brochure kindergarten - english version
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Educational
excellence in the
heart of the city
since 1973
KindergartenA c c r e d i t e d N u r s e r y
C e r t i f i e d I t a l i a n a n d B i l i n g u a l I n f a n t S c h o o l
C e r t i f i e d P r i m a r y S c h o o l
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Welcome to
Kindergarten!
1
We would like to welcome you to our
school, which caters to children
straight through a united path of
education from 12 months to 12
yearsin two sections of Accredited
Nursery(Miro and Matisse), six
sections of Certified Infant School
(Klimt, Picasso, Van Gogh and
internazional sections Mondrian,
Pollock, Kandinsky), and Certified
Primary School(Elementary).
Our school prides itself in
celebrating 40 years of tradition:
thanks to the constant updating of
educational content and methods as
well as regular professional
development of our staff, we are
able to offer families a high quality
educational environment. Creativity,
experimentation, openness to
innovation, careful training of
educators and teachers, and passion
are all elements that make
Kindergarten an innovative,
dynamic, independent school.
Mario Amulfi
Headmaster
DEAR FAMILIES,
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"Thankyou for all
the attention thatyou have towards
our children!A wonderful
school"
Hours of operation
Kindergarten School is open from September
1st until June 30thfor all children (Nursery,
Infant and Primary School).School days are from 7:30 18:00, Monday to
Friday. Children may be brought to school and
picked up within this timeframe, with
flexibility.
School activities begin at 9:00 for the Nursery
School and Infant School, and Primary School
activities commence at 8:30.
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School spaces
Along with the excellence of the institute, Kindergarten offers
beautiful and ample spaces, which extend for over 1400 square
metres, including a spacious outdoor play areas with a tennis court
and a tree-lined play area. The spaces are well-equipped for all age
groups.
The institute has two locations, both a short walk from the historic
city centre:
The Central Location (2 sections of Nursery, 3 sections of Infant
School and the Primary School)has two entrances one which
may be entered on foot at Via S. Gallo 105, and the second located
at Viale S. Lavagnini 11 with ample parking space for vehicles.
International Infant School (3 sections) located at Via B. Lupi 8, a
short walk from the central location.
Since 2012 Kindergarten also operates the Nursery Menarini Baby,
at via Marchetti 7, Florence.
The parents of a girl in 2nd class at the celebration of the
40th anniversary of Kindergarten (March 2013)
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Our services
The Kindergarten offers many services for the needs of families and children, with guarantees
of safety and reliability.
Before school(from 7.30 to 8.30) and after school(from 16.30 to 18)
Ample parkinginside the school grounds
School kitchen
Tree-lined playground, tennis courtand a large gym
Medical assistance
Canteen
Lunch served at Kindergarten is prepared directly in our school kitchen, following 100% of
the "Regional Guidelines for School Catering" declared by the region of Tuscany. The menu
includes organic products without GMOs and processed trans fats.
Optional Activities
Within the school there are numerous optional activities made available in collaboration with
sport and musical associations.
MUSIC:
Kinderpiano: piano lessons for individuals or small groups
Saxophone, Clarinet and Flute: individual or small group lessons
SPORT:
Psychomotorin collaboration with the Associazione Sportiva Country Calcio.
Basket-footballin collaboration with the Associazione Sportiva Country Calcio.
Tennisin collaboration with the Associazione Sportiva Country Calcio.
Swimming(at the Tropos pool) in collaboration with the Associazione Sportiva Country
Calcio.
Dance Prep, Dance, Gymnastics, in collaboration with l'Associazione Fantasia Accademia
Danza.
LANGUAGES:
Sing in English
Play in English German
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Our strengths
40 years of educational
experience and child-centred
education
English Every day: an hour a day
of English at Nursery and
Primary School
Bilingual sections of Italian and
English at Nursery school
Theatrical and musical
performance for all elementary
classes
Educational visits and trips
throughout the year and year-
end trip (from a half a day up to
3 days)
Italian tutors outside of class
time for children who are non-
native speakers of Italian
Flexible schedule: before school
hours from 7.30 to 8.30 and
after school hours from 16.30 to
18.00
School 2.0: the use of
Multimedia Whiteboards and
iPads for students in Primary
School, screens displayed in the
school for parents of the
Nursery and Infant school to see
photos and videos of children's
activities
Individualized acceptance
programs for the children of the
Nursery school
Optional afternoon activities
within the school
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At Kindergarten we have a
Nursery and Infant School which
together are part of the new
integrated educational
program from ages 0-6 years,
helping to form a single
homogeneous service for
students, which looks towards a
more coherent, holistic
developmental experience for
each child from the age of 12months through school age.
