The start of school is an exciting milestone for every child, and every family. Our HCDSB Kindergarten program offers a warm, playful, and nurturing space for 4 and 5 year olds. It鈥檚 all about helping little ones grow spiritually, physically, emotionally, and cognitively through inquiry and play-based learning. We believe every child is a unique creation of God, full of creativity, curiosity, and talents waiting to be explored and shared.
Inquiry and Play-based Learning
In Ontario, the Kindergarten program is made up of four 鈥渇rames鈥�, or broad areas of learning.
Each of the four frames are designed to support an approach that aligns with the way children naturally learn 鈥� through play and inquiry. Learn more about the聽 by visiting the
1. Belonging and Contributing
Captures children鈥檚 learning and development with respect to:
- their sense of connectedness to others;
- their relationships with others, and their contributions as part of a group, a community, and the natural world;
- their understanding of relationships and community, and of the ways in which people contribute to the world around them.
2. Self-Regulation and Well-Being
Captures children鈥檚 learning and development with respect to:
- their own thinking and feelings, and their recognition of and respect for differences in the thinking and feelings of others;
- regulating their emotions, adapting to distractions, and assessing consequences of actions in a way that enables them to engage in learning;
- their physical and mental health and wellness.
3. Demonstrating Literacy and Mathematics Behaviours
Captures children鈥檚 learning and development with respect to:
- communicating thoughts and feelings 鈥� through gestures, physical movements, words, symbols, and representations, as well as through the use of a variety of materials;
- literacy behaviours, evident in the various ways they use language, images, and materials to express and think critically about ideas and emotions, as they listen and speak, view and represent, and begin to read and write;
- mathematics behaviours, evident in the various ways they use concepts of number and pattern during play and inquiry; access, manage, create, and evaluate information; and experience an emergent understanding of mathematical relationships, concepts, skills, and processes;
- an active engagement in learning and a developing love of learning, which can instill the habit of learning for life.
4. Problem Solving and Innovating
Captures children鈥檚 learning and development with respect to:
- exploring the world through natural curiosity, in ways that engage the mind, the senses, and the body;
- making meaning of their world by asking questions, testing theories, solving problems, and engaging in creative and analytical thinking;
- the innovative ways of thinking about and doing things that arise naturally with an active curiosity, and applying those ideas in relationships with others, with materials, and with the environment.
Kindergarten Communication of Learning
Children do better at school when their families are involved.
Families, educators and caregivers who work as partners and share valuable communication can support a child鈥檚 sense of trust, belonging, well-being and success as a learner.
Our Kindergarten educator teams monitor the progress of Kindergarten students and provide a formal communication to parents and guardians about their child鈥檚 learning three times over the course of the school year. 聽More information about the Kindergarten Communication of Learning is outlined in聽
Learn more about how we assess student learning in our HCDSB Catholic schools under聽Student Achievement.
Additional Information
Before & After School Programs & Child Care
Student Transportation
Special Education
Resources
- Tips & Resources
- 鈥� Learning to Play & Playing to Learn
- Contact your聽home school聽to learn more about parent orientation evenings, first school visits, and gradual entry dates for Kindergarten.
- Additional information can be found on the .