West Preschool
West Hillsborough Preschool is a play based program combined with several academic styles, which offers hands on learning and enrichment activities while recognizing each child’s different needs and interests. The Preschool/Pre-K years are formally known as “The Play Years” as children in this age group learn through play. Through play and experiences, children start to develop social, emotional and problem solving skills which become lifelong skills needed in our ever changing world.
At West, we feel it is important to recognize a child’s individuality while building on their interests; fostering growth of the whole child through science, music and movement, large and fine motor development, art and language. Our students learn through games, math activities, gardening, cooking, free indoor and outdoor play time, and many other fun activities. In addition, each week our students enjoy Music with Teacher Andrea and Spanish with Teacher Carolina. Throughout the year we have regularly scheduled field trips to the pumpkin patch, theatre presentations, a farm, the planetarium and the tide pools, to name a few. We also have special classroom visitors: fire fighters and police officers, the Insect Discovery Lab and even a puppeteer!
West offers a five morning a week Preschool program from 8:30-11:00 and a five afternoon a week Pre-K program from 11:45-3:15. We are located on the West Elementary School campus in room 12. There are many benefits to being on the West campus, such as visiting the school library to check out books and hear stories, attending school assemblies and interaction with the West School “Big Kids.” Our Pre-K students have 3rd Grade Reading Buddies who come and read stories or create projects with them monthly.
The children that attend West Preschool and Pre-K generally have a very smooth transition to Kindergarten, for we believe it is very important to provide them with the necessary skills to feel prepared as they move on to Kindergarten at any school.
The Preschool staff works closely with our school’s Kindergarten teachers to help the students attain the necessary Kindergarten Readiness skills.
Our classroom is our community. We feel it is imperative to develop a positive relationship with students and their parents to produce the richest Preschool experience. Working together, teachers and parents, we can give children a strong foundation and support system, which offers them overall healthy growth and fosters happy and self-confident individuals of society.
Please feel free to contact the Lead Teacher at West Preschool to schedule a tour, ask questions or to discuss the Preschool and Pre-K program, we offer at West.
Becca Knops, Lead Preschool Teacher at West
Classroom phone number is (650)343-5939 email rknops@hcsdk8.org
