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Preschool Program “Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.” Socrates The Oakville
Academy's award winning Preschool Program is a half day play-based program
designed with the child’s developmental stages in mind. Each morning
session focuses on creative self-expression, sensory awareness, problem solving,
refining motor skills, honing emerging pro-social communication abilities,
building a foundation for future academic skills and cultivating each child’s
imagination and unique perspective of the world around him or her. This
enriched program is designed for children who will be 3 years of age no later
than November 30th of each school year. It provides a perfect learning
introduction to our progressive and exceptional JK/SK program offered to
students meeting those age requirements. |
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Our
project-based Reggio–inspired program is focused on integrating the arts
with all curriculum areas. Our arts specialists and award-winning
early childhood classroom teachers are dedicated to providing a gentle and
safe learning environment wherein the development of language, math,
science, social emotional and arts skills are fostered in a
developmentally appropriate, play-based fashion. |
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Young children naturally delight in the arts. Our program provides each
child with the opportunity to experiment with a variety of artistic
media, participate in exciting music experiences, learn age-appropriate
dance techniques and consistently find avenues for meaningful
self-expression. Through these opportunities, young children feel
free to express their individual ideas and feelings while mastering a
sense of autonomy and initiative.
The early childhood years are critical years for
venturing, exploring, playing and creating without fear of failure.
These are also critical years for testing ideas, learning to learn,
problem solving, developing trust and building positive relationships
with peers and teachers. Our program provides the optimum
environment and curriculum needed in order to develop these broad skills
during this particularly sensitive and critical period in a child’s
life. Fine Arts Components: Visual Arts Classroom projects and areas of interest will be
enhanced with visual arts throughout the program. With the
guidance of our Head Teacher - also a practicing visual artist, children
will learn about colour, texture, form and technique while being able to
create their own unique works of art as part of their process of
learning. The program offers a lovely balance between teacher
guided art experiences and self-chosen, independent opportunities to
explore paint, paper, sculpting media, drawing tools and found
materials. Within the Preschool Program, artworks are connected to
projects of study and are deeply process-oriented. We do not work
toward craft products, but focus on entire exploration and an
understanding of rich and abundant arrays of art media that serve to
make learning visible. Creative Dance The imagination is an invaluable tool. Our
dance specialists will bring each child on a journey through dance using
music, imagination and movement to create a variety of age appropriate
dance experiences. Children will explore the possibilities of what
their bodies can do and how it can serve as a magical vehicle for
self-expression! Students will be introduced to proper posture,
basic dance technique and a variety of fun and exciting dance
opportunities. Full-time Preschool students will dance twice weekly,
while our part-time students will participate in one class.
Sessions are built upon the Royal Academy of Dance's Preschool Ballet
Syllabus as well as offering taste of up-tempo jazz components. Music Our Preschool music component features occasional
collaboration with our on-site professional and student
musicians. Full-time Preschool students will enjoy a structured music
class facilitated by their classroom teachers twice weekly. Our
part-time students will participate in this class once per week.
Students will explore rhythm instruments, auditory discrimination
activities, exposure to a wide variety of musical genres, movement and
music games as well as fundamental early learning music concepts.
Our highly qualified early childhood teachers will also incorporate
familiar and new songs, rhymes and musical finger plays into the
curriculum on a daily basis. Dramatic Arts Within the framework of the Preschool Program,
students will have abundant opportunity to explore drama.
Exploration of dramatic role playing is consistently available in our
well equipped dramatic play area within the classroom as well as within
the form of group storytelling. During co-operative games and
dramatic exercises, students will have ample opportunity to "act"
dramatically, experiment with speech arts and hone improvisational
skills.
