“From Preschool through graduation, my teachers nurtured and encouraged my interests, curiosity, and self-expression. The entire school community – parents, faculty, and students – come together to create a uniquely supportive environment in which to learn, create, and grow. I consider myself very fortunate to have spent my formative years among such caring, dedicated people.”
Matt Roberts, Class of 1989, Former Executive Producer of The Late Show with David Letterman, CBS Television
Pre-kindergarten & Junior Kindergarten
At Rivermont, we pride ourselves on creating a warm, supportive environment where students can build a solid academic and social foundation. Our dedicated teachers foster creativity and critical thinking through various learning experiences that allow students to think like scientists, artists, writers, and mathematicians.
Both Pre-kindergarten and Junior Kindergarten are full-day programs.
Pre-kindergarten Curriculum
Rivermont’s Pre-kindergarten for 2 and 3-year-olds provides children with their first step in formal education, making the critical transition from family as the primary learning environment to a broader learning community. Our program encourages learning through guided play in a setting rich with activities and sensory experiences, and children learn by doing. Hence Pre-kindergarten is an active classroom where Students move about the room and explore creative centers in daily play.
Rivermont believes in the importance of cognitive challenges. Our literacy curriculum focuses on the letters and sounds of the alphabet by using multi-sensory techniques.
Linked to our literacy curriculum, Pre-kindergarten students are exposed to a broader world through Rivermont’s wonderful library. In Early School library class, our goals are for students to begin to learn about story structure and the parts of a book, use illustrations and other visual elements to understand text, select books to borrow based on personal interests, and use library materials responsibly.
Knowing that the world is becoming increasingly smaller, the Pre-kindergarten curriculum includes weekly exposure to Spanish culture and language. Fundamental vocabulary, numbers, songs, and stories are presented. This early exposure to world language and culture provides a stepping stone to successful world language study in Lower School.
The foundation of Rivermont’s Pre-kindergarten is our philosophy of providing a nurturing and supportive environment in which to learn. Our small class sizes enable faculty to get to know their students. We understand that these students are young, may exhibit separation anxiety, and may have various developmental needs.
Rivermont Pre-kindergarten is a wonderful, caring environment for a child’s first exposure to school. Our primary goal is that every student leaves the classroom daily, knowing that learning is fun!
Junior Kindergarten Curriculum
Junior Kindergarten (4yo) is an exciting year! At Rivermont, we believe children learn best through active engagement in play, project learning, and hands-on activities. Students learn about the world around them as they develop relationships with teachers and classmates, explore classroom materials, and participate in individual, small-group, and whole-group learning activities.
As students engage in work and play, teachers enrich learning by asking questions (I wonder…? What if…?) that help students express their ideas, solve problems, and think more deeply about their work. Various materials are available for exploration in classroom centers (science, art, writing, dramatic play, manipulatives, library, and music) that are designed to support learning objectives across the curriculum. As students explore centers, teachers engage with them to enhance social-emotional, physical, and cognitive development and support language, literacy, and mathematics learning.