Pre-Kindergarten

A Blended Approach to Teaching in Pre-Kindergarten

Tower's Pre-Kindergarten curriculum combines a play-based, Reggio-inspired pedagogy; nature-based learning opportunities; Responsive Classroom; a multi-disciplinary curriculum model; and a child-centered, emergent lens. We believe children are powerful learners—accordingly, we provide them agency in each learning experience.

In Pre-K, play is the vehicle for learning.

Multi-disciplinary learning combines writing, reading, counting, designing, story-telling, testing, problem-solving, questioning and communicating.

Early childhood learning utilizes materials such clay, light, wood, paint, natural materials, wire, paper, chalk, cloth, cardboard, tape, costumes, puppets.

Pre-Kindergarten teachers:

Promote a love for school and learning
Provide a welcoming, safe, nurturing environment; a place to try new things and to take risks
Create a place to belong, a classroom community where we learn and practice to work cooperatively
Inspire joy, kindness, compassion, and inclusion
Help children to develop confidence and independence
Develop and strengthen self-help skills
Build a foundation of interdisciplinary skills

Curriculum

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Pre-Kindergarten Program Overview

Tower's Pre-K program is for four-year-old students
Pre-K follows our school-year calendar, including vacations, holidays, and professional development days. Tower's Extended Day program opportunities, as scheduled by our Director of Auxiliary Programs, may be available at an additional cost.
Schedule: 5 days per week
Full Day: 7:50am–3:00pm
Half Day: 7:50am–12:00pm*
Tuition, payment schedule options, and other financial information is available on our Affording Tower page.

* The half-day dismissal time is approximate, and will be published as soon as the daily schedule for 2024–2025 is finalized.

Pre-Kindergarten Curriculum Overview

Academics

Pre-K students explore mathematical tools and systems such as pattern, shape, graphing, estimating, quantities, measurements, volume, number line 0-100, money, value, time, and grouping

Emergent reading and writing and an explorative approach to math and number sense is woven into each day of Pre-K

Our early literacy program utilizes the Heggerty Phonemic Awareness program, Lively Letters and Wilson’s Fundations

Pre-Kers explore a large spectrum of literacy and writing such as reading and writing names, rhyming, isolating sounds in a word, identifying syllables and exploring inventive spelling

Children are exposed to fiction and nonfiction, researching, memorizing poetry and performing a play as part of our vibrant Language Arts program

Social-Emotional Learning

A Responsive Classroom approach to social-emotional learning encourages Pre-Kindergarten students to:

ask questions
see oneself as a unique and valued individual
see oneself as a capable member of the group
regulate emotions and behaviors in a productive way
understand and respond to the needs of others
engage in cooperative play
communicate thoughts and needs
remember, recognize, and connect experiences
use mindfulness practices

Nature-Based Learning

We visit outdoor classrooms often—including the woods, the bike path, the duck pond, the children’s garden, and the greenhouse.

Nature helps us to:

learn by doing, trying, and trying again
observe our environment and document what we find
look deeper, and read more about our questions
authentically understand numbers, patterns, quantities, systems, tools, and so much more
find mindful opportunities in nature, which can help us with our emotions

Discovery Time

Discovery time in Pre-Kindergarten is a thoughtfully crafted learning block of interdisciplinary learning where Literature, Art, Science, Math and Social Studies are interconnected and simultaneously blended into the curriculum.

During a discovery block, students can move freely around the room, choosing activities and engaging with the classroom. Teachers observe closely and guide deep learning through provocation, stories, research, resources, small group time and accessing new materials. As students ask questions and engage with their environment, the curriculum dives deeper authentically. In this way, our curriculum is ‘student-led’, where children are intrinsically motivated to learn.

We use the resources in our school community: science labs, wood shop, teaching faculty, middle school experts and community experts to teach our students to become an expert in their own right. Some recent student-led learning themes include boat building, native birds and habitats, garden spiders, human transportation, mapping a garden, and human emotions.

Spanish

Library

Music

Visual Arts

Experiment with using primary colors to create secondary colors
Identify, draw, and combine different lines and simple geometric shapes to create more complex drawings
Understand the terms horizontal and vertical
Complete a 3-D multi-step long-term project
Create texture with clay
Be familiar and confident with a variety of materials and methods
Introduce and participate in a community critique using Pre-K art vocabulary

Physical Education

Tim and I know that we made the right decision for our children and that they are in a happy, safe, academically challenging learning environment where they also have fun. Logistically, bus transportation from Nahant in the morning has been a bonus for our schedules!

LAURA O'KEEFE, NAHANT, MA

Curious about Affording a Tower Education?

An independent school education is a significant investment in your child's future. We encourage all families to contact us to discuss opportunities for affording Tower.

Affording Tower

Inquire about our half-day and full-day options for Pre-Kindergarten

For information about our half-day and full-day options, contact Reagan Kenwell, Director of Admissions, at reagan.kenwell@towerschool.org.

Schedule a Conversation, Today.

We look forward to meeting you and learning about your goals for your child(ren)’s education. Please complete the brief form below to help us prepare for our conversation.

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If you'd like, you can schedule a meeting/phone call now with an Admissions Director at a time that works best for you.

Schedule time for conversations about enrollment in Beginners–Grade 4.
> Calendly Link: Reagan Kenwell, Director of Admissions
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> Calendly Link: Mary Dailey, Middle School Admissions Director

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The picture I have of the perfect learning environment in my head is what I see when I walk through the doors at Tower School. The teachers are caring, encouraging and actively challenging our kids to improve academically and socially every day. Perhaps the most impressive thing is how much our kids LOVE the school, their friends, their teachers, the administrators the assemblies, recess, the science classes, wood shop, playing music. They are genuinely bummed when they have to miss it for vacations or sickness and can't wait to go back on Monday morning.

Tim Keeney, Tower parent