|
||||||||||||||
Preschool Program “Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.” Socrates The Oakville Academy 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 the opening school year. It provides a perfect learning introduction to our progressive and exciting JK/SK program offered to students meeting those age requirements. |
||||||||||||||
|
Our project –based. Reggio – inspired program is focused on integrating the arts with all other curriculum areas. Our arts specialists and 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. |
||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||
|
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. Our program provides the optimum
environment and curriculum in order to develop emerging skills during
these particularly sensitive and critical periods in a child’s life.
The Oakville Academy for
the Arts Preschool is accepting registrations for the 2009-2010 academic
years. We are pleased to offer an exclusive morning program available
for registrations either 2, 3, or 5 mornings a week.
We would like to provide
both parents and students with an outline highlighting the dynamic arts
experiences integrated into our daily Preschool program.
Visual Arts
Classroom projects and areas of interest will be enhanced with visual
arts throughout the program. With the guidance of an arts specialist,
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
understanding of a rich and abundant array of art media.
Creative Dance
The
imagination is an invaluable tool. Our dance specialist 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.
Music
Our
Preschool music component features collaboration with on-site
professional and student musicians. Children will have access and
exposure to highly qualified musicians playing instruments ranging from
electric and acoustic guitar to drums and piano. Musical artists will
have opportunities to come into program to perform for the preschool as
well as accompany the children during singing, dancing and other class
activities.
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. As well, our highly qualified early childhood teachers will
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)
Washroom
routine
10:00 -10:20 Healthy snack
10:20 - 11:00 Visual arts
component
Free play
(opportunities for science
Dramatic
play. Reading, 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
front foyer
Junior
and Senior Kindergarten
Programs
The Oakville Academy Junior and Senior
Kindergarten Programs are half day programs offering an arts-enriched
learning environment for children turning 4 years of age and 5 years of
age, respectively, by the end of December.
Each program, offered in a beautifully equipped
studio classroom, will run 5 mornings per week from
Our Learning Philosophy
The Academy’s Junior Kindergarten and
Senior Kindergarten Programs are dedicated to a philosophy that sees
children as whole, capable human beings, having the right to
co-construct their educational experience. We will strive to create an
atmosphere where children feel like valued members of our 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, science, social
studies, music, dance/movement and technology.
Project – Based Emergent Curriculum
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 programs 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. Within
these 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. We would like to provide both parents and
students an outline highlighting the dynamic arts experiences integrated
into our daily kindergarten programs:
Sample Kindergarten
Schedule
8:45-9:00 Arrival and welcome
Afternoon
Arts Adventure
Afternoons
(participants must be 3 by the end
The Afternoon Arts Adventure program at
the Oakville Academy for the Arts will take children through a magical
introduction to the Arts. Young learners will have the option of
joining a Monday/Wednesday session or a Tuesday/Thursday session – both
taught by highly qualified Early Childhood Educators and practicing
visual artists. This unique and special program will provide
opportunities for young artists to work and experiment with abundant
visual arts media, explore ballet and jazz dance fundamentals with a
professional Academy dance instructor during a daily 45 minute class,
enjoy a healthy snack, make music and play in our beautifully equipped
Kinderschool classroom.
During the school year, children will,
along with their teachers, use the visual arts to explore themes and
ideas of interest and meaning for them. For instance, a trip to the
museum might offer inspiration that leads the group to explore papier
mache and the construction of dinosaur sculptures. One child’s love of
the colour green can easily translate into a study of Canadian artist
Emily Carr and the use of green in her famous British Columbia forest
paintings. 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 very young
children, this program will be strongly process-based as opposed to a
take-home craft approach. Children will be encouraged to gain mastery
through the repetition and use of consistent media like paint, paper,
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! Within the context of each
session, participants will take part in a 45 minute dance class. One of
the weekly sessions will focus on primary ballet fundamentals and one
will emphasize an up-tempo jazz element. Both dance genres will
emphasize expressiveness, simple floor routines, body sense as well as
rhythm and co-ordination.
Half Day Kinderschool
Summer Arts Adventure Camp (3 to 5 Years of age)
2 Days $79.60 + GST, 3 Days $119.40 +GST, 5 Days $199.00 + GST
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 7
one-week sessions, beginning Monday June 29th, 2009 and ending Friday August
14th, 2009. 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, 2009 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 (* Shortened
week)
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.
June 29- July 3 (4 day week)
.
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 6-10
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 13-17
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
20-24
Session 5
Welcome
to Light and Shadow World
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.
July
27-31
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
4-7 (4 day week)
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 10-14
Faculty
Kim Speer
B.F.A., E.C.E.
Honours
Director, Kinderschool
Programs
Kindergarten Teacher
Afternoon Arts Adventure
Instructor
Kim is entering her fourth successful year
as the Director of Kinderschool Programs at the
Oakville Academy for the Arts. Kim is also
the Kindergarten teacher of our innovative and progressive Junior and Senior
Kindergarten class and co-teacher of the Afternoon Arts Adventure 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.
She has extensive experience 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 teacher and Artist in the
Classroom for the Region of Halton’s Children’s
Services Department. More than 15 years ago, Kim embraced the famed
Reggio Emilia
approach to creating inquiry and project-based learning environments. She
has passionately put her research and expertise into practice as a
consultant in the Halton Region delivering
dynamic workshops to adult learners in many well known early childhood
organizations
as well as to
the popular TVO program, Gisele’s Big Backyard. Kim and her husband Peter, an animator in the children’s
television industry, are the parents of a feisty and fabulous young daughter
named Libby. Kim has dedicated herself to creating safe and secure learning
environments that allow and encourage students to take meaningful and
creative educational risks. She feels privileged to work alongside children
as they construct pathways on their journey toward lifelong learning.
Shannon Remes
E.C.E.
Honours
Head Preschool Teacher
Afternoon Arts Adventure
Instructor
Shannon
returns for her fourth season at the Oakville Academy for the Arts as our
Head Preschool Teacher and co-instructor in our exciting Afternoon Arts
Adventure Program. Having graduated with an award for excellence in
teaching from the Early Childhood Education Program at Sheridan College,
Shannon continues to apply her skills and knowledge in the creation of
magical arts-based programs for young learners.
Over the past 12 years,
Shannon has acted as an Artist in the
Classroom for the Region of Halton, coordinated
and facilitated fine art summer camps, and served as guest artist in
community centres across the GTA
and
acted as an arts consultant for the popular TVO children’s program, Gisele’s
Big Backyard.
Shannon believes that young children
learn best when they are given the space and time to play, work and learn in
an environment 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
Bio to come
Christy Lamphier
B. Mus. A.
Kindergarten and Afternoon Arts Adventure Music Teacher
Christy is a graduate of the
University of Western Ontario where she studied voice with Alvin Reimer and
Brian MacIntosh. She is trilled to be entering her third year at The
Oakville Academy for the Arts as the Director of the Music Department as
well as a piano and voice Instructor. Ms. Christy is excited to be returning
to the Kinderschool this year as our Kindergarten and Afternoon Arts
Adventure music teacher.
|
||||||||||||||
