Dear Friends of Russian Hill School,
Russian Hill School is going to be very exciting in the 2022-2023 school year. From launching RHS Littles, our toddler program, to Foundations classes for parents, caregivers and children, to community lectures, there is a lot to talk about, so let's jump in!
Congratulations to all of our kindergarten bound students!
Preparation and individualized support in the K process has been a hallmark and passion of RHS for decades!
Transitional Kindergarten at Russian Hill School
Wondering how best to support your 4-6 year old with their social & emotional growth and balance while honoring their playful and creative spirit this summer or throughout the year?
Russian Hill School’s Transitional Kindergarten program provides an excellent opportunity for your child to fully experience arts-integrated learning with summer enrichment or year round.
Our curriculum targets cognitive, physical, emotional, social, and creative development goals. Our TK / K enrichment serves PIE: individualized planning, implementation and evaluation child curriculum.
From the RHS TK Classroom
Habitat Tales
This project is an individualized, teacher led activity for our senior students. Skills developed: research, observation, concentration, eye-hand coordination, fine motor development, three-dimensional representation, sculpting techniques, environmental awareness, language development, the art of the narrative, and oral story telling.
Throughout the Transitional Kindergarten program, there is also a strong leadership component whereby our TK students are encouraged through specific teacher supported strategies to become more autonomous and socially skilled. By leading through example and articulating solutions for social dilemmas among fellow students, children develop empathy and build self-esteem.
Here's a shining example of a Habitat Tale from one of our TK alums!
Georgia the Bumblebee
by Henry J.
Georgia was a queen bumblebee. It was winter time .. so she was hibernating. She was hibernating in the ground. It was snowing. So she couldn’t come out of her nest yet... because it wasn’t Spring yet. She was going to come out in the spring. So she kept sleeping. It was because there was still some snow, and it wouldn’t be there in the spring because it would be warmer. When she did come out, she was really hungry. Because she didn’t eat when she was hibernating. She didn’t eat all winter!
But now it was spring time. Georgia came out. She saw the blue sky and the sun. She thought it was pretty, outside. So, then she looked for some flowers to eat some nectar because she was so hungry... and she looked all around to find some flowers on top of the ground. She sees trees and a bush and some wildflowers. They were all different kinds of wildflowers. There were dandelions and flowers that were all different colors. There were some red flowers... and some gold ones... some California Poppies were growing there. And she sees cows, and horses there. So, she was in the country... not in a city. There was a little beach there too where she was. So, she started flying and started getting nectar to eat... lots of nectar. She sucked up the nectar with her nose part. And then she saw a lemon tree. It had flowers too. She grabbed the leaves with her legs and did Buzz pollination. It’s when bees hold on tight to some leaves and get the nectar. She sucked up some nectar in those flowers too. It was important, so lemons can grow.
And then she flew, when she was full, to build a little nest where predators couldn’t get it. It was at the Presidio Forest... on the ground. So, she must be in San Francisco now. She built her nest under the leaves there and made a little pot out of wax to keep her nectar in. And she kept going to get nectar, over and over... because she needed to fill her nectar pot... so she could make places (wax Cells) in her nest to put her eggs in. And then she was ready. So then she laid some eggs. And she sat on them. Bumblebee queens do that to keep them warm. They ‘shiver’ when they sit on the eggs so that they stay warm.
And then, one day the eggs hatched. They looked all white. They are called larvae then. So, Georgia kept feeding them. She fed them pollen and nectar so they could turn into BEES. She made SOOO many bees that way. All of them were girl (female) ‘worker-bees’. She made 50 bees! And now she just has one job to do... and she’s the boss! So she buzzed and buzzed and she gave them jobs. It was so she could just keep making babies. Twenty-five worker-bees would have to guard the nest and clean it... and twenty-five would have to fly and get nectar and pollen... every day. Twenty-five and twenty-five is Fifty!!! That’s a-lot... so she had to give them all numbers so she could tell them apart.
So, then the next time Georgia laid some eggs they were different. They weren’t ‘workers’ anymore. They were some new queens... and some male bumblebees too. The male bumblebees all fly away. It’s because they want to meet (mate) with some queen bumblebees... but not with the ones in their nest. And the new queens in the nest keep getting nectar to eat and get the pollen. It’s because the weather is getting colder. It’s because winter is coming again. And so, they will have to hibernate in the ground when winter comes... just like Georgia did!
Russian Hill school is excited to announce the Spring Introduction to the RHS Littles Program. The first phase will center on Foundations: Parent/Caregiver and Child interactions through play-based theory and technique.
The Russian Hill School takes an arts-integrated approach to development and learning in a classroom environment. RHS Littles will focus on the foundations of learning ie. Parent/Child attachment and transitions, developmentally appropriate play and theory, and the opportunity to engage in a relaxed environment to learn and grow around people in similar stages of life. The second phase is a dedicated Toddler Program 2, 3, or 5 days a week.
The RHS Littles program was conceived by Kirsten Hove and Dr. Kate Threlfall, both child development specialists and children of early child educators.
Upcoming Events @ RHS!
Open House & Play
Join us for a morning of fun at our next Open House. We invite all families to come visit Russian Hill School and meet some of our teachers and current families while playing in our classrooms!
Curriculum Sessions
These evenings, held quarterly, are an opportunity to meet teachers, current parents, and learn more about the Russian Hill School community. Our evening curriculum presentations are parent / caregiver only events due to the late timing and nature of the tour.
Click here to see our upcoming dates!
Resources
Farm Life Dramatic Play Theme
Come join us on the farm in this wonderful DPT made by RHS Teachers!
Creating learning environments for meaningful reflections
"Reflective thinking is a vital aid to the central function of the brain – improving its capacity to predict what will happen next. Play is important because it can prompt such reflection."
Happy Learning!
Best,
RHS
P.S. Please feel free to share with parents near and far to send a little ECE love across the globe!