Kindergarten
“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”, Anne Isabella THACKERAY RITCHIE.
Pre-kindergarten and kindergarten, now part of the obligatory education in the Hellenic educational system, are the prelude to primary school. Our school assumes the responsibility to prepare the children through the Hellenic and British EYFS educational system, experiential games, arts and sports.
Our pre-kindergarten class “Little Powerful Heroes” and kindergarten class ”Stepping Stones” are held in specifically designed classrooms with specialised audiovisual systems and material, based on the international STEAM system (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics).
Our school follows the Hellenic system through the use of the Hellenic language in the morning and the British system through the English language in parallel with the Greek language.
Activities
Our educational program is cross-cutting and designed to support all the exciting development milestones of your child.
The daily program includes:
- Introduction to reading, writing and literature
Children get to know the letters and syllables and enrich their vocabulary.
- Lending Library
Children borrow and read fairy tales and talk to their classmates about them, pointing out what they liked.
- Good manners
The children follow a program specialised for their age in order to learn how to behave, how to introduce themselves, greet people and how to mind their manners at the table.
- Introduction to mathematical concepts
Children learn to distinguish the different shapes and numbers in a playful and fun way.
- Physics Experiments & STEAM
Children get in touch with the natural world and understand in a simple way how natural phenomena occur through Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) activities..
We are collaborating with scientists that specialise in nutrition, so that the children begin to understand the importance of the healthy consumption of food through games and audiovisual aids.
- Use of Information and Communication Technologies
Children familiarise themselves with the new technologies that constitute an integral part of our daily life.
- Water and sand games
They help develop coordination, fine motor skills, creativity, communication, cooperation and socialisation.
- Puppet show
Promotes the child’s memory, attention, concentration and emotions, stimulates their imagination and develops their creativity. - Drama & Theatre Games
Children develop their communication skills, share their thoughts and feelings and become more social.
- Music Education
It triggers children’s interest in music and helps them intuitively conceive rhythm.
- Psychomotor Activities
Children become aware of their body, coordinate their parts and learn to move in a given space.
By cooking, children learn values such as cooperation and teamwork. At the same time, they become familiar with quantitative concepts and measurements.
- Arts
Children discover different materials and techniques to put the world around them on paper.
- Sports
Socialisation is achieved through their participation in group activities and through the development of the concept of fair play.
- Agriculture & Natural Environment
Children grow fruit and vegetables in their greenhouse.
- Cooking Activities
Children have fun creating in the kitchen and learning how cooking can be a means of expression.
- Everyday English Program
Children get in touch with English for the first time, in an experiential way.
- Mindful Stretching
Children relax with their certified Yoga teacher by stretching and mediating with their eyes closed, with sounds of nature in the background.
Puppet show has a double educational importance for children, offering them the chance to become themselves the ones in charge of the creative process, and not just passive recipients. It becomes a space of exchange and communication and contributes to the strengthening of the teacher-student bond.
Classes
Important information
Weekly programme
Every Friday, parents receive an email with next week’s programme that shows us the activities based on the children’s needs, their interests and talents, as well as the week’s subject. Under every activity, you can see the development stage targeted by the activity, separately for every child. We recommend that you check the program, so that you can use it as a tool to achieve the same goals at home.
Book in time
Parents can visit during the morning hours, so that you can see our nursery school during its working hours. Therefore, parents must book an appointment in advance, since we can make only one viewing a day.
Personal support / “Open Door policy”
Our nursery has an “Open door policy” and the parents are encouraged to come for a visit if they wish, any time of the day, in order to talk about problems or issues the might be facing or to express their opinions and comments regarding the policy and procedures of our nursery. A parent questionnaire is available, which can be filled out with comments or impressions, with complete privacy and anonymity.
What parents should know
The parent-teacher children’s progress evaluation meetings are held every four months. During the meeting, the teacher talks about the child’s progress and the goals they will be working on during the following months.
It is extremely important that both the parents and the teachers exchange information on the needs of every child and collaborate with mutual respect, in order to help the child achieve the best possible educational outcome.
Every child has its own online “learning journey” that includes assessments of the children’s activities, evaluated according to the EYFS standards.
The evaluation is in written form and is based on the EYFS development matters (Communication and language, personal, social and emotional development, mathematics and expressive arts and design), showing exactly what the child has learnt and its development stage. If requested, we can provide a copy of the evaluation.
Recording observations
Recording observations during the early years of development is an important tool that helps write down and assess the development of children inside the classroom. We are proud to be the first school that is implementing this educational approach. Through the application called “First Steps”, the teacher can record a child’s day in the nursery, combined with a relevant photo and/or recording of observations, in order to capture their day or present a thrilling moment in the nursery.
Adjustment period
When new parents/caregivers and their children come to our nursery for the first time, our goal is that both the parents and the children feel comfortable and welcome. One of the most important processes is the child’s adjustment period to its new surroundings. It is a very important and sentimental period both for the parents, and for the child. We follow a bespoke approach based on every child’s needs, we believe it is really important to talk and schedule the child’s daily life together with the parents, in order to achieve the best possible results and make the child feel safe and stress-free.
Video recording
We realise that there is enough stress and anxiety regarding whether a child has eaten all its food or whether it is participating in social activities. Upon the parent’s request, we record these activities and present all the available material.
Allergies
In case a child is allergic to an ingredient, as school we can provide an alternative meal and a member of the staff will watch the child in order to eliminate the risk of cross-contamination.
Food sampling
We take great pride in our healthy menu (see department), so we invite the parents to try our food whenever they wish! They are welcome to join us and taste a sample of our menu without prior warning! This attests to our certainty that our food is delicious and of the highest quality constantly.
