Lower School

List of 11 items.

• Pre-K

  King’s Ridge Christian School offers a Pre-K program for students who have reached age 4 by September 1. Enrollment in the Pre-K program is by priority registration (first-come, first-served).

  
  Pre-K students engage in oral and written language activities while exposing students to multiple genres of literature. Language development is encouraged while pre-reading and early developmental reading skills are practiced.

  
  King’s Ridge preschool students begin to develop their math skills first by identifying and understanding numbers. Creativity is fostered through multiple learning centers and art activities. Ample opportunities are provided for hands-on learning. Pre-K students explore the wonder of God’s creation as they learn about nature and the world in which we live. Students practice conflict resolution skills through problem-solving activities and learn to maneuver social situations through directed play.

  
  Pre-K students are given priority enrollment consideration for kindergarten the following year.

  
  Class size: 15 students with a teacher and full-time assistant.

• Kindergarten

  Kindergarten is a dynamic year of activity in which critical skills are developed. Realizing children develop at different rates, the program is tailored to the individual needs of kindergarten students.

  
  Students develop an oral and written language. Pre-reading and beginning reading skills become stronger, leading to accelerated language development.

  
  Focus is placed on explicitly teaching reading comprehension skills through Guided Reading, tailored to individual instructional reading levels, to learn to write complete sentences.

  
  Math skills and concepts are developed and explored in real-life situations.

  
  At King’s Ridge, the curriculum is tailored to each student’s individual level of comprehension. Students who need a challenge are offered accelerated reading, writing, and math activities. In addition, reading specialists provide small group instruction and extra reading activities for students needing remediation.

  
  Creativity is fostered in multiple centers and art activities through hands-on methods of instruction. Exploring God’s handiwork sparks curiosity in students to discover His presence in nature and the world in which we live. In addition, King’s Ridge uses technology to reinforce and enrich the learning process, even during kindergarten.
  
  The full-day kindergarten schedule also offers art, music, Spanish, physical education, a media center, Christian education, and a weekly chapel.

  
  Kindergarten students will receive first consideration if applying to Pre-First the following year. Class size: Maximum 16 students with a teacher and full-time assistant. Students admitted to kindergarten are required to have reached the age of 5 by September 1. Students turning 5 in the spring and summer months preceding school start are closely evaluated for readiness.

  
  Eligibility to advance to a first-grade program the following year continues to be for those students who turn six years of age by September 1. The Pre-First class will be the standard next step for students younger than the September 1 qualification unless they are developmentally ready to advance to a first-grade program.

• Pre-First

  The King’s Ridge Christian School Pre-First program is designed for students who will benefit from an extra year of development before entering an accelerated first grade. Students for the pre-first must have completed an accredited kindergarten program.

  
  Language Arts skills are developed by teaching oral and written communication through the basic building blocks of language development, reading skills, integrated phonics, and spelling. Students are exposed to multiple literature genres where comprehension skills are taught, and direct reading instruction is tailored to the individual reading levels.

  
  The King’s Ridge Pre-First Program introduces students to math concepts and develops basic foundational skills through real-life situations using manipulatives and paper/pencil activities.

  
  The curriculum is tailored to each student’s level of comprehension. Students who need a challenge are offered accelerated reading, writing, and math activities. Reading specialists provide small group instruction and extra reading activities for students needing remediation.

  
  Creativity is fostered in multiple centers and art activities through hands-on methods of instruction. Exploring God’s handiwork sparks curiosity in students to discover His presence in nature and the world in which we live. King’s Ridge uses technology to reinforce and enrich the learning process, even during the pre-first age.

  
  Class size: 12 students with a teacher and full-time assistant

• First Grade

  The King’s Ridge First Grade program highlights several reading, writing, and math focuses.

  
  Students are encouraged to make their reading material selections in the reading program as they continue to develop their reading and comprehension skills. Students continue to explore multiple literary genres and are provided directed reading instruction tailored to individual comprehension levels, further developing their oral and written language skills.

