Virtual Tour
Introduction from the director
Introduction to our family
A Sneak Pick into Academy of Excellence
Welcome to Academy of Excellence
Here at Academy of Excellence, we pride ourselves not only in academics, but how we set ourselves apart from others. Our attention to detail, personalized instruction, compassionate staff and resources are just a few of the many reasons we feel we offer the best to your child at our prestigious preschool. At our academy, we focus on different subject areas which are: Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Art, Music, Etiquette and Centers. We are known for our accredited and heavily infused STEAM Curriculum (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics.) We believe these components are crucial to developing strong academics and connections. Therefore, we incorporate each segment into our daily routines.
Invisible
Morning Meeting
Everyday begins with our morning ritual and routine, what we call Circle Time (which begins at 830AM.) Students look forward to the daily structure we provide inside the classroom which helps aid in their developmental growth and gives children a sense of order. During circle time, we not only gather our thoughts and set positive affirmations for the day, but we also practice mindfulness, which is a positive way for children to focus on the present moment and ignore any distractions. Mindfulness is a phenomenal method for children to create good habits in and outside of the classroom and boost happiness by lowering social anxiety and stress. Most importantly, being mindful for children promotes patience which remains an important virtue in the real world and classroom.
Milestones
It is important to understand the developmental milestones for each grade level. Our toddlers classroom is heavily concentrated on milestones. PreK-2 will develop their fine motor skills, including focusing on letters, numbers, concepts and be introduced to geometry using a hands on approach. PreK-3 will build upon skills learned prior and diligently work on sight words, form sentences, add, subtract and be hands on in different subjects such as math and science. PreK-4 will expand upon what was mastered the prior year, with the ultimate goal being each child can read and write by the end of the academic year, which ultimately sets our students up to excel during their primary years and attend ivy league private schools in established communities.
Mathematics
In Mathematics, students will continue to work with numbers and each month will focus on a set of three numbers. For example, one month students will focus on numbers 4, 5, & 6. Children will learn a variety of concepts such as: how to count forward and backwards, recognizing and writing numbers, one to one correspondence, what is greater than or less than, and how to measure and weigh items. Students go from learning simple to complex shapes, such as 2 and 3 dimensional shapes. Students continue to build upon their math skills and have them integrated in their daily schedules, such as asking a Would You Rather question to the students and having them count each response and add together their responses. By doing this, students can recognize important mathematical terms, like adding, subtraction and equals.
Social Studies
Social Studies is deeply embedded in each of us and is such an important component for students to understand as they begin to learn about themselves and families and move into understanding the community in which they live and people who help keep us safe, like firemen and police officers. We continue to branch out and focus on different geographic landmarks, locations and people. Students will be introduced to simple maps, landmarks, bodies of water, history and much more. Our goal is for students to be accepting and understanding of other’s differences because that is what makes us unique!
Etiquette
Our schedule also includes Etiquette classes, which covers topics about health and safety , manners, respect, conversations, and topics relevant in the world around us and what is happening close to our home. We convey these important topics using theatre, art, public speaking and hands on projects. It is important for us to teach students to be kind and always use our manners both in and outside of the classroom. Students may perform a proper conversation using a puppet, or practice washing their hands properly with black pepper which represented germs (this one was a fan favorite!)
Invisible
Circle Time
During Circle Time, teachers are able to connect with each student as well as students connecting with their peers. The classroom will review important concepts, such as reviewing the calendar and important celebrations or holidays of the month and singing important songs relevant to what they are learning. A few popular classics we sing are “Days of the Week, Months of the Year and The Four Seasons.” The students will review the letter and color of the week, and numbers of the month. Now, we are ready to conquer the day!
Science
Science is an integral part of our infused STEAM curriculum, not to mention a fan favorite of all Academy of Excellence students! Our preschooler’s are introduced to different concepts and themes such as: exploring the world around them and how they use their five senses, going on nature walks to identify different fall objects, examining the insides of apples and leaves and even conducting chemistry experiments such as pumpkin volcanos! One thing is for certain, students’ minds are always captivated as we use an inquiry based approach. Students are encouraged to ask questions and be their own scientist as they take the lead in an interactive and engaging setting.
Language Arts
Language Arts is a subject students learn everyday, repeating their fundamentals and building upon our English vocabulary. Children will learn their letters and corresponding sounds (focusing on one letter each week) and be able to recognize that when letters are put together they form words. Introduction to the Pre-Dulce sight words is a great way for students to recognize smaller words that are high frequency when reading. By eliminating the need to stop and decode sight words, readers are able to focus on words that are less familiar and more difficult. Teaching sight words not only helps students read more fluently, it helps them write more efficiently too. In addition, they will be introduced to many different books and genres. Reading is crucial when wanting to expand the vocabulary. Most importantly, reading builds a social emotional connection between the parent and child and encourages the child to want to read more as they find what interests them! Students will begin to understand different types of books we read, such as non fiction, fiction or fairy tales.
Art
Part of our STEAM curriculum is infused with ART! Art projects are a way for students to sharpen their fine motor skills, and to expand their creativity and confidence. Each month, in correlation with our theme, students will create a different piece of art pertaining to such. For example, as we learn about the science of our bodies, students will make their own version of an X-RAY using Q-tips. During Fun Friday, which is another way for students to unwind and build connections, students will be painters for the day as they learn all about the famous painter Michelangelo and they can make their own famous version of a painting.
Centers
Some of our classroom centers include math, fine motor, blocks, dramatic play, science, social studies, reading, writing and sensory art. Centers give our students an opportunity for continued learning as well as social and emotional development such as establishing friendships. For example, in social studies, if we are learning about community helpers we might turn one of our centers into a post office! Students are able to interact with one another and role play different positions one would have at such establishments. As we learn about doctors and how they help keep us safe, we will turn one of our centers into the doctor’s office! Students will be able to role play different positions, such as being the receptionist, checking into the doctor’s office, being a nurse, patient and doctor. Students’ minds are always at work, taking the lead in classrooms and learning new things each day. We promote inquiry based learning in a comprehensive setting as it has been proven that brain cells develop through discoveries that we make.
Thank you for your time
We pride ourselves in knowing that your child is truly in the best of hands receiving a quality education and enjoying their time learning in a fun, stimulating and welcoming environment. We are honored you have taken the time to get to know us and we sincerely look forward to potentially welcoming you to our family.