In this integrated course of
development we offer children
and families an open
educational atmosphere with
mutual exchange and
assistance in communicationbetween school and families,
which aims to achieve significant
milestones for each child in the
processes of developing an
identity, autonomy, competence,
a view of global and social
responsibility as well as
personal harmony.
Our school establishes its
curriculum and activities upon
some basic principles:
Thevalue of playas a
primary resource for learning
and emotional relationship;
Free explorationand the
perspective that every child is
an active protagonist in their
learning, constantly engaged
in interchanges with peers,
adults, objects, and activities
that intrigue them;
Mediated instructionas a
tool to guide and support
development;
Knowledge of the
communicative ways of each
individual child to respond to
their specific needsand verify
valid educational plans to
support learning.
Particular attention is given to
the shift from a familiar context
well known to the child, to a
different one children should
familiarize themselves with to
ensure continuity andgradual
integration and continuity
between various forms of
reference for the child.
Another key principle of the 0-6
path is the formation and
training of educators. Educators
regularly participate in meetings
for professional development in
order to plan, organize, and
evaluate the performance of
educational activities as a whole.
Integrated Path 0-6
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With a wide variety of activitiesoffered,
combined with the presence ofskilled and
motivated educators, the Nursery alwaysappreciates the input of families in order to
create an open, innovative program with
constant prospects of expanding on all that
it already offers.
The school and its structure are recognized
and certified by the Municipal Authorities
of the City of Florence.
Mixed Groups
Our Nursery is divided into two parallel sections:
Joan Miro and Henry Matisse, for children
aged 12-36 months.
The mixed age group favours imitative
behaviours of the younger and the protection
and help from the older children.
A suitable space and structureallows for the
splitting of children into small groups, allowing
for age-appropriate groupingsin learning
activities.
n times of arrival, transitions, eating, and sleep,
all groups interact together and take advantage
of the mixed age learning possibilities.
NURSERY SCHOOL
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A childs way towardsindipendence
The educational function of the adult is not so
much to transmit specific, pre-made lessons as
learning content, but rather to assist the child in
organizing their experiences in a rich and
varied manner.
Beginning from Nursery, the journey of
educational growth and autonomycontinues
into their following years at school. Autonomy is
not a goal to be achieved immediately, but a skill
to be acquired through enriching processes,
leading to the maturity of the present child and
the student of the future.
A time foreverything
A day in Nursery consists of precise patterns
related to the physiological needs to the child,
and by actions that are consistent each day.
With the acclimatization of Nursery, children
become accustomed to the varying moments
of their day: the morning routines, those in
the canteen, personal hygiene, and of play.
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The activities andspaces of the Nursery
One important part of the activities in the Nursery is
geared towards experiencing the natural, artistic
senses of children, bringing them closer to nature
and art through modes of free, spontaneous
creation and manipulation. These are experiences
of great importance in the cognitive and emotional
development of early childhood.
Reproductions of paintings by Miro and Matisse
have been placed in the two sections of the Nursery.
The organization of space in a Nursery is very
important for cognitive and motor development of
children. For this reason, the areas of the Nursery
are organized into centre environments(for
example, the Soft Area, Construction Centre,
Kitchen/House Centre, Costume Centre, Animals,
Discovery Centre, Water Tub Centre) where toys and
objects are within childrens reach, so that they can
choose for themselves which materials to play with
alongside their peers as they explore together.
To make the environment feel more relaxing and
welcoming, natural colours and materialshave
been selected, taking the place of plastic and
artificial materials as much as possible in both the
indoor and outdoor play areas.
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The goals of the Infant School, aimed at children aged 3-5, are to
promote the development of identity(building a positive self-
image), autonomy(engaging in relationships with others,
participating in activities in different contexts, the understanding
of their potential and the expression of their feelings), competence
(the desire to discover, learn, design and invent), and citizenship
(discovery of others, of their needs, the need to manage differences
and contrasts through shared rules) so that the child grows up in a
harmonized and serene manner.
At Kindergarten we value a continuous curriculum from the
Infant School to the Primary School, for a common working
methodology that is applied to all learning disciplines.
