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Applications are being accepted for Kindergarten. Please contact Mrs. Nancy Schuler, Admissions Director
at 703-256-3620 or admissions@westminsterschool.com
Westminster School offers a challenging Kindergarten curriculum in a nurturing environment which promotes kindness, respect, and love of learning. The Kindergarten program includes:
The school day is from 8:30 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Kindergarten students enjoy a lively variety of academic and enrichment activities each day. The daily schedule also includes Quiet Time, allowing our youngest students a peaceful rest or nap during the day.
Small Classes (two homeroom classes of 16 students each)
Kindergarten students have the security of their own homeroom teacher and classroom. However, since each kindergarten homeroom teacher is a curriculum specialist, the students also benefit from instruction from both teachers. An aide is provided to maintain a ratio of 1:8 – 1:10 in each classroom.
School Uniform
All students wear an attractive school uniform, which includes a variety of pieces which can be mixed and matched, plus a blazer and tie for special events, assemblies, and field trips.
Accelerated Academics
High-quality, in-depth curriculums are in place for all subjects, including language arts, math, science, social studies, and French. With Westminster’s learning-friendly environment and teacher specialists, Kindergarteners are exposed to a greater breadth and depth of knowledge, and progress at a faster pace than their peers in public and private schools.
Phonics-Based Reading Program
Westminster’s highly effective reading program provides Kindergarteners with strong linguistic and “decoding” skills, allowing them to read at an impressive level before the end of the academic year. Even for those children who are already reading, Westminster’s program strengthens understanding of the structure of language, ensuring their continued progress as they encounter more difficult material.
Advanced Math and Science
The mathematics curriculum anchors abstract concepts to the “real world” via sight, hearing, speech, and touch. The program stresses thinking skills, problem solving strategies, mental arithmetic, estimation, measurement, time, and money concepts. Children learn to solve math equations using manipulatives, rods, number lines, and memory. The science curriculum introduces students to the processes of observation and systematic analysis of the natural world. Through discussion, class work, and many hands-on activities, the students are guided to discover, explore, question, and reflect on different aspects of their everyday surroundings.
Music and Art Classes (two times a week)
Kindergarten music classes provide a pleasurable environment in which students learn the basic elements of music literacy. The students enjoy activities that emphasize listening, rhythm, percussion, choral speech, and group singing. All kindergarten students perform in music programs twice yearly.
In Westminster’s large, naturally lit art studio, kindergarten students are guided through a variety of projects which introduce basic art processes, skills, and media. Projects are based on the child’s current life experiences or imaginative play life, and often relate to topics under study in the academic classroom. Throughout the year, each student produces a portfolio of work, and all students have a work included in the school-wide Annual Art Contest.
French Class (three times a week)
In Kindergarten, students are introduced to the French language and culture through regular interaction with a French-speaking teacher who visits their classroom. Through the use of simple conversation, songs, games, and holiday-related activities, children begin to acquire a basic vocabulary and correct pronunciation, and experience language learning as enjoyable.
Daily P.E. and Recess
In addition to daily, outdoor play breaks, Kindergarten students enjoy daily P.E. classes in the gym or on the athletic field. Organized activities and games develop general fitness and conditioning, coordination, movement and dance skills, manipulative activities, and game skills. Classes also emphasize age-appropriate health awareness as well as social skills.
Class Play
As part of Westminster’s Drama Program, the Kindergarten students present a play near the end of the school year. Each child has a speaking part, and most productions include group singing. Participation in this important class project develops self-confidence and poise, group cooperation, and provides an opportunity to be recognized and celebrated by the entire school community.
Several Field Trips
Organized and chaperoned by their homeroom and/or enrichment teachers, Kindergarten students enjoy a number of field trips throughout the year. Field trips are chosen to highlight aspects of the academic program, as well as French, music, and art classes, and may include outdoor venues, museums, historic sites, performances, etc. All field trips are by Westminster School bus.
After-School Help
Included in the tuition, Kindergarten teachers are available for after-school help sessions for students who could benefit from extra instruction or individual attention. These one-on-one or small group sessions nurture academic understanding and confidence as well as appropriate developmental and social/emotional growth.
Isn’t it just learning the ABC’s and counting to 10? At Westminster, it’s so much more than that. Westminster’s Kindergarten program offers children a remarkable adventure in learning, fun, friendship, and personal development. Within a warm, nurturing environment, students are encouraged and taught how to exercise independence, responsibility, respect, and kindness, as well as the knowledge, skills, and attitudes fundamental to their delight in learning–today and always. Firmly grounded in the school’s overall mission and philosophy, the Kindergarten program provides a carefully planned, consistent approach to all aspects of the child’s intellectual, emotional, and social development.
