East Bay Private School in Pleasanton, CA

Carden West School:
Carden West School is a private, independent, non-sectarian, non-profit preschool and elementary school in Pleasanton, CA, offering fully-licensed, academic-based preschool for children aged two to five years old and elementary school for Kindergarten through to 5th grade. Pleasanton is situated in Alameda County in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. Since establishment, the school has a rich tradition of providing quality education in our community.

Preschool Programs:

Toddler & 2-Year-Old Programs:
The Toddler program is for children 18 months old to 24 months old. To provide individualized attention for each child, the teacher-to-child ratio is 1:4. Children 18 - 24 months old are in small groups separate from the "big kids ", the 24 - 36 month olds. The teacher-to-child ratio in the 2-year-old program is 1:6. This allows each group time to receive individual attention as needed.

Children in the Toddler and the 2-year-old programs are exploring the world around them. Goals for this age group fall into four categories: social, emotional, self-help, and developmental/educational. Social and emotional skills include being able to participate in group activities, taking turns, showing respect for others, and sharing. Self-help skills include being able to follow simple two-step directions (for example, washing hands and then sitting down at the table), table manners, and toileting.

Developmental / educational goals include manipulation of crayons, paintbrushes, stacking blocks, running, climbing and riding bikes. Children identify basic shapes and colors, count to 20, recite the ABC's and recognize the first letter of their name. Throughout the day the teachers are modeling behavior for the children to follow. Children learn to use the toilet in a stress-free manner.

3-Year-Old Program:
Children in our 3-year-old program are actively involved in meeting new friends and discovering the world around them. They learn basic social and emotional self-help skills and beginning academic skills. Our curriculum is thematically oriented with projects encompassing each special theme. Children enjoy weekly Spanish, music and computer instruction. Toilet training is available for children who are completing this transition.

All parents are encouraged to visit the classrooms and teachers throughtout the school year, to review their child's progress and to learn more about the school's programs. Parents and staff also meet at two regularly scheduled conferences, concerts, and several open houses and gatherings.

Subjects include:

* Art:  Facilitates discovery of one's unique creativity, using numerous art media in fun and exciting ways.

* Music & Creative Dramatics:  Encourages the pure joy of music. Children learn French and Spanish through song and participate in two annual concerts.

* Citizenship:  Fosters a sense of community responsibility and an attitude of positive action by which each of us can make a difference.

* Computers:  In the computer lab, we offer software programs that that are specially designed to support and enhance the preschool core curriculum.

* Geography, History, & Social Studies:  Use hands-on experiences to familiarize children with differences in families, geographic locations and cultural heritage.

* Blocks & Various Related Toys:  Enhance imaginative play, math development, and coordination.

* Housekeeping Materials, Dress-up Clothing, and Furnishings:  Foster learning of everyday living skills, role playing, co-operation, and language development.

* Cooking Experiences:  Teach how to follow recipes, helping with math and science concepts, and educate children about health and nutritional values.

* Stories and Sharing Experiences:  Encourage language development through story dictation and discussions, and foster a love of literature.

Pre-Kindergarten Program:
Our Pre-Kindergarten Program reflects the belief that children are active learners. They build meaning and understanding through full participation in their environments. This child-centered program combines high expectations for each child with respect for individual development.

Subjects include:

Language Arts
Science
Mathematics
Music
Geography, History, & Social Studies
Computers

Kindergarten Program:
Because our school offers a full-day kindergarten, our students often exceed state standards. Students build strong foundations in reading and writing and begin learning simple sentence structure through the use of journals, short stories and poems. Learning centers provide both open and structured activities to help build creativity and individual learning skills.

First Grade Program:
Small group instruction in reading is key to the high level of success our first grade students achieve. They integrate reading and writing by composing responses to the books they read. First grade students practice basic computation skills and problem solving through the use of textbooks and hands-on math lessons.

Second Grade Program:
In Second Grade, students take on greater responsibilities for their learning. They can now self-select proper reading material from a variety of genre that is challenging yet manageable, and begin producing book reports to present to the class. Public speaking continues to develop at this level where students will give oral presentations and poetry recitations. In math, students solve problems that include algebraic reasoning, probability and measurement.