Objectives are pursued through the organization of daily
environments, relationships, and the learning fromhighly
qualified, professional teacherswith the continuous and open
dialogue between school and families.
Learning objectives are articulated through educational play
activities, exploratory, manipulative, communicative, psychomotor,
and relational discovery. The learning environment is carefully
organized by the teachers so that the children feel recognized,
supported and valued.
The school is organized into 3 sections: thefirst two, called Klimt
and Picasso, cater to children from 3-4 years old (mixed sections),
while the third, the Van Gogh section is specifically for childrenwho are 5 yearsold and is structured to be in line with the
methods, schedules and learning styles of those in the Primary
School in order to prepare them for their next educational step.
The choice to have mixed sections arises from research of positive
interactions with boys and girls of different ages, within a safe
environment, while at the same time stimulating in the older
children high levels of reinforcement of skills and abilitiesand a
sense of responsibilityand in the younger ones capacities to
emulate and tend to greater autonomy.
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INFANT SCHOOL
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The educational activities of theInfant School are structuredaround numerous curricularprojects, where children work insubgroups.
Project English Everyday: Ourinstitute is extremely proud ofthis program which involves onehour of English every day forchildren aged 3-4 years andbilingual sections for 5 year oldchildren(50% Italian and 50%English with mother-tongueteachers). Children learn the
language through engaging andstimulating teaching approachesconsisting of songs, rhymes,games, stories and action games.Courses are taught by specialistteachers with the presence ofinterns from various Americanuniversities.
Settling-in period: the childlearns to trust and rely on
teachers within the newenvironment.
Music: one hour per week withspecialist teachers. Lessonactivities are very active andincorporate all the senses.
Physical Education:at least 2hours per week where childrenlearn to control their own bodiesthrough activities teaching crucialmotor skills such as the properuse of hand-eye coordination,and also learning how to relate tosystems of rules and regulations.
Art:children experience the
discovery and use of newtechniques and materials toexpress their feelings and theirown imagination, produce andrecreate images, and create theirown original pieces. Art projectsalso aim at the development ofobservational skills andunderstanding of reality.
Knowledge of local area: 5 year
old children learn to know thezone in which they live and go to
school, and about services,monuments and businesses intheir community.
Knowledge of emotions:children learn to live positivelywith their emotions and how tomanage the ways in whichemotions affect theirrelationships with peers, teachers,and school staff.
Promotion of Literacy: eachweek the children take home abook to read with the family.
They can use the book as aninstrument to build relationship,gain knowledge, and develop alove for reading from an early
age.
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One school, many projects
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Kindergarten school welcomedthe International Section of theInfant School in September 2013which serves children who arethree, four, and five years old.
This new section is the result ofmany experiences accumulated
over 40 years of Kindergarten andof the openness to innovationthat has always characterized ourschool.
Like the other sections of theInfant School at Kindergarten,groups of the internationalsection are also named after
painters: Mondrian, Pollock andKandinsky.
BILINGUAL ENGLISH-ITALIANOR ENGLISH MONOLINGUALSECTIONSWhen families enroll they can opt
for:- a module of teaching bilinguallyin Italian and English, whichincludes the use of the Englishlanguage for 50% of alleducational activities. Theteaching is provided by nativespeakers (half English and halfItalian)- a module of monolingual
English teaching, which providesthe exclusive use of English for allacademic activities. Teachers areall native speakers of English.
EDUCATIONAL METHODSThe learning of a foreign
language typically comes easierand more naturally for childrenduring early childhood years.
Learning any language is aspontaneous processgenerated by the need tocommunicate and repetition ofsounds and familiar words.
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Infant School
International section
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Preschool aged children learnthrough the integrated use of thesenses, which allow them toexplore and interact with theworld around them, by seeing,smelling, hearing, tasting andmanipulating it.In Infant School, where the use ofimages, play and experimentation
are the principal teachingmethods, we maximize the use ofthese interactions within theenvironment and paired with theuse of all sensory channels withdifferent types of activities toactivate the unconsciousprocesses of assimilation ofsyntactic and phonetic structures.
The inclusion of the secondlanguage in the context of earlychildhood promotes greatermental flexibility, enhancinginterpersonal relationships for theindividual child and their familyof origin.
The International Section islocated at via Bonifacio Lupi 8, ashort walking distance from themain school location.
