CLASSES
Classes at The da Vinci School are small and ages are
divided by roughly six months. We have nine classrooms
with a total average enrollment of 90 children.
Toddlers: 1 1/2-2 1/2 year olds
The da Vinci School has classes for toddlers beginning
at age 18 months. The toddlers attend school from 9
AM-12 noon either 2 or 3 mornings/week. Because children
at this young age change so quickly in both their abilities
and the way they like to learn, classes are divided
by 6-month age spans. We use science as a main focus
even at this young age, but the day is filled with a
variety of activities that may NOT be related to the
theme. Our intention is to expose the children to the
world and give names to objects in their world. For
many of the children, this is their first social opportunity.
They begin to follow a simple classroom routine, interact
with peers and listen to a teacher. We find toddlers
love to learn and quickly adapt to interaction within
a small group setting.
Class size:
• 1 1/2-2 years–5 children in the class
• 2-2 1/2 years–5 or 6 children in the class.
Each class is “self-contained” and directed
by one teacher.
2 1/2 to 4 year olds
Children at the preschool level are truly engaged in
the science aspects of the school. At this age, the
teacher can integrate a great deal of learning activities
with the theme. The teacher incorporates all of the
elements from our developmental checklist into the lesson
plans so the children enjoy a well-rounded experience.
Often people ask us about reading instruction. Casually,
throughout the day, the children are exposed to letters,
letter sounds and whole words as the opportunity arises.
More emphasis is given to this area at the pre-k level,
with more formal reading instruction beginning at the
kindergarten level.
2-3 year olds attend 2, 3 or 5 mornings per week from
9 AM-12 noon. 3-4 year olds typically attend 3 or 5
mornings per week and are divided by approximately a
6-month age range. They attend school from 8:45 AM-12:15
PM. Each age group makes up a self-contained class under
the direction of one teacher.
Class size:
• 2 1/2-3 years–6 or 7 children in the class
• 3-4 years–8 children in the class.
Pre-K: 4-5 year olds
As with the earlier class levels, science is a primary
thematic focus, although social studies are also explored
more. We see a repetition of previously examined science
topics as building blocks. Each year the children build
upon their knowledge, life experience and increasing
cognitive sophistication to expand their understanding
of the world!
At the pre-k level, the teacher is moving the children
toward more focused attention and expanding their ability
to complete tasks in preparation for kindergarten. Objectives
at this level include, but are not limited to, gaining
a more solid recognition of letters and letter sounds,
using a writing tool comfortably, writing their name
and the other letters in the alphabet in upper case
letters. The children also acquire a solid sense of
numbers and one-to-one correspondence at least up to
20. In order to be ready for kindergarten, we want the
children to feel comfortable, confident and enjoy their
ability to learn. If a child is not yet to this point,
we feel that another year at the pre-k level gaining
confidence, skill and maturity is in the child’s
best interest. At the pre-k level, we strongly recommend
attending five mornings per week. The hours are 8:45
AM-12:15 PM.
Class size:
• 4-5 years–9 or 10 children in the class
Kindergarten
/ Primer
At The da Vinci School, the kindergarten
children are “the big kids,” a fact which
the students really enjoy. At the kindergarten level,
each child has his/her own desk and the day is paced
so the children are being comfortably “stretched.”
As previously mentioned, we only place children in our
kindergarten if we feel they are fully ready for this
new level of challenge.
We have a “soft” goal that all children are
basic readers by the end of the school year. Phonics,
whole word and whole language methods are all employed
to varying degrees in the kindergarten language arts
program. We find that the whole word approach gives
rapid feelings of success, whereas the phonics approach
gives the children invaluable decoding skills. Because
children pick up these skills at varying rates, they
typically graduate with reading abilities ranging from
a primer level to second grade.
The primer students are integrated with the kindergarten
students. They will pick up where they left off with
their reading and math skills, but will be with the
remainder of the class with story time, science, art
and social studies activities. More often than not a
student will stay for our primer if we feel they would
benefit from another year in a small, personal environment
(before attending a large school setting) or if their
birth date does not qualify them for admission into
first grade.
The kindergarten / primer class is Monday-Friday from
8:45 AM-2:15 PM.
Class size:
• Up to 14 or 15 children
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