Preschool Sample Schedule
8:30 - 8:45 Arrival
8:45 - 9:00 Greeting circle
Calendar
Morning
program discussion
9:00 - 10:00 Art Enrichment
(divided
groups attend dance, music,
co-operative games, drama etc)
10:00 -10:20 Healthy snack
10:20 - 11:00 Visual arts
component
Free play
(opportunities for science
dramatic
play. library shelf,
accessing
learning
materials and toys etc)
11:00 -11:20 Group tidy
Songs
and story
Goodbye
11:20 - 11:30 Cloakroom
11:30
Dismissal in Studio B at back door
Junior
and Senior Kindergarten
Programs The Oakville Academy Junior and Senior Kindergarten
Program is a half day program offering an arts-enriched learning
environment for children turning 4 years of age and 5 years of age,
respectively, by the end of December. The program, offered in a
beautifully equipped studio classroom, is offered 5 mornings per week
from 8:45am until 11:45am. Following an enhanced Ontario Government
Junior Kindergarten and Senior Kindergarten curriculum, our dynamic and
highly skilled Kindergarten teacher and arts specialists will provide
your child with the opportunity to master skills in all academic
areas. What makes learning at OAA unique and extraordinary? The Academy’s Junior Kindergarten and Senior
Kindergarten Program is dedicated to a philosophy that sees children as
whole, capable human beings, having the right to co-construct their
educational experience. We are passionate and committed to
creating an atmosphere wherein children feel like valued members of a
learning community and encourage all children to find and voice their
unique gifts in a supportive and respectful environment. Our goal is to
nurture independent and creative thinkers, enthusiastic life-long
learners, active explorers and compassionate and respectful human
beings. Unlike other Junior and Senior Kindergarten programs, ours will
maintain a ratio of one teacher for 10 students, allowing for optimum
support during individual investigations, skill development and group
project work. The Junior and Senior Kindergarten curricula, while
reflecting and meeting the educational goals set out by the Ontario
Government, will be influenced and inspired by Italy’s famed, Reggio
Emilia approach to creating optimum learning environments for young
children. Within the context of this philosophical movement, young
learners are encouraged, along with their teachers, to decide upon and
undertake projects of study that allow for on-going investigation,
in-depth study and the ability to develop and internalize skills and
concepts from the entire range of curriculum components such as math,
language arts, science, social studies, music, dance/movement and
technology. What is Project – Based Emergent Learning and why does
it provide a superior learning experience? Within our classroom, teachers will have exciting and
daily opportunities to integrate curriculum. Activities that are
meaningful and relevant to a child’s life experiences provide intrinsic
motivation and allow for teachers to teach across the curriculum and
assist their students in seeing the interrelationships of the things
they are learning. At the Oakville Academy for the Arts, we are
confident that the Junior and Senior Kindergarten program will offer
your child the exclusive opportunity to marry an enriching and absorbing
classroom experience with dance, music and the visual arts. The
classroom itself will become a studio of sorts – offering an abundant
array of fine art media, recycled found objects and a host of
captivating natural materials. These resources, combined with
well-chosen learning toys and materials will offer children the
opportunity to make meaningful personal choices on a daily basis. A growing body of research indicates that intelligence
is not a single quantifiable ability, but rather a set of aptitudes
developed and valued. Professor Howard Gardner, in his widely acclaimed
Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences, describes
seven different intelligences through which people think, learn and
process information. Project Based Learning affords students
opportunities to develop and apply these intelligences, thereby
accommodating a wide variety of learning styles and temperaments. Engaged learners find excitement and pleasure in
learning. They possess a lifelong passion for solving problems and
understanding ideas and concepts. Engaged learners understand that
learning is social. They are able to see themselves and ideas as others
see them, can articulate their ideas to others, have empathy for others,
and are fair-minded in dealing with contradictory or conflicting views.
They have the ability to identify the strengths and intelligences of
themselves and others. Within our very special Kindergarten programs the shift
is from teaching to that of learning, with an emphasis on finding
personal and meaningful ways to make curriculum areas come alive! We
seek to develop in children and ourselves valuable habits of mind and
dispositions, such as critical thinking, inquiry, research and problem
solving; skills that will put our young learners in good stead as they
arrive upon the doorstep of future academic experience.
Sample Kindergarten
Schedule
8:45-9:00 Arrival and welcome
Afternoon
Arts Adventure
Afternoons 12:30
to 3:30
Tuesday, Wednesday and
Thursday
Participants may register for 1, 2 or 3 sessions
Ages: 3*- 6 The Afternoon Arts Adventure
program at the Oakville Academy for the Arts will take children ages 3*
- 6 through a magical introduction to the Arts. Young learners
will have the option of joining a single Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday
session or a combination of two or more classes. This unique and
specialized program will provide opportunities for young artists to work
and experiment with abundant graphic arts media with a practicing visual
artist, explore ballet and jazz dance fundamentals with a professional
Academy Dance Instructor during a daily 30 minute class, enjoy a healthy
snack, make music with our OAA Primary Music Specialist and have free
playtime in our well equipped studio Preschool classroom.
