Academics
Grades
Pre-K 3 and Pre-K 4
Pre-K 3 Curriculum
Pre-K 3 students learn in a nurturing, Reggio Emilia-inspired environment. Developmentally appropriate lessons take place both in the classroom and outdoors to encourage multi-sensory exploration and experimentation. Social-emotional learning is an emphasis in Pre-K 3 as students gain independence, learn self-regulation strategies, and develop empathy and confidence. Creativity, collaboration, effective communication, problem-solving, and a love for learning are the hallmarks of a JCDS Pre-K 3 education. Highlights include guided exploration, thematic learning centers, a spring “informance”, daily P.E. lessons as well as specialist instruction in Spanish, art, music, and library.
Pre-K 3 Highlights:
Pre-K 3 Highlights:
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Nurturing learning environment that fosters academic, social-emotional, and physical growth
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Interdisciplinary, project-based learning
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Differentiated instruction
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Daily physical education classes and recess
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Access to a healthy lunch program
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Opportunities for family involvement in school and classroom activities
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Pre-K 3 "Spring Informance"
List of 11 items.
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Art
Creativity and self-expression is encouraged through the tactile and kinesthetic exploration of color, shape, line, pattern and design. Art mediums include drawing, painting, stamping, clay, dough, collage, and 3D materials. -
Character Education
Social and emotional skills are taught through the Loving Guidance - Conscious Discipline approach. During daily morning meetings and activities, students practice school routines and rituals as well as sharing, collaborating, listening, and interpersonal problem solving skills. Kind manners, virtues, and the 7 Mindsets are developed through literature, songs, poems, buddy activities, service learning, character education assemblies, cooperative learning, activities, and “teachable moments.” -
Global Studies
Topics covered include self-discovery, friendships, service, family customs and traditions, holidays, community helpers, transportation, and American heritage. -
Language Arts
Language arts activities for Pre-K students foster a love for reading and writing and promote growth in receptive and expressive language. Through read alouds, puppets, finger plays, flannel boards, and open-ended questioning techniques, students develop reading and writing readiness skills. As students are introduced to a variety of genres, they practice recalling information and responding to age appropriate literature. Letter exploration, letter-sound recognition, oral modeling, dictated story telling, and labeling are incorporated into pre-writing, hands-on literacy activities. -
Library
Early Learning students visit the library once per cycle with a teacher from their classroom for a story where they move their bodies and get excited about books. At this age, we instill a love of reading into our Sharks and expose them to basic literacy skills. Pre-K students are able to check books out for classroom use. -
Math
Students learn to recognize and apply math concepts in their daily lives through math investigations in group activities and routines such as in calendar, weather, and attendance activities. Emphasis is placed on number recognition: 0-5, counting 0-10, 1:1 correspondence, sorting, patterning, ordering, sequencing, matching numbers to quantities, and geometric shapes. Students also measure at the sand and water tables and while cooking, and are introduced to money through coins and dollars. -
Music
Students are guided through a multi-sensory music appreciation program as they explore:- Fast-slow and high-low beats
- Play rhythm instruments
- Hop, skip, march, gallop, slide, and jump to music
- Interpret music through dramatic play
- Sing songs including lyrics about friends, holidays, self, and family
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Physical Education
Pre-K 3 students participate in water acclimation activities and baseline swimming instruction as they learn pool safety skills. Throughout the year, they develop personal space understanding, hand-eye coordination, foundational sport-specific movements, flexibility and balance. Fitness and large group aerobic games introduce students to beginning striking, catching, and throwing techniques. -
Science
A multi-sensory, hands-on approach develops students' scientific inquiry skills as they delve into exciting units on animal habitats, gardening, seasons, weather, the solar system, the human body and senses, magnets, and states of matter through liquids and solids. -
Spanish
Aural and verbal Spanish skills are developed as students learn terms for greetings, numbers, colors, shapes, weather, parts of the body, days of the week, farm animals, and members in a family through songs, movement, acting, and games. In addition, understanding of Spanish cultures is enhanced through the exploration of international holidays. -
Technology
Foundational coding skills are introduced through kinesthetic activities and games. Students practice key curriculum concepts through developmentally appropriate slideshows and educational video clips.
The Reggio Emilia Approach
JCDS is inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach in early education as it shifts focus from rote learning to experiential, child-led discovery. It is celebrated for fostering independent, engaged learners and is a model for educators seeking alternatives to traditional systems.
Key features of the Reggio Emilia approach include:
The Child as Protagonist - Children have extraordinary potential for learning. They are recognized as active learners. Their interests and curiosity drive the curriculum, rather than a preset agenda.
The Hundred Languages - Loris Malaguzzi described children possessing 100 languages—a hundred ways to express themselves through many forms—art, music, movement, storytelling—beyond just words. Our Pre-K educators value verbal and non-verbal expression with equal dignity.
Teachers as Co-Learners - Educators observe, listen, and guide rather than dictate. They work alongside children, documenting their progress to tailor learning experiences.
Environment as the Third Teacher - The physical space—open, natural, and rich with materials—plays a critical role in exploration and discovery. Our LearningScape, located just outside the classrooms, is dedicated to childhood discovery and exploration.
Collaboration and Community - All stakeholders are involved, fostering a sense of shared responsibility in education.
