Berea’s Kindergarten – 3rd Grade Program
One Day or Two Day Option*
One Day: $650 semester / $1300 year, $50 materials fee per student for entire year
Two Days: $1300 semester / $2600 year, $100 materials fee per student for entire year
Lunch Monitoring: $25
Piano Lesson: $390 semester / $780 full year
Syllabus and Cover Letter will be available in August, 2023.
An Enrichment Program
Wonder and Explore is a program for children in Kindergarten – 3rd grade. It is designed using the principles of great books, nature study, and delight-directed learning. What does that mean? It means your student is engaged in active learning, collaborative projects, and disciplined skill-building while exploring the subject of the hour. The day is structured to attend to the students’ physical and spiritual needs as well as academic growth. This program fosters age-appropriate progress in some of the core subjects, as well as adding breadth of experience that can be challenging to accomplish at home.
The 2023/2024 school year is our fourth year and cycle of Wonder and Explore. It features all new programming, so students who have previously enrolled have new experiences ahead of them. Wonder and Explore is a four year cycle; beginning in the 2024/2025 school year, the program will start the cycle again, featuring curriculum and lessons from the 2020/2021 school year.
Classes are offered in two sections, separated by age group. Section “A” is for Kindergarten and First Grade students. Section “B” is for Second and Third Grade students. Wednesday features Science and Art for A and B sections. Thursday features Math and Literature for A and B sections. We work with parents to place students in the best section. In early October, instructors meet to discuss how students are managing in their assigned group. If appropriate, we will talk with parents to consider changing a student’s section assignment.
Classes start at 10:00 am. The morning session finishes at 11:30 am, giving the students a full hour for lunch and recess before returning to class at 12:30 for the afternoon session. The afternoon session finishes at 2:00 pm. A small fee of $25 per student provides adult oversight during recess/lunch. Full day enrollment is required. Families may choose one or both days. Families can also add a piano lesson with Ms. Maggie after Wonder and Explore wraps up. Students under age 10 may share a 30 minute lesson with a sibling.
The program strives to build cross-curricular bridges, with Literature class setting the foundations. For example, there are several key events/decisions in our novel On the Banks of Plum Creek. The Ingalls build a wood house by buying materials on credit. Money, the basics of borrowing, and project planning are all ideas that can appear in Math class. This novel also tells the tale of the locust invasion/swarm of 1875. Students may study locusts and other hibernating insects in Science. There are several scenes inside the Oleson’s General Store. Art students may draw the inside of the store or create ‘replica’ canned goods. The purpose of these bridges is to help each student connect ideas in new ways. Our instructors gather over the Summer to map out bridge opportunities and then meet weekly to review plans, goals, and make necessary changes.
Our enrichment program is being led by Jessica Turcios, Krisi Maichel, and Maggie Sanazaro. Each teacher has a passion for their subject and a unique personal approach to the classroom dynamic. Jessica Turcios also collaborates significantly with administration in the development of the program, both during the year and from one school year to the next.
Our Instructors
Krisi Maichel joined Wonder and Explore in 2021/2022. Ms. Krisi brings an organization to our program previously unseen! Her calm demeanor and patient approach have won over even the most energetic student.
Ms. Krisi is leading the Science programming for Wonder and Explore. By refocusing this course on Science, the students are able to adventure outside more. Ms. Krisi’s love of nature and learning teaches a great love for God’s beauty in our natural world. Projects may include a nature journal, building animal habitats, and exploring the environment.
Maggie Sanazaro has been with Berea since our founding. Ms. Maggie is an accomplished musician, offering piano and voice lessons. Ms. Maggie also has an education degree with a passion for elementary education and experience teaching math in a classroom setting. Ms. Maggie brings this expertise into the classroom to create skill building activities for different levels of understanding and growth.
Ms. Maggie is leading Math Adventures for Wonder and Explore. Classroom activities are directed towards number sense and tools for mathematical problem solving. The students may keep a notebook for the mathematical concepts, learn to use number models, practice with money, telling time, and more. This class is not a replacement for a math program at home but an adventure into concepts beyond the textbook.
Jessica Turcios has been a key contributor to the Wonder and Explore program since the beginning. Ms. Jess continues to work with Beth Mennemeyer to shape the program as a whole, knowing what has been done before and hearing God’s calling for our future.
Ms. Jess is leading the Literature programming for Wonder and Explore. She guides our students through the book selections, engaging them in exploration, art, understanding, discussion, and enjoyment. Ms. Jess’ boundless enthusiasm for the beauty of story sparks a love of literature in our students, regardless of their reading ability.
Ms. Jess also leads the Art program. Projects focus on learning color interactions, color palette development, personal growth in art theory, and encourage every student to use their personal artistic ‘eye.’ Projects are designed to be a combination of things that require one class period to complete and others that require multiple steps/class days.
Wednesday Features Science and Art
Thursday Features Math Adventures and Literature
Piano Lessons Available Wednesday or Thursday, space limited.