Every child deserves the best possible start in life and the support that enables them to fulfill their potential. Children develop quickly in the early years and a child’s experiences between birth and age five have a major impact on their future opportunities. Maple Bear sets high standards to ensure children’s readiness for elementary school. Maple Bear gives children the broad range of knowledge and skills that provides the right foundation for good progress through school and life.
By the end of Senior Kindergarten children will communicate effectively by listening and speaking, will be able to read basic text in English, will be able to use phonic strategies to approach new words, will be capable of using writing strategies appropriate for beginners, and finally, will be able to use and respond to media.
Children will demonstrate curiosity about the natural world, demonstrate knowledge of characteristics of common materials, identify cycles in nature using techniques of observation, and work with others in using the computer in all aspects of their studies.
Children will understand colour, shape and use of media to express ideas. They will be able to describe responses to music, art, drama and dance.
Children will develop physical skills (such as balance and flexibility), an awareness of health and safety rules, an understanding of sharing, taking turns, cooperation and socially acceptable behaviour.
Children will become problem solvers. They will learn about patterns in the environment, number concepts, comparisons, sets, basic formal operations (e.g. adding and subtracting), 2-D and 3-D objects, simple graphs, basic measurements, estimation and basic probability.
Research shows that learning two languages at an early age offers both linguistic and cognitive advantages. The Maple Bear student learns to listen, speak, read and write in English and Kazakh.
In learning their first language amongst family and community from birth, children pass through several stages in predictable order: listening, developing understanding, speaking, reading, and writing. When Maple Bear students learn English their development proceeds through the same stages as in learning their first language.