Pre-K 4 Curriculum
Jacksonville Country Day School’s Pre-K 4 students learn within an engaging, Reggio Emilia-inspired classroom and an experiential outdoor learning environment. Throughout the day, students participate in developmentally appropriate activities designed to create the foundation for future academic success. Children are guided through differentiated problem solving and engineering activities that encourage imaginative inquiry and higher order thinking skills as their social-emotional development is nurtured. Creativity, collaboration, effective communication, problem-solving, and a love for learning continue to be the hallmarks of JCDS Pre-K education.
Pre-K 4 Highlights:
Pre-K 4 Highlights:
- Nurturing learning environment that fosters academic, social-emotional, and physical growth
- Interdisciplinary, project-based learning
- Daily physical education classes and recess
- Differentiation of learning to meet individual needs and goals
- Access to a healthy lunch program
- Opportunities for family involvement in school and classroom activities
- Pre-K 4 spring performance
List of 11 items.
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Art
Children’s creativity and understanding of artistic techniques are enhanced through the exploration of color, shape, line, pattern, and design using various art mediums such as drawing, painting, collage, and 3D materials. During the course of the year, students study artists and recreate elements of their work. -
Character Education
Social and emotional skills are taught through the Loving Guidance - Conscious Discipline approach by Dr. Becky Bailey. During daily Morning Meeting and activities, students learn about school routines and rituals as well as practice sharing, collaborating, listening, and interpersonal problem-solving skills. Kind manners, virtues, and positive mindsets are taught through literature, songs, poems, buddy activities, service learning, character education assemblies, cooperative learning projects, and “teachable moments”. -
Global Studies
Students compare and contrast family customs; identify school community members and their roles; and learn more about themselves, each other, and the school community. -
Language Arts
Language Arts activities are designed to instill a love for reading and writing and establish the foundational literacy skills needed to succeed in later grades. Through guided read alouds, students are introduced to a variety of genres and begin to identify the characteristics of fiction and nonfiction text, make predictions, identify cause and effect connections, and sequence stories. Emphasis is placed on letter recognition, beginning sounds A-Z, word families, rhyming, alliteration, compound words, verbs, adjectives, CVC blending, oral modeling, and tracking words left to right. Prewriting skills include dictating stories, noticing capitals at the beginning of a sentence, punctuation, labeling pictures, writing one’s own name, and capital and lowercase letters A-Z. -
Library
Early Learning students visit the library once per cycle with a teacher from their classroom for a story where they move their bodies and get excited about books. At this age, we instill a love of reading into our Sharks and expose them to basic literacy skills. Pre-K students are able to check books out for classroom use. -
Math
Math investigations are presented within an exploratory curriculum and students learn new concepts through guided instruction and within calendar, weather, and attendance activities. Emphasis is placed on recognizing numbers: 0-30, quantity, shapes and sizes, as well as patterning and sorting, 1:1 correspondence, part/part/whole, sequencing and counting, comparing and estimating, problem solving, position words, ordinal numbers, matching numbers, and simple addition. -
Music
Students learn to play rhythm instruments to a beat; hop, skip, march, gallop, slide, jump to music; develop non-locomotor movements; interpret music through dramatic play; explore classical and folk music; and sing songs about self, family, friends, and holidays. -
Physical Education
Pre-K 4 students participate in water acclimation activities and baseline swimming instruction as they learn pool safety skills. Throughout the year, they develop personal space understanding, hand-eye coordination, foundational sport-specific movements, flexibility, and balance. Fitness and large group aerobic games introduce students to basic striking, catching, and throwing techniques. -
Science
A multi-sensory, hands-on approach develops students’ scientific inquiry skills as they delve into states of matter (liquid and solid), magnets, the five senses, sinking and floating, planting seeds, and simple chemical reactions. -
Spanish
Students develop Spanish vocabulary through songs, movement, puppets, bilingual books, and games. Emphasis is placed on greetings, numbers, colors, shapes, weather, parts of the body, days of the week, fruit, zoo animals, and holidays in other countries. -
Technology
Foundational coding skills are practiced through kinesthetic activities and games. Students also practice key curriculum concepts through developmentally appropriate slideshows and educational video clips.
Panning for Gold?
There is a new feature on the LearningScape that the early learning students have absolutely fallen in love with.
It is a shallow pit surrounded by wooden beams and filled with a special aggregate that does not have sharp edges, doesn't stick easily to skin or clothes, and is easy to brush off.
"It's a product called Texas Grit that is actually the same as Disney's Animal Kingdom Boneyard Playground," said Jennifer Highsmith, Director of Operations and Facilities.
Although it is not suited for making sculptures or mud pies, it is easily shoveled and sifted.
The young Sharks put their imaginations to work right away, pretending they were mining for gold. They loved digging a shovelful of the material and straining it through a sieve to find the larger nuggets, which they dubbed "gold." And they are proud of their findings!
"The classroom and the LearningScape should provide lots of opportunities for exploration and discovery," said Wendy Johnston, Early Learning Team Lead.
JCDS continues to expand opportunities for our little Sharks to learn through play.
Jacksonville Country Day School
Located in Jacksonville, FL, Jacksonville Country Day School is a private school for Pre-K 3 through 5th grade. JCDS prepares students for a healthy and productive lifetime of intellectual exploration, character development, and social responsibility.
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