Maple Dene and Moppet School has had the pleasure of providing Kindergarten for children and their families since 1987. Over the years, many Kindergarteners have experienced the welcoming atmosphere where every child’s abilities, interests, and contributions are truly valued. From day one, our Kindergarteners develop a sense of belonging and confidence through being accepted and empowered to work and play. This is education and learning at its best!
At Maple Dene, children love to learn
Your child’s Kindergarten year is the beginning to his or her formal education. This is a time where lifelong attitudes towards themselves and learning begin to form. Young children need a trusting and well-structured environment to feel comfortable and realize that taking initiative opens the doors to learning. By being able to explore, imagine and create, children develop a joy for learning.
Children need to be provided opportunities and time to stretch their imagination, and consider and realize possibilities. In Kindergarten especially, their minds should have time to be freed from constraints of a curriculum designed primarily around preparing for a test. In addition to learning reading, writing, and arithmetic, Maple Dene Kindergarteners are given time to use their imagination and creative ideas to design, build, and solve problems. Student learning is enriched by having time to work & play through all the stages of our Learning Cycle.
- Explore & Experiment > Curiosity brings on new challenges!
- Practice & Review > Work is the foundation of success!
- Imagine & Create > Discovery unlocks a child’s potential
At Maple Dene, to be “Safe, Friendly, and Responsible” is the cornerstone of all expectations. With responsibility comes trust in the student. Add freedom and Maple Dene truly empowers students!
Why parents choose Maple Dene
Parents choose our Kindergarten because Maple Dene:
- considers individual learning styles when planning activities
- has a strong science, art, music, and social studies curriculum
- addresses academics through an age-appropriate, developmental approach
- has small class sizes, daily accessibility to teachers, and provides individual attention
- helps children develop reading, writing, and arithmetic skills utilizing projects and studies
- values and encourages initiative, independence, leadership, cooperation, and community
Some parents understand their child is a bit young or not quite ready for a larger public school experience. These parents like Maple Dene’s smaller class size, individual attention, and daily accessibility to the teachers.
Also, parents want their sons and daughters not to be overly stressed or come to believe they are failing kindergarten. Such feelings and beliefs become a powerful roadblock to a young child’s developing self-image and future growth. These pressures are brought on by a ‘one-size-fits-all’ curriculum, and expectations that are not age appropriate.
Parents may recognize their son or daughter is ready for challenges beyond the constraints of ‘test driven curricula.’ They may want experiences and challenges that best match their child’s interests, capabilities, and needs. These parents do not want their child to lose initiative and interest in learning.