  
  Daily writing lessons improve students’ writing skills of complete sentence formation, grammar skills, and Zaner-Bloser handwriting.

  
  In first grade math, math talk and daily-guided practice allow students to develop problem-solving skills by identifying computation and process errors in math problems. Students work toward proficiency in mental computation and written work.

  
  At King’s Ridge, we acknowledge and tailor the curriculum to each student’s comprehension level. Students who need a challenge are offered accelerated reading, writing, and math activities. Reading specialists provide small group instruction and extra reading activities for students needing remediation.

  
  Creativity is fostered in multiple centers and art activities through hands-on methods of instruction. Exploring God’s handiwork sparks curiosity in students to discover His presence in nature and the world in which we live. King’s Ridge uses technology to reinforce and enrich the learning process even during the first grade age.

  
  Class size: 18 students with a teacher and full-time assistant

• Second Grade

  The King’s Ridge Second Grade program continues to develop reading, writing, math, and additional subjects using the foundational skills established in earlier grades.

  
  Students are encouraged to make their reading material selections in the reading program as they continue to develop their reading and comprehension skills. Students begin to learn decoding skills and phonics through their selected reading materials. They are provided directed reading instruction tailored to individual comprehension levels, further developing their oral and written language skills.

  
  Daily writing lessons begin teaching students paragraph formation, grammar usage mechanics, and cursive writing through tailored instruction.

  
  In second grade, math talk and daily guided practice continues. Students develop problem-solving skills by identifying computation and process errors in math problems and also work toward proficiency in mental computation and written work. Also, students explore fluency with math facts by focusing on addition and subtraction.

  
  Students are introduced to the scientific method through thematic units and hands-on activities. A significant emphasis is placed on social studies, taught through interdisciplinary units.

  
  At King’s Ridge, we acknowledge and tailor the curriculum to each student’s comprehension level. Students who need a challenge are offered accelerated reading, writing, and math activities. Reading specialists provide small group instruction and extra reading activities for students needing remediation.

  
  Creativity is fostered in multiple centers and art activities through hands-on methods of instruction. Exploring God’s handiwork sparks curiosity in students to discover His presence in nature and the world in which we live. King’s Ridge uses technology to reinforce and enrich the learning process, even during the second grade.

  
  Class size: 18 students with a teacher and half-time assistant

• Third Grade

  The King’s Ridge Third Grade program continues to develop reading, writing, math, and additional subjects using the foundational skills established in earlier grades.

  
  Students read core novels as a class in the reading program and are engaged through genre and author studies. Students are also offered multiple novels within a unit to control the pace at which they read and their chosen topics. Students are introduced to fact-driven reading materials on topics appropriate for this age group.

  
  A customized spelling program reinforces phonics, syllabication, and paragraph writing. Students learn about analogies, synonyms, antonyms, and contextual clues to assist in their comprehension. Also, students explore alternative literature responses through writing, group work, and drama. At this level, students have a strong working knowledge of proper grammar.

  
  In third grade, math talk and daily guided practice continues as students work toward mental computation, written work, and math facts fluency. Also, students are taught to think abstractly, solve multi-step problems, and communicate mathematical ideas.

  
  Students engage in learning using hands-on materials, games, and cooperative learning activities. They acquire an overview of the three branches of science, life, earth, and physical while practicing the scientific process. There is an introduction to the heritage and contributions of colonists and citizens. Technology is used to reinforce and enrich the learning process.

  
  At King’s Ridge, we acknowledge and tailor the curriculum to each student’s comprehension level. Students who need a challenge are offered accelerated reading, writing, and math activities. Reading specialists provide small group instruction and extra reading activities for students needing remediation.

  
  Creativity is fostered in multiple centers and art activities through hands-on methods of instruction. Exploring God’s handiwork sparks curiosity in students to discover His presence in nature and the world in which we live. King’s Ridge uses technology to reinforce and enrich the learning process, even during the third grade.

