Academics
Early Childhood
Kindergarten
Full-Day Kindergarten
Bridging preschool success to formal learning.
Bridging preschool success to formal learning.
Kindergarten serves as a transitional year between early childhood and elementary education. This developmentally appropriate, full-day program focuses on spiritual, physical, social, emotional, and cognitive growth, while building the independence and school behaviors that carry students into first grade. Teachers draw on differentiation, hands-on learning, whole- and small-group instruction, and cooperative activities to help every student experience the kind of success that builds a positive attitude toward school.
Our Kindergarten classrooms, each supported by a teaching assistant, follow the Archdiocese of Chicago curriculum standards, which align with the Illinois Learning Standards. Literacy anchors the year, with storytelling, phonics, and handwriting woven through daily projects. A certified reading specialist provides targeted support based on benchmark assessments.
Faith, Structure, and Growing Independence
At our Catholic school, students begin wearing uniforms in kindergarten, and all students attend weekly Mass together as part of the school community. Formal sacramental preparation also begins this year. A catered lunch program is available daily, with a 20-minute outdoor recess after lunch followed by quiet time.
Trusting relationships between students and teachers deepen throughout the year. Teachers stay connected with families through monthly newsletters, MySOSM updates, and special opportunities to visit the classroom. Parents receive updates on their child’s progress at the end of each trimester, along with two scheduled parent-teacher conferences, building on the partnership families first experienced in preschool.
How Kindergarten Learns
List of 9 items.
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Religion
Teachers deliver formal instruction with the Allelu! curriculum, introducing children to the weekly Gospel. The class follows the liturgical year through prayer, Bible stories, prayer services, and feast and Holy Day celebrations. -
Language Arts & Reading
Students participate in whole-group, small-group, and individualized reading instruction. The Wonders reading series anchors whole-group literature exploration, while Sunform Handwriting builds formal penmanship, and the Heggerty Phonemic Awareness Program strengthens phonological awareness daily. iReady provides standards-targeted practice and individualized progress assessments. -
Mathematics
Following Archdiocesan standards, students build a numeracy foundation through sorting, classifying, one-to-one correspondence, skip counting, patterning, graphing, comparing, measuring, and early addition and subtraction. Kindergarten through third grade uses the enVision textbook series, supplemented by targeted iReady instruction. -
Science
Through periodicals, exploration, observation, experimentation, and discussion, students investigate the three main branches of science (physical, Earth, and life) following the Next Generation Science Standards. Activities include studying plant life cycles, forms of energy, and weather patterns. -
Social Studies
Students move from the familiarity of home and family toward the wider world of community and community helpers, exploring holiday traditions, historical figures, and the differences between city and country life through thematic units and Social Studies Weekly magazine. -
Social-Emotional Learning
Students discuss real-life scenarios and participate in role-playing activities with their teacher and our school social worker to build conflict resolution, listening, empathy, and interpersonal awareness. -
Technology
Teachers incorporate technology as a tool for reinforcing concepts when it enriches learning. iPads and laptops are available during school hours, though Kindergarten does not implement a 1:1 device policy as a primary learning method. -
Gross Motor Skills
Children build gross motor skills through outdoor play and indoor gymnasium activities. -
Specials
Students have four specials twice a week: art, music, physical education, and Spanish, and visit the library once a week.
To meet each student’s needs, School of St. Mary administers aimswebPlus literacy and math benchmarking assessments three times a year to identify students who need extra reading support or are ready for additional challenges.
The Reading Resource Room offers intervention materials from evidence-based programs, including the Wilson Reading System.
The Reading Resource Room offers intervention materials from evidence-based programs, including the Wilson Reading System.
Diana H., Parent of Second Grader, Kindergartener, and PreK-3
School of St. Mary is truly our family’s happy place. It’s where my children are growing into well-rounded individuals with a strong sense of faith, friendship, and family. The teachers nurture them with both care and a commitment to academic excellence, creating an environment where they feel supported and inspired every day. I couldn’t be happier with our experience!
How Progress Is Measured
The School of St. Mary follows a trimester system, with report cards sent home three times a year. Kindergarten assessment draws on multiple methods: careful observation, skills checklists, anecdotal records, and student work, measuring each child's learning and developmental progress against age-level standards. Meeting those standards is a "work in progress" that unfolds across the whole school year.
Session Information
The academic year begins in late August with an open house and half-days for the rest of the first week, and it concludes with a celebratory performance in June. Students must be 5 years old by September 1st. For exact dates, see the current School Calendar.
The School of St. Mary offers full-Day, full-time kindergarten only. Curbside drop-off begins at 8:30 a.m., with students seated and ready to learn by 8:45 a.m. Class ends with curbside pick-up at 3:10 p.m.
Extended Day is available before school, beginning at 7:30 a.m., and after school until 5:30 p.m. A shuttle bus for students with siblings at the Upper Grade Center runs before and after school.
What Comes NextElementary
After Kindergarten, students move into Elementary, building on the foundation of faith, friendship, and formal learning.
A Roman Catholic School Since 1917
To Learn, To Serve, To Lead
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