Afternoon Arts Adventure students
arrive for program at 12:30 and are dismissed in the front foyer at 3:30
p.m. Participants for this program must
be 3 years of age or older by the end of June 2010 and be fully
toilet-trained. We are unable to make exceptions to this policy. Visual Arts Component: A Core Studio Approach During the school year, children
will use the visual arts to explore ideas of interest and meaning for
them. Philosophically, the Afternoon Arts Adventure Program views art
as an important language to be utilized as a vehicle for expressing
feelings, ideas and emerging beliefs about the world we live in.
On a daily basis, the Preschool studio classroom will be arranged with
core fine art areas through which the children will move - exploring the
art media available at each station. The core areas offered daily
will be: painting, collage, drawing and sculpture. From week to
week, the art materials offered within the core areas will change.
Fore example: The initial week's art may be tempera paint,
construction paper and matte board bases, artist quality pencil crayons
and potter's clay. The following week, the core areas may include:
water colour paint, fabric, scissors and glue, chalk pastels and
plasticene. Throughout all exploration, fundamental elements of
colour and design will be reinforced in developmentally appropriate and
captivating ways - using both familiar art materials and artist-quality
materials. As in any high-quality studio experience for young
children, this program will be strongly process-based as opposed to a
take-home craft approach. Students will be encouraged to select a
station that holds appeal for them and will move to a new station when
they have fully explored what that particular station has to offer.
Students may not necessarily work at each station each day, particularly
if they are deeply engrossed in the art media at one core area.
Children will be encouraged to gain mastery through the repetition and
use of consistent media like paint, paper, mark-making implements, dough
and clay over time - it is through this approach that young artists
begin to build upon former skills and become deeply competent and
creative! Dance Component Within the context of each daily
session, participants will take part in a 30 minute dance class.
Each session will blend primary ballet fundamentals with age-appropriate
up-tempo jazz elements. Both dance genres will emphasize
expressiveness, simple floor routines, body sense as well as rhythm and
co-ordination. Music Component During each session, students will
have the opportunity to take part in a lively music class facilitated by
the Academy's Primary Music Specialist. During these 30 minute
sessions, children will explore rhythm instruments, sing in
accompaniment to one of our many pianos, develop auditory discrimination
skills, experience a variety of musical genres, learn new songs and move
their bodies in thrilling and creative ways! End of the Year Tea Party Recital At the conclusion of the year, in
June, the Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday Afternoon Arts Adventure
classes will host a combined Tea Party Recital for family and friends in
our primary on-site dance studio. At this time, we will celebrate
the culmination of much hard work and exploration by sharing a charming
dance presentation, vocal performance and visual arts display.
This event offers our students the perfect opportunity to showcase their
mastered skills while providing family members the opportunity to take
many photographs and to celebrate the determination and efforts of our
special artists!
Half Day Kinderschool
Summer Arts Adventure Camp
2 Days $84.00 +
HST, 3 Days $125.00 +HST, 5 Days $206.00 + HST
The
Kinderschool Summer Arts Adventure Camp at the Oakville Academy for the Arts
will take children 3 to 5 years** of age through a fun and magical introduction
to the expressive arts. The camp will be offered five mornings a week, in
8 one-week sessions, beginning Monday July 5th, 2010 and ending Friday August
27th, 2010. Each one week session will offer young campers the opportunity to
explore, in depth, a core fine art experience. In addition to the core art
experience offered daily in our summer art studio space, campers will take part
in music and movement, dance, free play and snack in our fun and fully equipped
Kindergarten classroom. Music and movement will be offered on Tuesday and
Friday mornings, while dance (ballet and jazzy hip-hop) will be offered daily.
Campers have
their choice of Monday through Friday (5 morning option), Monday, Wednesday and
Friday (3 morning option) or Tuesday and Thursday (2 morning option).
**Children
must be three years of age or older by the end of June, 2010 and be fully
toilet trained in order to participate in this program.
Camp begins
daily at 9:00 am and concludes at 11:30 am. Campers will be lead to the front
foyer for dismissal by their teachers. Due to possible allergies, the OAA
will provide a healthy snack and drink daily.
Session 1
Passionate Painting
Children will explore tempera,
watercolour and acrylic paints as well as a variety of painting surfaces such as
watercolour paper, canvas and an array of found objects.
July 5-9
.
Session 2
Crazy About Clay
Campers will have opportunities to
experiment with sculpting media such as dough, baker’s clay, plasticene, potter’s clay
and edible fondant. An assortment of sculpting tools ranging from found tools to professional
potter’s tools will be offered.