Full-Day Program
The school day is from 8:10 a.m. until 3:10 p.m. Kindergarten students enjoy a lively variety of academic and enrichment activities each day. The early-year daily schedule also includes quiet time, allowing our youngest students a peaceful rest or nap during the day. In addition to lunch period, Kindergarteners also enjoy a snack time in the afternoon.
Small Classes (student/teacher ratio = 10:1)
There are two homeroom classes, with a maximum of 16 students in each class. In classes with more than 10 students, there is also an aide. Kindergarten students have the security of their own homeroom teacher and classroom. However, since each kindergarten homeroom teacher is a curriculum specialist, the students also benefit from instruction from both teachers.
All students wear an attractive school uniform, which includes a variety of pieces which can be mixed and matched, plus a blazer and tie for special events, assemblies, and field trips.
Accelerated Academics
High-quality, in-depth curricula are in place for all subjects, including reading/ language arts, math, science, social studies, French, art, music, and P.E. With Westminster’s learning-friendly environment and teacher specialists, Kindergarteners are exposed to a greater breadth and depth of knowledge, and progress at a faster pace than their peers in public and other private schools. The academic program includes enrichment for advanced students and remediation for students who need extra support.
Phonics-Based Reading Program
Westminster’s highly effective reading program provides Kindergarteners with strong linguistic and “decoding” skills, allowing them to read at an impressive level before the end of the academic year. Even for those children who are already reading, Westminster’s program strengthens understanding of the structure of language, ensuring their continued progress as they encounter more difficult material.
Advanced Math and Science
The mathematics curriculum anchors abstract concepts to the “real world” via sight, hearing, speech, and touch. The program stresses thinking skills, problem solving strategies, mental arithmetic, estimation, measurement, time, and money concepts. Children learn to solve math equations using manipulatives, rods, number lines, and memory. The science curriculum introduces students to the processes of observation and systematic analysis of the natural world. Through discussion, class work, and many hands-on activities, the students are guided to discover, explore, question, and reflect on different aspects of their everyday surroundings.
Music and Art Classes (two times a week)
Kindergarten music classes provide a pleasurable environment in which students learn the basic elements of music literacy. The students enjoy activities that emphasize listening, rhythm, percussion, choral speech, and group singing. All kindergarten students perform in music programs twice yearly.
In Westminster’s large, naturally lit art studio, kindergarten students are guided through a variety of projects which introduce basic art processes, skills, and media. Projects are based on the child’s current life experiences or imaginative play life, and often relate to topics under study in the academic classroom. Throughout the year, each student produces a portfolio of work, and all students have a work included in the annual school-wide art contest.
French Class (three times a week)
In Kindergarten, students are introduced to the French language and culture through regular interaction with a French-speaking teacher who visits their classroom. Through the use of simple conversation, songs, games, and holiday-related activities, children begin to acquire a basic vocabulary and correct pronunciation, and experience language learning as enjoyable
Daily P.E. and Recess
In addition to daily, outdoor play breaks, Kindergarten students enjoy daily P.E. classes in the gym or on the athletic field. Organized activities and games develop general fitness and conditioning, coordination, movement and dance skills, manipulative activities, and game skills. Classes also emphasize age-appropriate health awareness as well as social skills.
Class Play
As part of Westminster’s Drama Program, the Kindergarten students present a play near the end of the school year. Each child has a speaking part, and most productions include group singing. Participation in this important class project develops self-confidence and poise, group cooperation, and provides an opportunity to be recognized and celebrated by the entire school community.
Several Field Trips
Organized and chaperoned by their homeroom and/or enrichment teachers, Kindergarten students enjoy a number of field trips throughout the year. Field trips are chosen to highlight aspects of the academic program, as well as French, music, and art classes, and may include outdoor venues, museums, historic sites, performances, etc. All field trips are by Westminster School bus.
Extra Help and Special Activities
During the final period of the day, known as Flex Period, Kindergarten teachers conduct extra help sessions for students who could benefit from extra instruction or individual attention. These one-on-one or small group sessions nurture academic understanding and confidence as well as appropriate developmental and social/emotional growth. Flex Period also provides opportunities for the Kindergarten students to mix with students and teachers from 1st and 2nd grades in enriching activities designed by the lower-school teachers.