Third Grade Program:
Third grade students become strong writers and begin to read novels, developing their comprehension and expanding their vocabulary knowledge. They master math facts so that they can solve real-world, multi-level problems and explain their thought processes.

Fourth Grade Program: 
Fourth grade students continue to fine-tune their study habits while attaining higher levels in reading, writing, and math. California history is highlighted through research, reenactment and fieldtrips.

Fifth Grade Program:
Fifth grade students are now academically ready to take on bigger challenges. While students become proficient writers and readers, our teachers continue to teach organizational skills and to help them improve their study habits.

Subjects for Kindergarten and Elememtary Groups include:

- Language Arts:  In the primary grades, we offer an excellent phonics based reading program. A leveled reading program with ongoing assessments is implemented to ensure that students are continually improving their reading fluency and comprehension skills. Each student is given opportunities to acquire and develop the skills of writing, reading, listening, speaking and critical thinking through diverse, multi-sensory experiences. Students have many opportunities to read, analyze and respond to literature for a variety of genre.

Students learn to write fiction, non fiction, research papers biographies, and poetry in many curriculum areas. Spelling is incorporated into our reading and writing programs. Formal spelling instruction begins in Kindergarten with experiences in learning strategies and rules that will enable them to emerge as competent writers and spellers. We have two Reading Resource Specialists on staff.

- Mathematics:  Students are able to work at their rate of comprehension and math groups are dynamic and evaluated daily. Our mathematics instruction stresses the fundamentals of number sense and gives students the opportunities to use this knowledge to solve real world problems. Hands on learning and the use of manipulative are found with additional personnel supporting mathematics in all grade levels.

- Social Studies:  We offer an integrated social studies program. We use a variety of supplemental materials to enhance learning and bring student to a better understanding. We work hard to teach students about the past and the present from a variety of perspectives: anthropology, economic, geography, history, political science, psychology and sociology.

- Science:  Scientific concepts are taught through the use of state adopted text books and student discovery in our science laboratory. Students utilize the scientific method of discovery to conduct hands on experiments and report data.

Enrichment Program:
Carden West provides many enrichment opportunities for students. Teachers enhance and extend the daily curriculum as students are ready. Students are challenged to analyze and synthesize their knowledge in order to apply their learning in new and creative ways.

As part of the Carden West mission to "promote social and ethical responsibility," classes participate in projects that return value to the community. In these "service learning" opportunities, students apply their knowledge, research skills, powers of observation, creativity, and leadership abilities to extend their learning while benefiting the community.

Subjects for the Enrichment Program include:

- Technology:  At Carden West School, our classroom teachers work closely with our technology teachers to integrate technology into the core curriculum through a proven project-based program. Students learn to produce high-quality interactive multi-media projects.

- Music:  Music is an integral part of our curriculum at Carden West School. The program encompasses a wide range of areas, including rhythm, melody, form, texture and harmony. Carden West students participate in seasonal concerts in the winter and spring. Music is also used in special performances, and the children get involved in the creation of new songs.

- Art:  We believe that art is a valued part of every child's curriculum. Creativity and creative thinking are essential tools for developing problem-solving skills, expressing ideas and making connections. Our program includes exposing students to the basic elements of art. Students experiment with numerous art media, such as paint, pastels, colored pencils, collage and sculpturing materials. In addition, they examine famous artists and their works of art as an integral part of the curriculum.

- Foreign Language:  Carden West offers two foreign languages. We believe that learning a foreign language exposes young learners to new cultures and new horizons. We offer Spanish, French, and Mandarin to all K-5 Students. K-2 students are all enrolled in Spanish. Parents choose between French and Mandarin for their child’s second language. Higher level students can choose two languages. In our primary grades, our foreign language teachers cover basic words and phrases. Students begin writing words and simple sentences. They also learn familiar childhood songs. In the upper elementary grades, students delve deeper into the language and begin reading stories and conversing in the language.

- Character Education:  Carden West has developed an exciting Character Education Program where children build their “pyramid of success.” Each month, we introduce and new “character word of the month.” Character education takes place thought the entire school day as all teachers’ staff and administration are presented with opportunities to model and teach positive character traits. Each month an assembly is held to recognize students for their positive behavior and hard work.