The hours of operation are thesame as those of the centrallocation: 7:30-18:00 from Monday
to Friday, from September 1st toJune 30th, with the sameflexibility in pick up and drop offtimes.
For those families who areinterested there are programs inJuly involving activities in theEnglish language.
It is also possible in theInternational Section toparticipate in optionalextracurricular activities duringthe after school hours from15:00-18:00.
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PRIMARY
SCHOOLIt is crucial in primary school that students are provided with solidfoundations that will lead them on a smoother path for the durationof the studies.
Kindergarten is a school founded on tradition, because it offersstudents a solid cultural base and preparation in all disciplines. It isalso a school open to innovation, from the use of multimediawhiteboards, iPads, to embracing foreign language instruction,artistic projects, sports, and more.
Our school has always sought to achieve these objectives; aswitnessed high level of learning achieved by our students.
Our teaching methods take into account the abilities of theclassroom teachersas well as those who lead afternoon workshops.Activities are well organized within the scholastic schedule, providingmoments of study, interdisciplinary research, and also creativemoments with art, music, and theatre. These activities are paralleledby sports and leisure activities which contribute to personalachievement in the area of gross-motor development as well as otherimportant objectives.
The student learns gradually not only through school tasks andcompleting homework, but also by participating in school field tripswhere they practice life skills such as the organizing of personalspace, time, and belongings.
Since Kindergarten Schoolsbeginnings, it has benefitedfrom the long experience ofProfessor Mario Amulfiwho
launched and set the schoolsmethodological points of view.The professor, in addition to
having served for many years asSchool Headmaster, hasoverseen the production of
hundreds of importanteducational texts by major
publishing houses.
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English every dayIn 2013 we initiated a new rule: one hour ofEnglish per day in elementary school toprovide constant and natural languageacquisition. This is a major change in thecurriculum that invests in not only the
quantity but also the quality of teaching.
Our methodology seeks to take advantage ofthe tender age of children, when it is an idealtime to activate the unconscious processes ofassimilation of syntactic and phoneticstructures of language without focusing onsimple memorization of vocabulary. This isdone with the presence of native Englishteachers and interns from various American
universities.
Educare 2.0Kindergarten participates in a projectpromoted by the Ministry of Educationcalled Educare 2.0 (Education 2.0), whichintroduces the use of informationtechnology tools to students, teachers andfamilies.
Since the 2012-13 school year the school
has used:! Kit Lim, consisting of interactive
whiteboards, computers and projectors
! iPad Tabletfor each child
! Wireless network
! Computer Room with a computer foreach child
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School hours
The school is open five days aweek from Monday to Friday,8.30-16.00, with a break from13.00 to 14.00 for lunch and freeplay.
The morning hours (8:30 to13:00) are entrusted to theclassroom teacher, who has therole of coordinating activitiesfor the whole groupand has
the task of teaching the basicsubjects: Italian, Maths, History,Geography and Science.
This lesson schedule is free frominterruptions, to allow for thelearning of core subjects.The afternoon timetable(between the hours 14:00 to16:00) consists of concentratedexpressive and creative activities:
painting, theatre, musical and
physical education.The afternoon also involveslessons in the English language,Catholicism and multiculturalstudies.
All afternoon activities aredesigned as educationalworkshops, lead by specialistteachers.
Thank
you Professor,Mrs. Irma and all the
teachers and
instructors who teach
me something new
every day!
Giordana, 3 elementare
Theatre andmusicalperformancesAll primary classes put on theatrical and
musical performances for families during the
school year, according to a thirty-year tradition
of Kindergarten.
The scripts of the performances are mostly
related to areas of study, such as history and
geography. The dramatization contributes a lot
to deepen the contents studied: students
step into the role of a historical character,
allowing them to experience firsthand the
story as the protagonist themselves.
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Workshops andprojects in primaryschool
Information Technology: the use of computers
today is fundamental in work and social sectors oflife. As a school "capable of future" we haveintroduced an hour a week of computer classroomequipped with 29 computers, available from year 1onward.
Musical Education and Performing Arts:Kindergarten school has stood out for years ofexperience with highest quality in singing, flute andacting. At year end, the children are experiment witha classical work, using a specially written or adapted
script.
Physical Education:activities and games (free orguided) are offered as a key to self-knowledge,where children learn how to compete with eachother as in the real world, share excitement andaction, and the acceptance of the rules.
Catholic Religion-Multicultural Project:one hourper week of the Catholic religion or multiculturalworkshop, based on the project "Cultural Diversity:Religions and Cultures in Dialogue."
