Kindergarten
Where the joy of discovery, the thrill of creativity, and the passion for lifelong learning is ignited and refined.
Created to address the needs of advanced and gifted learners, our Kindergarten curriculum includes engaging hands-on experiences that allow our students to apply learned concepts and understand them at the deepest levels. Students learn the value of experimentation and how to navigate the challenge of solving problems for which initial solutions may not be obvious. We encourage our students to take risks as they learn about the world, organize information, and solve problems independently and in collaboration with their peers. Simply put, the ACS Kindergarten experience builds the foundation for children to become prolific and creative problem-solvers, cooperative workers, and self-directed learners — skills needed for success in school and beyond.
Our Kindergarten program is open to children turning 5 by September 1 of the school year in which they are starting. The admission process includes IQ testing and assessment for academic, social, and emotional readiness.
Kindergarten classes have a 9:1 student–teacher ratio.
Curriculum Overview
Open House:
Kindergarten Information Night
When: January 18 at 6:30pm
This once-a-year, open house event is for parents of preschool-age children to learn how The Avery Coonley School is uniquely designed to meet the needs of advanced and gifted learners.
Signature Programs
Think Tank
“Think Tank” challenges students to justify their thinking after formulating a solution to a prescribed problem. Think Tank helps foster problem solving and decision making in daily life through these intentional convergent and divergent thinking exercises.
Loose Parts
“Loose Parts” allows Kindergarten students to practice creativity and divergent thinking skills by selecting and gathering objects in nature and their environment to add to their personal “loose parts” collection. These objects are then used during activities constructed to generate ideas and create free-flowing artwork or engineered masterpieces.
Brain Gym
Daily, our Kindergarten students engage in a series of simple exercises to enhance whole-brain learning in what we call “Brain Gym.” This program embraces the developmental understanding that children need to move their bodies to learn in an optimal fashion. Children are exposed to a variety of different types of large motor skills including balance, bilateral movement, visual motor coordination, and directionality.
Our Kindergarten program develops the whole child by creating a collaborative learning environment, differentiating the curriculum, and celebrating the uniqueness of each student.