About The Academy

Love-to-Learn Curriculum       

The Academy meets and exceeds state core curriculum requirements. Our program emphasizes opportunities for growth in small and large motor skills, balance, tactility, language, math, cognitive development and social skills.

Curriculum/Parent Resources

At the beginning of each month, parents receive our Monthly Fun Activity Calendar with specific information about each unit. The calendar can be used by parents to discuss the day's events, encourage the learning process, and help children develop a "love to learn".

Educational materials, such as books, software, puzzles, specific educational toys, and hands-on manipulatives are used in coordination with our unit studies.

Weekly or bimonthly students' "Memory Books" are sent home to give parents hands-on opportunities to learn along with their child.

Fun Unit Studies
This program is exclusive to The Academy.

The Unit Studies Program is flexible in developmental presentation. Each unit of study offers information within a positive and structured environment which is designed for each child.

Hands on experience makes learning fun and provides the intensity and frequency necessary to promote learning.

• Picture and Word Fact Presentation
• Morris Museum Manipulatives
• Projects and crafts
• Skits
• Talking about "wh" questions
• Experiments
• Word fun
• Globes and maps
• Research activities such as dictionary, encyclopedia, using the library, and Internet "look-ups".

Reading, Language & Cognitive Thinking: "Reading for Me"
This program is exclusive to The Academy.

The Academy provides each child with an individual reading-cognitive-language program, which incorporates:

• Books on tape
• Listening to stories
• Talking about stories and picture books
• Asking "wh" questions
• Tracing and copying words and letters.
• Reading independently
• Weekly sight words
• Weekly letter-sound phonics
• Reading "along" activities
• "Reading for Me" individual story books
• Progressive vocabulary and comprehension development

"Math for Me"
This program is exclusive to The Academy.

As adults, we recognize that math is progressive and developmental. Math at The Academy is taught based on differentiated instructional levels unique to each child. The Academy's "Math for Me" series is individualized and includes:

• Counting, skip counting
• Numeral recognition
• Size and measurement (big/small, tall/short, more/less)
• Matching: correspondence
• Visual computational math
• Finger math and games
• Mental math games
• Math facts and math fact families
• Problem solving
• Pre-algebra
• Geometry
• Graphs
• Story problems and manipulatives
• Math through skits
• Everyday math

"All That Music": Music and Developmental Movement
This program is exclusive to The Academy.

Music and Movement:

Children learn about themselves and the world around them through play and physical exploration. This is known as the sensory-motor stage of development which is achieved through proprioceptive feedback. Children develop certain cognitive, social and emotional skills through movement of their bodies. "Musical" and "kinesthetic" experiences are imperative to learning. Children must explore and interact physically and musically with their environment.

All children are musical in nature and all children can achieve musical competence. Musical competence is the point in which a child can sing a song in tune and with accurate rhythm. Music and movement empowers cognitive development and processes, which are closely related to language acquisition and in carrying out activities requiring concentration, following directions, problem solving and language.

"All That Music," offered daily and held in The Academy's large gym or outside, provides numerous positive psychological benefits and skills for children and builds a sense of community by working together in a creative process and cooperating socially. The Academy's goal is to provide opportunities for growth in music and movement within an enriched, playful and positive environment.

Music Appreciation:

Music appreciation is an integral component of "All That Music". Musical compositions of Mozart, Bach, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven and other composers of classical music are emphasized throughout the year. Classical music stimulates high-level cognitive skills, such as math and reading. Music contributes to a child's ability to accelerate learning, focus attention, and enhance health. At The Academy, children listen daily to classical music while children are engaged in their activities. Music us also used as a filter for extraneous sounds within the environment that may otherwise cause a distraction to the children. Through participating in musical activities, growth in fine motor development and proprioceptive feedback as well as the development of gross-motor skills. Activities designed for each child are many.

"All That Music" is conducted daily in The Academy's Grand Hall with specialized instruction and with a differentiated approach to education, based on each child's individual needs and abilities, while utilizing a creative teaching methodology.

Computer Playground
This 12-week program is exclusive to The Academy and is held once every other week. Computer Playground is available to all enrolled students.

Technology can support and extend traditional materials in valuable ways, enhancing cognitive and social abilities, improving eye-hand coordination and fine motor skills.

Fundamentals of the Computer Playground program include:

• Understanding the effects of computers on young children's development
• Evaluating and selecting software that complements our individualized program instruction
• Teaching children how to handle and use hardware, software, and the value of the Internet
• Promoting parent communication and education

What I See & Draw Art
This 12-week program is exclusive to The Academy and is held once every other week. "What I See & Draw Art" is available to all enrolled students.

The program:

• Promotes visual and auditory processing
• Improves eye hand coordination and fine motor skills
• Produces artists who are very proud of their work
• Enhances visualization skills.

Art appreciation is an integral component of The Academy's "What I See and Draw" Art program. Children are introduced to abstract, fantasy and realistic still lives. Don't be surprised to hear your child mention "Claude Monet, Mary Cassat, Pablo Pacasso, or
van Gogh"!