Seeking Phonics, Singapore Math, and Recess

[Anonymous]

Looking for a warm nurturing lower school with small class sizes, phonics based reading approach (not whole word, not balanced literacy), Singapore Math, and 2 recess periods a day. Play based learning and time for open-ended creative and dramatic play in the early years and a fantastic music program are welcome too.

[Anonymous]

Might help to get good answers if you give us some geographical boundaries.

[Anonymous]

I would like to know of any schools in the metro area that offer this. To give you an example of what I am looking for, I'd say Grace Episcopal Day School with Singapore and Phonics would be my perfect school!

[Anonymous]

Sheridan, but minus the Singapore.

[Anonymous]

That sounds like our school... Homeschool!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That sounds like our school... Homeschool!

Ha! That sound like my afterschooling. I send to public K and teach my son after school and on the weekends with pure Phonics (he entered K reading at a second grade level, we are almost done with all the phonemes), Singapore Math, and All About Spelling. Good luck finding pure phonics, Singapore Math, and recess. I tried but couldn't find a private school that offered it.

[Anonymous]

Primary Day School. Not sure about number of recesses though.

[Anonymous]

Why not balanced literacy? Just curious.

[Anonymous]

No phonics at Sheridan either but lots of recess and fantastic music.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Primary Day School. Not sure about number of recesses though.

Second that about Primary Day; plenty of playtime (2 recesses + PE) and very strong curriculum in reading and math. Not for every child though, it is expected that your child will be reading in their prek year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Primary Day School. Not sure about number of recesses though.

Second that about Primary Day; plenty of playtime (2 recesses + PE) and very strong curriculum in reading and math. Not for every child though, it is expected that your child will be reading in their prek year.

Sorry to hijack the thread, but I find this astonishing. The expectation that children be able to read at this age flies in the face of most accepted thinking by education academics. I actually find it a little hard to believe that this is an expectation from any decent school (although I can certainly understand many parents pushing for it).

[Anonymous]

We're applying to PDS and I heard the admissions director say that some kids were ready to read in pk and others were not so I doubt it is expected.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Looking for a warm nurturing lower school with small class sizes, phonics based reading approach (not whole word, not balanced literacy), Singapore Math, and 2 recess periods a day. Play based learning and time for open-ended creative and dramatic play in the early years and a fantastic music program are welcome too.

Beauvoir. Warm, nuturing - both in spades. Small class size - on the face of it not really - 20-22 per class but they are broken into small groups for almost everything. In half for spanish and library, in groups of twos or threes for reading and math based on ability but with these groups constantly changing. Math is not Singapore math but includes elements of Singapore math plus elements from other progams. I have lots of math training (but not an educator) and am happy with where my second grader is in math. There is good depth to understanding of concepts. 2 recess everyday in early grades, including on their new wonderful playground. lots of trips outdoors and around the close. PE twice a week. Music is good but is american style experience based learning. If you want lots of musical theory look elsewhere. However, we stopped going to Levine early childhood classes because the material was already being covered in school. Science, I know you did not ask, but that is amazing. The graders did great hands-on experiements with magnets and mirrors, etc. Lots of time for creative and dramatic play in the early years too - the classroom dramatic play corner is changed up regularly. During pre-K , for example, there was a shop, a stage with props, a space ship amoung others at different points. And the play kitchen and block area were always there. Creative play continues still in the second grade but obviously less time but role play is still part of learning. The creativity continues in other ways with the story writing and peotry. Art program is good too but is a little more structured/directed than I wanted at first but now I see that there is plenty of time elsewhere in the day for free art expression and in art they learn more about techniques to help express ideas. My house is over-flowing with artwork! I am lots of supplies at home and my kid just goes to town and takes what she learned and adds her own stuff and is not afraid to try anything. Great school for a curious child!

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the replies. I wanted to respond to the question about why I would like a pure phonics introduction, not whole language, or a hybrid curriculum. The answer is that research supports what Joyce Watson refers to as synthetic phonics as the best practice for teaching my DS to read. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/02/20688/52449

Even though the information about best practices is known, surprisingly few teachers are taught these methods in their education programs. I highly suggest reading "The Good School" by Peg Tyre. http://www.amazon.com/The-Good-School-Parents-Education/dp/B0099SALV2

The developmental need for unstructured outdoor play time is also supported by research and discussed in Peg Tyre's book. As a mother I just knew about this one, but her book backed-up what I already knew.

I have been researching area schools (as best I can) for a while and have only found the type language and possibly the math that I am looking for at Primary Day.

There are other important facets of education, however, and the play based early experience is important as well. If there was a school that mingled Grace's warm environment, outdoor time, music, and play based early learning with Primary Day's phono visual curriculum and used Singapore Math, I think that the administrators wouldn't be able to handle the flood of applicants.

Appreciate the Beauvoir mom taking time to write such a detailed response. We don't have any sort of "hook" so I doubt that it is a possibility. Sounds like a lovely place.

In the end I realize that no school is perfection and that my job is to do due diligence and then let go.... and supplement!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Primary Day School. Not sure about number of recesses though.

Second that about Primary Day; plenty of playtime (2 recesses + PE) and very strong curriculum in reading and math. Not for every child though, it is expected that your child will be reading in their prek year.

Sorry to hijack the thread, but I find this astonishing. The expectation that children be able to read at this age flies in the face of most accepted thinking by education academics. I actually find it a little hard to believe that this is an expectation from any decent school (although I can certainly understand many parents pushing for it).

Your view (I am not the previous poster) is most certainly a Western/American one. In Asia, kids are all reading at some speed or another, by 4, and the better ones reading at least just words at about 3.5. Obviously this means that children of that age CAN do it, but it is this classic American/Western style of holding kids back that makes this sound so astonishing. Offtopic: Kids in Asia btw are also potty trained before 2. It is very much a western thing to keep a diaper on at that age (and beyond. Yuck).