Westminster School

Northern Virginia Private School

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    • Admissions

      • Open Houses
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      • Tuition & Financial Aid
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      • HS and College Attendance

    • Westminster School seeks families who are looking for an outstanding educational program and an all-around experience that will help their child grow in character, confidence, and enthusiasm for learning and for life.


  • Academics & Specials
    • ACADEMICS & SPECIALS

      • The Westminster Educational Approach
        • Lower School, Grades K-2
        • Middle School, Grades 3-5
        • Upper School, Grades 6-8
      • After-School Program
      • Arts
      • Athletics
      • STEAM Program & Makerspace
      • Westminster School Library And Resources

    • Westminster’s academic program is based on the belief that children between the ages of five and fourteen are naturally dominated by curiosity and enthusiasm for life, and want nothing so much as to understand the world around them, discover how they fit into it, and show what they can do.


  • About Us
    • ABOUT US

      • Meet the Head of School
      • Mission & Philosophy
        • Classical Education
        • School Traditions
        • School Community
        • History of Westminster
      • School Community
        • Our Staff
        • Board of Trustees
        • Alumni
      • Employment
      • Campus Tour
      • Blog
      • Media Room

    • Westminster School is dedicated to providing a superior elementary and middle-school education whose fundamental goals for each child are a disciplined and well-informed mind, strength of character, dedication to learning, generosity of spirit, and joy in the possibilities of life. The school community represents a diverse body of learners who are engaged in a rigorous academic program, enriched by the arts, athletics, and extracurricular activities.


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Curriculum Highlights: Kindergarten

Back To Curriculum HighlightsA Year At Westminster’s Kindergarten

Language Arts

  • Letter recognition (lower & upper case)
  • Consonant sounds (digraphs and blends)
  • Vowel sounds (short and long)
  • Word analysis skills
  • Nouns, verbs, pronouns
  • Scrambled sentences
  • Logical reasoning
  • Listening skills
  • Dictation
  • Pre-decodable and decodable books
  • Handwriting
  • Junior Great Books

Mathematics

  • Numbers, counting and classifying
  • Basic geometry
  • Measurement
  • Estimating and comparing
  • Operations
  • Patterns
  • Functions
  • Addition/subtraction facts to 24
  • Coins; adding coins
  • Clocks; telling time to the hour and half-hour
  • Calendars; days, weeks, months, year
  • Logic/problem solving

Social Studies

  • Self and others
  • Family/extended families
  • Community helpers
  • Pilgrims and Native Americans
  • Holidays in our country and other lands
  • Rules, laws, introduction to government
  • Appreciating others; tolerance of differences
  • Developing a sense of culture and differences among people
  • Learning to celebrate contributions made by individuals

Science

  • Safety
  • The five senses
  • Living and non-living
  • Plants (variety, parts, life cycle)
  • Animals (variety, needs, adaptations, habitats, life cycle)
  • Food chains
  • Water and air
  • Magnets
  • Rocks
  • Frequent hands-on activities/labs

Geography

  • Basic map skills and directions
  • Location concepts
  • Routes and addresses
  • Map symbols, keys
  • The globe
  • Land forms/bodies of water
  • Cardinal directions
  • Introduction to the United States

Physical Education

  • Daily P.E. class
  • Fitness and conditioning
  • Body control:  agility, flexibility, endurance, balance,  gross motor coordination, hand-eye coordination, spatial skills
  • Movement skills, including dance
  • Manipulative activities
  • Game skills
  • Good health habits:  hygiene, diet, safety
  • Respect, cooperation, confidence

Visual Arts

  • Art class twice weekly
  • Exploration of various media, materials, and techniques
  • Lines, colors (primary, secondary), patterns
  • Drawing and coloring: pencil, eraser, markers, oils, pastels, crayons
  • Painting: tempura, watercolors
  • Sculpture: playdoh, plasticene, air-drying clay
  • Collage: paper, glue, scissors
  • Self expression, respect, confidence
  • Annual, school-wide art contest

Performing Arts

Music

  • Listening to music, differentiating musical sounds
  • Rhythm
  • Choral speech
  • Choral singing
  • Foundations of musical literacy
  • Basic interpretation
  • Instruments:  tambourines, triangles, drums, etc.
  •  Performance: music program twice each year

Drama

  • Attendance at dramatic productions
  • Speaking role in class play
  • Develop acting skills
  • Use of costumes and props
  • Ensemble/solo singing, choreography
  • Public speaking, confidence

Modern/Classical Languages

French

  • Listening/comprehension skills
  • Pronunciation skills
  • Greetings, simple expressions, simple directions
  • Alphabet
  • Numbers 1 – 30
  • Colors
  • Animals
  • Family members
  • Body parts
  • Weather/seasons
  • Holidays
  • Clothing
  • French culture

Library

  • Respect for and care of books
  • Library organization
  • Story time/read-alouds
  • Fiction and non-fiction
  • Genres
  • Role of illustrator/author
  • Oral book reporting
  • Selecting/checking out books
  • Book fair

Technology

  • Web-connected Star Boards in each classroom
  • Rolling laptop cart for classroom computer use
  • Basic familiarity with computers

Field Trips

Several field trips per year; recent examples include:

  • Petco
  • The Puppet Company Playhouse
  • Lisner Auditorium
  • Hirshorn Sculpture Museum
  • National Building Museum
  • Natural History Museum
  • Burke Lake Park
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CONTACT US DIRECTIONS
Westminster School
3819 Gallows Rd,
Annandale, VA 22003
703 -256 -3620

Copyright © 2019 Westminster School

Westminster School
  • Admissions
    • Open Houses
    • Visit Us
    • Apply Now
    • Admission Process
      • Meet The Director
      • Checklist
      • Criteria
    • Tuition & Financial Aid
      • Fee Schedule
      • Military Discount
    • Transportation
    • HS & College Attendance
  • Academics & Specials
    • The Westminster Educational Approach
      • Lower School, Grades K-2
      • Middle School, Grades 3-5
      • Upper School, Grades 6-8
    • After-School Program
    • Arts
    • Athletics
    • STEAM Program & Makerspace
    • Westminster School Library And Resources
  • About Us
    • Meet the Head of School
    • Mission & Philosophy
      • Classical Education
      • School Traditions
      • School Community
      • History of Westminster
    • School Community
      • Our Staff
      • Board of Trustees
      • Alumni
    • Employment
    • Campus Tour
    • Blog
    • Media Room
  • Preschool
  • Camp Griffin
  • Contact Us