Florence and the Arts:various educational tripsthroughout the year allow for the knowledge andexploration of Florence and the surrounding area inorder to appreciate and understand the importanceand value of its artistic, historical, monumental andurban development.
Social Responsibility:students are involved in
building their own rules of the class and the schoolcommunity. This allows them to gradually developas a student-citizen with a sense of belonging to acommunity.
Promotion of Reading:like we do at the InfantSchool, we favour an approach to reading in apleasant and stimulating way, teaching autonomyand the range of choice to children, a respect forbooks and orderly management of the schoollibrary.
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Discovering the city
Several cultural field trips (guided historical and
artistic tours, theatre and musical performances,
visits to museums, cultural workshops, farm visits
and other numerous excursions of various
kinds)are planned throughout the school year in
accordance with the curriculum.
It is also part of Kindergarten tradition to partake
in a wonderful year-end school triplasting
from one to three days, depending on the class,
to discover the extraordinary historical and
cultural wonders of Italy.
ExtracurricularactivitiesThere are many after-school
extracurricular activities that children
can join which take place within theschool between 16:00-18:00, run by
associations that collaborate with
Kindergarten. Some of the diverse
cultural and sporting activities available
are: Sing in English, Play and Learn,
German Language, Saxophone, Clarinet,
and Flute, Dance, Gymnastics, Soccer-
Basketball, and Tennis.
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The Kindergarten has enhanced the education of
social responsibilities, rights and freedoms,which seeks to increase a childs confidence in
living together with others and respecting
common rules.
To this end, we foreshadow and implement a
path founded on these key moments:
children start coexistence through integration
with their peers in the classroom, through
team sports, theatrical and musical
performances, in research, and during schooltrips;
students become accustomed to detectingproblematic situations in interpersonal
relationships and learn to discuss them
together while expressing their own opinions,
without rejecting those of others
find and create solutions to problems as a
unified group, agreeing on shared strategies.
In these ways, the teaching of rights and
freedoms also becomes the education ofresponsible choice.
Educating freedom andresponsibility
The parents of a child in the Infant School,
at the celebration for the 40th anniversary
of Kindergarten (March 2013)
Congratulations!Nice school,
welcoming andrrrgood!
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School - Family relationshipOur school is characterized as an open school where the dialogue between parents and teachers must
be cultivated and nurtured day by day, sharing news that fosters attitudes of curiosity on the part of
families for educational aspects, and also for routines such as daily lunch, sleep and so on.
To encourage the sharing of educationand a good integration between school and home, Kindergarten
offers educational meetings for parents of children in Nursery, Infant, and Primary School (Elementary).
Since 2013, the school has had screens on displayfor parents of the Nursery and Infant Schools to see
photos and videos of the day's activities of children.
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School office
From 8:30 to 17:00, Monday toFriday, the school secretary is
available to families for all school-family related communication andfor the organization of curricularand extracurricular activities of thechildren.
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Why KindergartenOur school regularly involves families in order to verify the level of satisfactionwith the services we offer (with a satisfaction questionnaire and /or throughother means).The results of the surveys are published on our website, in hard copy, and aremade visible in the school.
In 2013, responding to the question "why did you choose the Kindergarten?"83% of households responded they chose Kindergarten for the quality ofteaching and services.
quality teachingquality servicescost valuteother
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Where we are
Opening hoursThe Kindergarten is open from September 1 to June 30 for all sections(Nursery, InfantSchool, International Infant School, and Primary School).
Hours of operation are from 7.30 to 18.00,Monday to Friday. Children may be dropped off
and picked up at any time within this time period, with flexibility.
School activities begin at 9:00 for the Nursery and Infant School, and 8:30 for the Primary
School.
Come and visit us!Please feel free make an appointment with us for a visit at the facility at Via S. Gall 105 from
Monday to Friday from 10.30 to 13.00 (by appointment only).
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A) Kindergarten - Car entrance:
Viale Lavagnini 11
B) Kindergarten - Walk-in
entrance: Via S.Gallo 105
C) Kindergarten - Infant school -
International section: Via B. Lupi 8
Notes
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Via S. Gallo, 105
V.le Spartaco Lavagnini, 11
50129 - Firenze - Italy
Tel. +39.055.495061
E-mail: [email protected]
Sito: www.kindergarten.it
Kindergarten