4676 Mayette Ave., Santa Rosa, CA 95405, 707 360-3000

Education : Nursery School : Fours Class

General Information	Classes	Extras
Admissions Teachers Parent information Contact or visit us	Twos class Threes class Fours class	Extended day care Enrichment classes Summer session Jewish holidays

teacher and child painting

Enrollment

BACNS follows the Santa Rosa City School guidelines for children's age cutoff dates. Most children will need to turn four before December 2nd to be admitted to the Fours class. However, the school will consider each child on an individual basis when making placement decisions.

BACNS does not require enrolled children to be toilet trained.

Schedule

The Fours school day runs from 9:00 am until 1:00 pm. Children can attend any number of days per week, but at this age it is recommended that they attend at least three days per week. Most children attend between 3 and 5 days. Some families add an extra day during the second half of the school year as preparation for kindergarten.

A typical schedule for the Fours class is:

9:00-9:45 am	outside on playground (if weather permits)
9:45-11:00 am	indoor free choice activities
11:00-11:30 am	cleanup and circle time
11:30-12:30 pm	outside on playground (if weather permits)
12:30-12:45 pm	lunch
12:45-1:00 pm	playground or indoors until pick up time

Extended day care is available before and after school, and enrichment classes (music/art, yoga, gymnastics) are available after school.

fours classroom

Snacks and Lunch

The school provides a mid-morning snack. In the Fours class, the snack is self-serve and is available until cleanup time (11:00 am). The children sign up on a sheet when they take their snack. Snacks are provided by the school, and usually consist of a variety of different foods. Sample foods are pretzels, crackers, fruit, a vegetable and dip, and water to drink (occasionally juice).

Lunches are brought from home. Since the BACNS is a kosher facility, we request that no meat (beef, pork, or chicken) or shellfish be brought into school. Dairy, eggs, and regular fish (tuna, etc.) are fine.

Teachers

BACNS has two Fours classes. One class is taught by Jill and Michelle, and the other class is taught by Barbara, Connie, and Eve.

Class Size

The teacher/child ratio in the Fours class is 1:7. There are two teachers and a maximum of 14 children per class per day.

fours making challah

Classroom Activities

The classroom has play areas for dramatic play (post office, store), arts and crafts, reading books, and building and constructing. Each day, the teachers set up free choice activities in the areas of creative arts, language arts, and math & science exploration. Pre-literacy and pre-math practice are woven throughout all activities in meaningful ways.

The classroom is a print-rich environment, with signs, posters, and documentation of the children's activities and words throughout. Writing tools (paper and pencils) are placed at several locations. Teachers engage the students in activities designed to increase their oral vocabulary and to make the connection between spoken words and printed words. For example, the children will tell stories or talk about ideas, and the teachers will write down their words for the children to see. The children can "write" cards to other children and send them through the "post office." These techniques are proven to enhance literacy skills. Students from BACNS are very well prepared to enter kindergarten the following year.

Circle time activities include discussions, stories, finger play, and games. We do Sharing at Circle time one day per week.

The children bake and eat challah (traditional egg bread) on Fridays, in honor of the upcoming Shabbat (Jewish Sabbath).

Our curriculum is child-centered, with themes and activities emerging from the interests and questions of the children and occurrences in their lives. This emergent curriculum is inspired by the schools in Reggio Emilia, Italy. We emphasize the importance of children as active participants in their learning, where exploration, discovery and invention are of primary importance. We believe young children learn through play and need to construct and express their own understandings of the world. We provide an atmosphere where children are free to risk failure, to ask questions and to experiment with activities. The environment is designed to empower children to develop problem solving, thinking, and cooperation skills.

Areas of particular interest in our class have included animal homes, gardening, weather, or any other topic that is of interest. Discussions and activities around areas of interest might extend over days and weeks, or even be a thread throughout the school year. This approach is largely emergent and supports the children's natural curiosity about the world. It encourages them to explore, share their ideas, ask questions, and make connections.

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