Programs
Meet our Staff
Preschool
Ages 2-4 Years
A preschool child's early years are vital, formative and sensitive. Therefore, we foster curiosity and gently encourage memory and reasoning skills through our developmental and age appropriate curriculum:
- Music and movement, rhymes, and games to teach
numbers, colors, letters, and sounds - Reading & Math readiness activities
- Science and sensory exploration
- Creative arts, Dramatic play
- Develop self-help skills
Junior Kindergarten
GBS Junior Kindergarten’s program is designed to help our students meet the entry level standards that are required for success in GBS Kindergarten.
To guarantee a quality program that will establish consistent results, a core curriculum for math and language has been selected for the GBS Junior Kindergarten program. Based on our commitment to a phonics based program we offer level K curricula of Zaner-Bloser Activity Phonics and Modern Curriculum Press text for language, Zaner-Bloser Handwriting curriculum, Houghton Mifflin Math text for math and Macmillan McGraw Hill Science text and Weekly Reader Science Spin for science. Additionally, level K Weekly Reader Magazine, Jr. Phonics Game; SRA Math Explorations Game is included in this core package. Our Junior Kindergarten program makes every effort to achieve specific benchmarks with plans to expose our students to Virginia’s SOL for kindergarten level intending to match them as well.
In addition to our academic program, we offer art, music, dance, physical fitness and foreign language. We also participate in monthly field trips that are unique and qualitatively appropriate.
We are pleased to learn that many of our students who have graduated from our programs, preschool through kindergarten, have been eligible for gifted and talented programs in the school to which they have been transferred. We welcome all students and families who desire a sound learning environment and who share our core values in education.
Kindergarten
Of School Eligibility
The accelerated Kindergarten curriculum includes the following core subjects:
- language arts
- science
- math
- social studies
- reading
The Kindergarten uses the Modern Curriculum Press Phonics to develop phonics, vocabulary, word patterns and sorts, spelling, penmanship, reading and writing skills. Our reading program accommodates emergent through fluent readers by using a combination of SRA basal readers and leveled trade chapter books in small literature groups. Students are taught to read using a strong phonetic foundation and sight words.
Our reading program accommodates emergent through fluent readers by using a combination of SRA basal readers and leveled trade chapter books in small literature groups. Students are taught to read using a strong phonetic foundation and sight words. Students are taught vocabulary development, reading expression, spelling, language structure and comprehension through reading. Assessment is ongoing throughout the year.
The Houghton Mifflin textbook is used to teach first grade math skills. Children develop a strong understanding of number concepts 1-100, addition and subtraction strategies, time, money, fractions, spatial sense and patterns, place value to 100, number patterns, graphing and data, and numeration.
The McGraw-Hill textbook is used to teach Science. It encompasses Life Science through thematic units. The children learn animals and plants are living things, the sky, seasons and weather, caring for Earth’s resources, and sink and float.
Our Social Studies curriculum follows the Fairfax County’s Kindergarten and First Grade’s SOL’s (Standards of Learning) for Social Studies. The children are introduced to the community, geography, American History and world culture.
The arts are incorporated across the curriculum throughout the school year in each thematic unit. Photography is implemented into the curriculum and incorporated through art projects and performance props. The Kindergarten uses many different mediums to help the children express themselves in art. Children also learn through music and song. Music and dance are taught to correspond to the curriculum. Children express themselves in monthly performances or plays.
The Kindergarten uses a Character Curriculum and introduces four different values a month and builds upon the values as the year progresses. The values are taught through literature, themes and role playing, teaching values for life. The children are taught and given opportunities to practice good character in all areas of the school and at home. The children quickly learn that Character Counts in Kindergarten.
Field trips and monthly special events and days are used to enhance the curriculum and the themes of study.
A Kindergarten portfolio is ongoing throughout the school year to reflect the growth and academic assessment of each child.
Before/After School
Grades 1-6
The needs of school age children are unique and diverse. We offer a fun and safe experience that promotes exploration and social development. Our teachers combine interaction with independent activities such as listening stations, library, home living, computer games, and most importantly a designated area for homework with supervised access to the Internet.
- Homework assistance with Internet
- Arts & crafts, science, cooking projects
- Sports and physical activities
- Field Trips
- Open on public school teacher workdays
Summer Camp
2016 Camp Brochure
For more information on our Summer Camps, please download the 2016 Summer Camp themes.
If your child is new to Good Beginnings School and will continue after summer camp, please click here to download the full admission forms and complete addendum (see below) like a current family.
For current families, download our summer camp registration addendum forms:
Young Preschool through Junior Kindergarten
Kindergarten through School Age
If your child is new to Good Beginnings School, or a returning camper for summer only, please download one of the following forms and provide a Physical Examination Form (Requires a Physicians exam & signature):
Registration Form for New Campers Preschool through Junior K
Registration Form for New Campers K through Grade 6
Enrichment
Jr. Yogis
Karate
Little people workshop
Music for life
Soccer Academy
Zumba
Hip Hop
