Programs | Ponderosa Preschool

Preschool for 3s

Tuesday & Thursday || 9 AM - 11:30 AM

PS3 Children are "held" by the rhythm of the day, week and year, and derive comfort from knowing what comes next. They are given broad freedoms within the bounds held by rhythm and the gentle guidance of the teacher. Our goal is to nurture young children's minds, bodies, souls and spirits through gentle early learning. Children's physical bodies are nourished by healthy food, a home-like environment and emphasis on learning through imitation. Their minds are sharpened through long periods of uninterrupted free play time indoors and out. Children are invited to explore science, mathematics, literacy, visual arts, music and social studies through free play as well as teacher-curated invitations and explorations drawn from the educator's observations of the children. Young children's hearts and love of beauty are curated while creating process art, participating in Music & Movement circle time, and arts appreciation lessons. Children's souls connect to a greater whole by practicing living arts as well as social-emotional learning instruction and modeling. Festivals are a highlight of our program that invites the community into our school to celebrate together.

Admissions testing is not required for this class.

Preschool for 4s

Monday, Wednesday and Friday || 9 AM - 11:30 AM

PS4 Children are "held" by the rhythm of the day, week and year, and derive comfort from knowing what comes next. They are given broad freedoms within the bounds held by rhythm and the gentle guidance of the teacher. Our goal is to nurture young children's minds, bodies, souls and spirits through gentle early learning. Children's physical bodies are nourished by healthy food, a home-like environment and emphasis on learning through imitation. Their minds are sharpened through long periods of uninterrupted free play time indoors and out. Children are invited to explore science, mathematics, literacy, visual arts, music and social studies through free play as well teacher-curated invitations and explorations drawn from educator's direct observation of the children. Our 4 year old's hearts and love of beauty are curated while creating process art, participating in Music & Movement circle time, and arts appreciation lessons. Children's souls connect to a greater whole by practicing living arts as well as social-emotional learning instruction and modeling. Festivals are a highlight of our program that invites the community into our school to celebrate together.

Admissions testing is not required for this class. Testing is required for currently enrolled PS4 students prior to enrolling in Kindergarten 1.

Kindergarten 1

Monday - Friday || 1 PM - 3:30 PM

The focus of Kindergarten 1 is to build student's confidence and stamina with foundational skills needed for school success. Kindergarten 1 students experience a rich learning feast of play-based learning and process art. Kindergarten 1 also emphasizes the essential skills students will need to master to be successful in more focused academic settings, such as following directions, focus stamina and task completion at an age appropriate level.

If your child shows physical, social and academic readiness for advanced material, we have the skills, background and materials to support them. However, families should be advised that Ponderosa Preschool assesses children's holistic development, and does not introduce accelerated academics for children who are not physically, emotionally and socially ready.

This class is restricted to children identified as gifted.

Pre-First

Monday - Friday || 9 AM - 3:30 PM

Pre-First, or Kindergarten 2, is designed for children six or nearly six, but five year old children who have already attended a year of Kindergarten may also attend Kindergarten 2. To compare the two kindergarten classes: The focus of Kindergarten 1 is to build student's confidence and stamina with foundational skills needed for school success. Kindergarten 2 focuses on physical skills and social readiness for the academic adventure of grade school while reviewing Kindergarten concepts or previewing 1st grade concepts, according to the student's need.

While Pre-First is not a common offering in New Mexico schools, one of the reasons Ponderosa Preschool exists is to provide programs like this. Pre-first is tailored to the needs of Gifted and 2E students, and we highly recommend it to all our families. All Gifted students present with developmental asymmetry; that is, these "old souls" tend to be academically advanced and ponder existential questions, but have social delays and, often, physical delays as well. Pre-First is the ideal program for Gifted students, because it gives children the chance to tackle advanced content, while providing extra time to develop healthy social habits and to master physical skills. By the time students reach first grade, they are ready for academic work in mind, body, spirit and soul.

This class is restricted to children identified as gifted. Enrollment in Kindergarten 1 at Ponderosa or elsewhere is required for enrollment in Kindergarten 2.

Enrichments

Ponderosa teaches early literacy, science, social studies and mathematics, like most other preschools and Kindergartens. However, Ponderosa provides a variety of other opportunities to support rich and varied explorations to broaden gifted children's experiences of the world. These weekly enrichments are included in tuition as part of Ponderosa Preschool's rich and rigorous schedule:

Nature Study
Spanish
Visual Art and Sculpture
Music Performance and Appreciation
Living Arts (joyful practical life work

such as baking and sewing)

Social-Emotional Learning
Seasonal Field Trips
Festivals

For more information on these enrichments, please consult your child's course syllabus or Contact Us to schedule a tour.

Festivals

Festivals deserve special mention, since they are the primary way we invite Grandparents, Special Friends and families into our learning day. Annual Festivals are a joyful part of education at Ponderosa, and can become quite elaborate. Children learn the festivals as anchors in the year and enjoy the preparation as much as the day itself. Observing festivals nourishes a child's soul by connecting the individual to something bigger: the cycling of the seasons, patterning of light and dark, and stories of human resilience through difficult times. Your family probably already celebrates several festivals throughout the year. Ponderosa invites families to share their festivals with us as they are comfortable, able and willing.

A festival is different from an observed holiday in that festivals generally include special songs or stories, crafts or art projects, decorations, foods and customs. For example, on Halloween, Americans tell spooky stories or watch specific shows, dress up in costumes, decorate their homes or vehicles, eat candy and go Trick-or-Treating. It feels normal to do this on October 31, but would be strange to do this on March 31.

Families, Grandparents and other Special Friends are encouraged to join us to celebrate festivals the take place about once a quarter, throughout the year. This is a great opportunity to invite the important people in your child's home life into their school life. The festivals we will celebrate in 2024 are:

Lunar New Year (Observed February 9, 2024)

Passover (Observed April 23, 2024)

Summer Solstice (June 21. 2024)

Diwali (November 1, 2024)

Traditional Waldorf-style Advent (December 2 - 20, 2024; specific events TBD)

We also honor special days with smaller remembrances throughout the year. (For example, children may dress up for Halloween on October 31, but it will not be a festival-level community event.) Please note that Ponderosa is closed for all state and federal holidays, such as the 4th of July.