July 12-16
Session 3
Cool
Collage
Children will explore fixed (taped
or glued) collage and transient (not attached) collage. Materials available for
experimentation will include exotic and classic papers, fabric, photographs and
found natural objects. Opportunities for multi-media collage and assemblage will
be presented as well.
July 19-23
Session 4
Tantalizing
Textures and Textiles
Using an abundant array of fabrics
in glorious colours and textures, children will have opportunities to tye-dye,
weave, make collage, sew and more!
July
26-30
Session 5
Welcome
to Light and Shadow World * Shortened
week
Using scrims and small scale light
and shadow theatres, children will explore the properties of light and shadow.
As well, campers will have opportunities to work with paper to create shadow
puppets and present shadow plays to their peers.
August 3-6 (4 day week)
Session 6
Passionate Painting II – Print-making
Children will explore tempera,
watercolour and acrylic paints as well as a variety of painting surfaces such as
watercolour paper, canvas and an array of found objects. Mono-printing using
tempera paint will be a focus during this session.
August
9-13
Session 7
Open
Studio
Children will have opportunities to
make meaningful choices from all of the art media offered in the previous
sessions. Campers will be encouraged to experiment for the first time or
re-visit a particular medium that captured their interest.
August 16-20
Session 8
Open
Studio II
Children will have opportunities to
make meaningful choices from all of the art media offered in the previous
sessions. Campers will be encouraged to experiment for the first time or
re-visit a particular medium that captured their interest.
August 23-27
Faculty
Kim Speer
B.F.A., E.C.E.
Honours
Director, Kinderschool
Programs
Kindergarten Teacher Kim is entering her fifth successful year as the Director of Kinderschool
Programs at the Oakville Academy for the Arts. Kim is also a gifted educator
and the Kindergarten teacher of our renowned Junior and Senior Kindregarten
Program. Kim graduated from Brock University's Theatre Performance and
Directing Program and has also received an Early Childhood Diploma with
Honours from George Brown College, graduating at the top of her class. She
has extensive experience co-ordinating early learning programs and teaching
studio art classes to young children in Toronto and the GTA and has, prior
to her tenure with the OAA, spent 8 years as a Preschool and Kindergarten
teacher for the Region of Halton's Children's Services Department.
Shannon Remes
E.C.E.
Honours
Head Preschool Teacher Shannon believes that young children learn best when they are given the
space and time to play, work and learn in an enviroment in which they are
seen as whole, capable and unique. Using the Reggio philosophy as a
touchstone, Shannon and her students strive to develop community - a
community that plans together, shares ideas together and learns about
themselves and the world together. Shannon and her husband Derek are the
proud parents of two beautiful school-aged children named Max and Georgia.
Kelly Posavec
E.C.E.
Honours
Preschool Teacher
Kelly
graduated with honours from the Early Childhood Education program at
Sheridan College. Kelly has always known that working with children would
become her passion in life. Immediately after her departure from college,
Kelly jumped into the professional world of early childhood education head
on and has never looked back! She has extensive and varied experience
working with children ages 6 weeks through 6 years of age.
Prior to
coming to the Oakville Academy for the Arts, Kelly taught for 8 years at a
childcare facility in the GTA and was quickly promoted to the position of
Assistant Supervisor. This opportunity allowed Kelly to hone her already
significant teaching and leadership skills. Kelly’s image of the child is
one who has joy and laughter in their day to day life; a child who can dream
and imagine and be given the freedom to express their own uniqueness while
having their social, cognitive and physical needs met at all times. Kelly
lives in Milton with her husband, George and their young daughter, Hannah.
We are thrilled to have Kelly back for her second year as part our dynamic
Preschool teaching team.
Instructor,
Afternoon Arts Adventure Corene Jonat is a talented and committed expressive arts
therapist, facilitator,coordinator, art teacher, designer and visual artist.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Design from Ryerson University, as
well as an Art teacher and Child Development Diploma and ExAT Diploma
through I.S.I.S Canada for Expressive Arts Therapy. She has extensive
expertise working with creative arts based methods in schools and
adult group classes/workshops and in private therapy
practice with adults, children and seniors with
disabilities as well as those experiencing life changes. Corene
works with hospice organizations supporting adults,children and the elderly
through illness and loss through the utilization of the arts. Corene
is also a dedicated mother to two school-aged children and is passionate
about applying her multi-disciplinary arts approach within environments
supporting young learners. We are thrilled to welcome Corene to the Kinderschool teaching faculty
and to the Oakville Academy for the Arts family!
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