  
  Class size: 20 students with a teacher and half-time assistant

• Fourth Grade

  The King’s Ridge Fourth Grade program continues to develop reading, writing, math, and additional subjects using already established foundational skills.

  
  In the reading program, students read core novels as a class with multiple novels within a unit, allowing them to control their pace and topics as they become independent readers. Students are encouraged to create individual reading goals within multiple literature genres, supported through one-on-one conferences with the teacher. Comprehension skills are further developed with oral communication.

  
  The writing program incorporates parts of speech, usage, and mechanics to create varied sentence patterns. Students learn about analogies, synonyms, antonyms, and contextual clues to assist in their comprehension. Writing assignments include descriptive writing using vivid verbs, multi-paragraph essays, and a research paper, incorporating the five-step writing process.

  
  In fourth grade, math talk and daily guided practice continues as students work toward mental computation, written work, and math facts fluency. Students are also taught to communicate mathematically, analyze multi-step problems, and apply mathematical ideas to real-life situations.

  
  Students engage in the learning process using hands-on materials, games, and cooperative learning activities. The science curriculum expands to satisfy each student’s growing ability to think critically about science and apply it in the real world. Students practice the scientific process while acquiring an overview of life, earth, and physical sciences. Social Studies begins with studying the exploration era and continues with the European influence on the colonial settlements and the Revolutionary War. Education technology is used to reinforce and enrich the learning process.

  
  At King’s Ridge, we acknowledge and tailor the curriculum to each student’s comprehension level. Students who need a challenge are offered accelerated reading, writing, and math activities. Reading specialists provide small group instruction and extra reading activities for students needing remediation.

  
  Creativity is fostered in multiple centers and art activities through hands-on methods of instruction. Exploring God’s handiwork sparks curiosity in students to discover His presence in nature and the world in which we live. King’s Ridge uses technology to reinforce and enrich the learning process, even during the fourth grade.

  
  Class size: 20 students with a teacher and half-time assistant

• Lower School Reading & Math

  As the central building blocks of all academics, the focus on reading and math is tuned into empowering students with foundational skills to set them up for future success. We recognize that each child has the ability to love reading but must find his or her own path to discover the types of books that will capture that passion. The reading program is structured to build confidence and experience success through a progression of instructional, guided, and independent reading.

  
  The math program permits students to explore math concepts at a deeper level by using a multi-faceted approach to solve the problem and understand the relationship between numbers and operations. This translates into students who can apply math concepts in authentic learning activities outside of math class.

• Lower School Science Program

  A child's innate sense of curiosity and wonder is the King's Ridge Science Program's foundation. Our engaging, cross-curricula approach emphasizes hands-on experiences and inquiry-based investigations patterned after methods scientists use.
  
  Students in Pre-K through fourth grade explore life, Earth, and physical sciences through a Christian worldview. Students learn the language of science, communicate science ideas, and read strategies to navigate the informational text successfully.
  
  Our goal is to produce scientifically literate citizens who think critically and work collaboratively. This program builds enthusiasm for science and science careers. KRCS has a Lower School science lab with a full-time lab teacher. Please visit her blog to see our students in action:  http://pbright2.edublogs.org/

• Tiger TV

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• Lower School Enrichment

  Christian elementary school students have the opportunity to explore a variety of subject areas through enrichment classes such as art, accelerated Christian education, guidance, media studies, music, physical education, and Spanish. Several extensions of other enrichment opportunities are offered after-school clubs, providing outlets for students to discover additional gifts, build self-awareness, learn how to challenge themselves as individuals, and work within a collaborative framework on team projects.

  
  A full-time guidance counselor addresses the social and emotional development of students through individual and small group sessions. Classes also discuss topics that include conflict resolution, cooperation, self-image, responsibility, and anti-bullying behaviors. Special focus groups are also available for students who are experiencing similar life situations.