, poems, verses, rhymes, alphabet recognition, and alphabet letter stories with a strong emphasis on phonics.

Group Projects
Primary and secondary students work on art projects to build cutting, gluing, and colouring skills, as well as social and creative skills.
Projects include:
     o Murals
     o Dinoland
     o Jungle
     o Our Community
     o Other theme related projects

Music
The students enjoy music, offered by Fred Gass, a professionally trained musician, for 40 minutes a day. During music the students learn movement, rhythm, and instruments in a fun and interactive learning environment. Periodically the JK students join the older students in music. The students participate in the Christmas, spring and end of year productions to showcase their newly developed appreciation for music.

French
Our students are taught French in a way that builds upon their vocabulary in order to have an introductory conversation. French lessons include songs, games, question and answer periods, months, numbers, and colours. The primary (3 year olds) students receive 20-30 minutes of French daily, where the senior students (4 year olds) receive 30-40 minutes daily.

Dramatic Play
Our students develop their imaginations by role playing.  They have access to dress up clothes, puppets, and props. A large play house is changed as new themes are explored (for example: store, house, post-office, beauty salon, restaurant, and other exciting areas of life).

Math
Mathematical skills are developed through counting games, and recognition of shapes, sizes, numbers, and colours.  Time concepts are also explored.

Science
Science experiments are conducted using plants, magnets, animals, insects, sand, water, weighing, measuring, and collections.

 Books
All of the students are offered access to a large selection of books from the school library, which enhances pre-reading skills and vocabulary. Stories are read to the students in one on one settings with the teacher, in small groups, and to the whole class. Grade three students come and read to the JK's at lunch for story-time.

Routine Tasks
JK children learn independence, responsibility, and service to others as they experience the daily routines of bathroom use, hand washing, setting the table, eating properly, cleaning up after themselves, and dressing and undressing appropriately for indoor and outside play.

Extracurricular & Outdoor Play
There are a variety of field trips that the Junior Kindergarten students participate in throughout the year. In addition to numerous field trips, students have the opportunity to learn from guest speakers, such as doctors and dentists from the community and parent body.
Some Field trips included are:
     o Orchard visits
     o Viewing the spawning salmon run
     o Visiting the local fire hall
     o Ice skating
     o Swimming
     o Sledding
     o Hiking
     o Visiting fine local restaurants