Foothills Academy: Kindergarten

The Kindergarten through Second grade years rely on and promote a child’s natural wonder and joy in exploration and discovery. Hands-on projects reinforce the natural enthusiasm, excitement, and curiousity about the world around them. Children are encouraged to ask questions, look for answers, find connections. Emphasis is placed on taking time to experience, watch carefully, slow down and observe details, and communicate what they observe.
Students grow in: their love of the arts, their involvement in literature and writing, their practice in math and science, their introduction to a second language and service learning, while practicing and enjoying the wonder of learning together in a community.
The teaching of reading at Foothills Academy is accomplished through an integration of the phonics-based and whole-language approaches. Based on a reading assessment made during the prospective student’s visitation and by the classroom teacher’s ongoing attunement to each student, a determination of what works best for the student is made, and accommodations are made accordingly. Foothills Academy’s reading philosophy, methods of implementation, and teaching sequence are best illustrated through How We Teach Reading at Foothills Academy. Kindergarten, First, and Second Grade classrooms are alive with the student’s work, their questions, and their ever-present joy in learning.