Kindergarten

Kindergarten Teachers                                                             Email
Miss Hyer                                                                                     rhyer@salem.k12.va.us
Mrs. Peterson                                                                            apeterson@salem.k12.va.us
Miss Fischer                                                                                tfischer@salem.k12.va.us

The Kindergarten classrooms are located on the left side of our building. We share a hallway with first grade, the Kiva, a reading resource room, and various storage and workrooms. The Kindergarten “wing” is at the end of the hallway and has four classrooms designated for our grade level. The classrooms are self-contained, with a middle hallway connecting them. There are approximately seventy children in the kindergarten program, and they range in age from five to seven years old. We love our new school and awesome kindergarten classrooms!

The curriculum in Kindergarten at South Salem Elementary School is taught by three teachers and one instructional aide who strives to provide a comprehensive program for each child. Thematic units enable teachers to use a whole language approach in their classrooms. Many lessons are interdisciplinary, and cooperative planning among teachers is necessary. Teachers meet weekly to plan but are also given the professional freedom to teach from their individual perspectives.

Subjects included in the curriculum are Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Art, Music, Physical Education, Humane Education, and Health. Whole group, small group, and individualized lessons are employed by teachers as needed. Children are assessed formally and informally throughout the year. Standards of Learning serve as guidelines for the curriculum and are used for individual assessments.

The Kindergarten Curriculum strives to provide:
An enjoyable and comfortable program so that every child wants to attend school every day.
An enriched environment where learning becomes easy and available at all times for the student.
A program where each child progresses to their maximum potential in social, mental, physical, and emotional pursuits.
A program that is guided by the Standards Of Learning but exceeds these standards when appropriate.
As many hands-on activities as possible since these are developmentally appropriate for Kindergarten children.
As many opportunities as possible for parents to become familiar with the curriculum and enrich it whenever they can by providing their special talents.
Opportunities for development of Life Skills, such as staying on task, responsibility for belongings, and courtesy towards others.