After-School Enrichment
Throughout the school year, a variety of after-school enrichment classes are offered to students in grades K-4. During the fall and spring semesters, students in grades K-4 have the opportunity to participate in activities, such as soccer, basketball, dance, guitar, piano, S.T.E.A.M. challenges, art lessons, and more. Qualified, professional outside vendors (who meet state-regulated back-ground check requirements) as well as classroom teachers provide specialized group or individual classes.
Westminster School: Full Accreditation by the Virginia Association of Independent Schools
Westminster School stands as a bastion of the classical educational approach for elementary students in the Washington, D.C. area. The shadow of its founder, Jane Goll, stretches across five decades, and its present Head of School, Ellis Glover, emerged from that shadow twenty-six years ago to illuminate what a brilliant classical educational culture looks to be in 2018.
Since 1998, Westminster School has been a fully accredited member of the Virginia Association of Independent Schools (VAIS). Membership is open only to not-for-profit schools that meet the standards listed at the bottom of this article. Determination that the school meets the Standards for Membership is accomplished through ongoing self-review and reporting on the part of Westminster School and regular, rigorous examination by VAIS.
In Spring 2018, Westminster School underwent a major (10-year) review by VAIS. The school was asked to provide an overview of the school plus an in-depth report on the current status and strategic planning in several areas, including school programs, financial management, marketing and development, facilities, and technology. Reporting included the sharing of approximately 164 documents, including the master curriculum guide, crisis management plan, sample publications, minutes from meetings of the Board of Trustees, and the school’s five-year strategic plan, to name a few. After studying the school’s self-study report and all submitted documents, a Visiting Team comprising administrators from other VAIS member schools visited the Westminster School campus for three days, conducting a thorough review of daily school activities plus interviews with trustees, administrators, teachers, parents, and students. The Visiting Committee then voted on each Standard for Membership and submitted a report on the entire process to the VAIS Committee on Membership.
Westminster School is pleased to affirm that the Committee on Membership voted unanimously to continue Westminster’s status as a fully accredited member of VAIS. The school is also proud of the many commendations shared by the Visiting Committee in its Executive Summary report, including the following excerpts.
Outsiders considering the classical approach as an anachronism in the haze of a digitally-charged world will find that very haze dispelled . . . Over five decades, students have moved through the school as scholars, poets, thespians, artists, and musicians. The very walls of the School expose and celebrate not just the possibilities in a child’s imagination, but transmit an essential message that Westminster School is child-centered, richly folding in tenets of the Western experience. It is first and foremost in the daily habits; it is clear and purposeful in its results.
This clarity of purpose is understood seamlessly by the faculty, administration, and parents. This “Golden Triangle” finds at its center, the student, the child, the human being. It is as holistic as it is humane. The eye-to-eye contact in every greeting and the quiet work of picking up a piece of paper when no one is looking speak to the authenticity of Westminster’s mission. It is a formidable educational environment shaped and informed on proven practices over its five decades.
1. The School’s mission guides its policies and practices and is evident in the climate, culture, and program of the School. 2. The program fulfills the educational and developmental needs of the students, meets the requirements of learning and living in a diverse and globally-connected society, and reflects ongoing internal review. 3. The School authentically communicates its mission and values, creating a community that understands and supports the mission while engaging in the life of the School. 4. The faculty, administration, and staff support the mission of the School, are qualified for their positions, engage in ongoing evaluation and professional growth, and effectively implement the program. 5. The Head of School serves as the chief executive, is the sole employee of and only direct report to the governing body, and is ultimately responsible for the operational and educational management of the school. 6. The governing body of the School is independent and deliberative, with clearly defined roles and responsibilities, and works in partnership with the Head of School to ensure that fiduciary and strategic policies advance the school. 7. The governing body and the Head of School jointly assure that the financial resources are sufficient to sustain the program and are efficiently managed. 8. The School’s facilities and equipment are sufficient to meet the needs of the program and are maintained to provide an effective and safe learning environment. 9. The School’s care for the health, safety, and welfare of the students is evident in its policies and practices. 10. [IF APPLICABLE] The residential program is so conceived and staffed as to reflect the mission of the school and provide a healthy and safe environment. 11. [IF APPLICABLE] The preschool and/or extended day program is conceived and staffed so as to reflect the mission of the School and provide a healthy, safe, and developmentally appropriate environment.
12. The faculty, administration, and staff support the mission of the School, are qualified for their positions, engage in ongoing evaluation and professional growth, and effectively implement the program.
