Curriculum
Kingfisher Private School follows the Revised National Curriculum Statements (RNCS) and uses Outcomes Based Education (OBE) assessment standards at all levels. Detailed information about the curriculum can be found on the RNCS web site.
Grade R
Grade R Curriculum Outline (requires Adobe PDF Reader).
Fledglings (Grade 000 and 00)
The Fledglings' early learning goals are less formalised than the Grade R programme. Here is an outline of the work we do with children in the first two years of pre-preparatory school:
Themes
The themes get repeated every second year. Themes do not necessarily run for a week, but could run for two or even three, depending on the children’s involvement. Examples of themes:
- my body
- my face
- the clothes I wear
- the toys I play with
- healthy food
- my family
- my home
- pets
- in the garden
- the farm
- frogs
Developmental concepts
- Gross motor (co-ordination, balance, evenness of rhythm)
- Fine motor (eye-hand co-ordination, eye-foot co-ordination, eye movements)
Perception development
- Visual perception (visual discrimination – sorting out toys, objects; visual observation & constancy form – recognizing objects whether it is big or small; foreground/ background differentiation – keep attention on a task while other things are going on; visual analysis and synthesis – building puzzles)
- Auditory perception (auditory discrimination – can they differentiate between everyday sounds; auditory sequence memory – learning a rhyme, song; foreground/background differentiation – keeping their attention for 10 minutes at a time)
- Tactile perception (tactile perception is the ability of the brain to correctly interpret stimuli transmitted to it via the skin and the fingertips – most learning problems occur because of this important element)
Intellectual or cognitive development
- Concept forming – mathematical concepts like counting, quantity (more/less) position, (first/last) shapes
- Matching
- Concept of order – want to go to town, need to get out of bed...
- Relation between cause and effect – child must learn the results of his actions
- Concentration & attention span
- Creativity
Language development
- Speech – articulation (correct forming of the word), pronunciation
- Vocabulary building – building onto the child’s vocabulary
- Sentence construction – teaching the child to formulate his thoughts
- Expression – child must be able to formulate his needs and thoughts
- Receptivity – does he grasp the language
Social development
Social development is the acquisition of skills to enable one to act according to socially acceptable norms.
- Sharing
- Empathy
- Helpfulness
- Co-operation
- Different types of play (single play; parallel play; social play)
Emotional or development of independence
This is the most important factor in the child’s development.
- No child can work if he is emotionally not ready
- Anxiety/fear
- Shyness
- Embarrassment
- Worry
- Anger
- Jealousy
- Sorrow
Sports
In Fledglings, learners are encouraged to explore their bodies' capabilities through an informal programme of physical education. From Grade R, more formalised sports are introduced.
Term 1: Athletics and Swimming
Term 2: Tennis and Cross-country
Term 3: Hockey and Cricket
Term 4: Swimming
Cultural activities
Drama is either in the form of a pre-preparatory school concert or a school production. An annual Christmas show is put on after the final prize giving.
Dress code
Pre-preparatory school children are not required to wear uniform. However, it is advisable to dress your child in clothes that allow freedom of movement. Avoid sending your child in clothes that must not be allowed to get dirty - children at this age have difficulty remaining clean when participating in certain activities! It is also important, especially with the Fledglings, that clothes should be quick to take off in the event of an emergency toilet stop! Avoid zips and buttons on trousers and shorts.
Please mark all your child's clothes and shoes clearly with his or her name.
Meals
Fledglings
Breakfast, a mid-morning snack and lunch are provided for Fledglings.
Fledglings' meal planner (requires Adobe PDF Reader)
Grade R
Grade R learners must eat breakfast before arriving at school, and must bring a packed lunch. There is a fridge in the Grade R classroom in which learners may place their lunchbox and drink.
Lunchboxes must be filled with healthy food - chips, chocolate, sweets etc are allowed only on Fridays. Healthy meals and drinks assist with concentration, which is vital to a good education.
What your child needs to bring
Learners in the pre-preparatory school must bring a flannel marked with their name, a box of tissues and a bottle of liquid soap. Other items may be requested from time to time by the school. Fledglings must bring a blanket and pillow for quiet time.
Grade R learners' stationery list (requires Adobe PDF Reader)
Bike Day
Fledglings may bring a bike or scooter to school on Wednesdays. Learners in Grade R may bring their bikes on Fridays.
Birthdays
Although the school encourages parents to organise birthday parties at home, learners are allowed to bring a birthday cake or cupcakes on their birthday to share with their classmates.
Toys
The school provides plenty of toys and strongly discourages learners from bringing their own toys to school. Toys can easily be misplaced or broken.
Special events/trips
Life skills excursions are undertaken throughout the year and could include a visit to any of the following:
- Kruger National Park
- Fire station
- Water board
- Vet
- Dentist
- Doctor
- Nursery
- Police station
Daily schedule
Fledglings
07:00 – 08:00 |
Arrive & free play |
08:00 – 08:30 |
Breakfast |
08:30 – 09:00 |
Bible & ring time |
09:00 – 10:00 |
Outside free play |
10:00 – 10:30 |
Snack time |
10:30 – 11:45 |
Art time |
11:45 – 12:30 |
Outside free play |
12:30 – 13:00 |
Lunch |
13:00 – 13:15 |
Pack up time |
13:15 – 13:30 |
Story |
13:30 – 14:00 |
Quiet time |
Quiet time involves building puzzles, reading books, playing with play dough, listening to music or lying down.
Grade R
07:00 – 07:20 |
Arrive & free play |
07:20 – 08:20 |
Activity sport period |
08:20 – 09:00 |
Ring time |
09:00 – 09:30 |
Snack time |
09:30 – 10:30 |
Mathematics/Letterland |
10:30 – 11:30 |
Free play outside |
11:30 – 11:45 |
Toilet routine |
11:45 – 12:45 |
Theme discussion |
12:45 – 13:00 |
Tidy up |
13:00 – 13:30 |
Lunch |
13:30 – 14:00 |
Story |
Grade R learners also make a trip to the library every two weeks from the second term.
Grade R programme for Fridays
07:00 – 08:00 |
Arrive & free play |
08:00 – 09:00 |
Ring time |
09:00 – 09:30 |
Snack time |
09:30 – 10:30 |
Make & bake |
10:30 – 11:30 |
Free play outside |
11:30 – 11:45 |
Toilet routine |
11:45 – 12:15 |
Lunch |
12:15 – 12:40 |
Pack up & story time |
12:40 |
Home time |
