When can my family visit Stratford Academy?

We would love to have you visit while school is in session so you can experience Stratford “in action” through a campus tour or a shadow day; however, if you cannot make it during the school year, tours are available year-round.Please contact the Admissions Office at 478-477-8073 ext. 203 to set up an appointment.

How diverse is your student body?

Diversity is very important to us. We are dedicated to being a school community which represents a broad range of ethnic, religious, socioeconomic, and racial diversity. Students of color represent 21% of our current population.

How do I arrange a shadow day for my child?

We recommend that all applicants visit Stratford for a shadow day to get a true feel for our school. Please contact the Admissions Office at 478-477-8073 ext. 203 to schedule a shadow day. We like to hear from you personally so we can get an idea of your child’s interests inside and outside of the classroom before paring him or her with a shadow buddy.

What does Stratford look for in candidates for admissions?

In every applicant’s case, Stratford looks for a “good fit” - academically, socially, and behaviorally. Our goal is to admit students who have the will to work hard and the desire to be successful.

Does my child need to take a test to be considered for admission?

Yes. All applicants need to take our admissions test. The test can be scheduled in conjunction with a shadow day or campus tour or on a separate day. Please contact the Admissions Office at 478-477-8073 ext. 203 to schedule your child’s admissions test.

How do I apply for financial aid?

Our financial aid application opens November 15th. Anyone can apply for our need-based aid. Go to www.sssbynais.org and click on parent portal. New users will have to create an account. You must reapply for financial aid every year.

Preschool Curriculum

Stratford Academy’s Preschool staff is committed to providing a unique balance of challenging academic programs within a student-centered environment. It is important for a school to provide experiences that are enriching and challenging, as well as to help children to develop habits of attention and effort that will stand them in good stead throughout life.

The curriculum must be developmentally appropriate, and the teachers instill values of respect and responsibility and honesty.

The Preschool day is structured to build a solid foundation for later learning. The Preschool curriculum addresses five areas of readiness:

Language and literacy development

Mathematical and scientific thinking

Physical and motor development

Personal and social development

The Arts

The staff attempts to ensure that Preschool children establish through experiences the foundation necessary to approach academic work later. Children must develop memory skills; learn to follow directions; persist at a task; identify the materials and steps needed to carry out an activity; and evaluate and correct their own work.

Parents are asked to come to school for conferences in the fall and spring to discuss their child’s progress.

If other conferences are desired, preschool parents should contact the teacher or the Preschool Director.

In addition, narrative reports are written and mailed to parents three times a year – November, February, and May – along with a checklist of skills and developmental milestones. A copy is put in the school’s permanent records at the end of the school year .

Beginners

Language and Literacy

We believe that literacy learning should be woven throughout the day as well as during a focused literacy time.
Multiple genres are incorporated into all areas of the curriculum.
The Letter People introduce the letters of the alphabet.
Children’s names are used as a “springboard” for learning letter names.
Cooking, science, social studies, and other topics are used to reinforce letter recognition.
Children’s literature is read daily to individuals, small groups, and/or large groups.
Children use puppets, costumes, flannel board pieces, etc. to act out and retell stories.
The children learn and say finger plays, poems, and nursery rhymes to help foster phonological awareness, rhyming, and word play.
Oral language is fostered and vocabulary is enriched.

Mathematical Thinking

Free exploration of concrete materials is encouraged.
The children develop an awareness of numbers and the counting process.
The children become familiar with the calendar and its components.
The children learn to identify colors and shapes and to use positional words.
The children explore measurement and develop an understanding of directional words and temporal terms.

Science, Health, and Social Studies

Children experience science as part of everyday life by observing, classifying, discussing, and experimenting.
They name common objects in their environment and discover how they are used. (clock, balance scale…)
The children are encouraged to be curious about things around us such as plants, animals, seasons, weather, and our bodies.
The children will become increasingly aware of healthy habits.

The Arts

Various art media are introduced and used for self-expression and representation.
The children take part in group music by singing, listening and playing instruments.
The children participate in rhythmic activities as well as creative movement activities in the classroom and in music class.

Physical Development

The children work on large motor development on the playground and in P.E. classes. Skills such as running, hopping, jumping are encouraged.
Small motor skills are developed through games, puzzles, playdough, Duplos, and the use of crayons (correct pencil grip).
The children practice following rules and working/playing with others.

Prekindergarten

Language and Literacy

Our Language Arts program is a "hands-on" multi-sensory approach to teaching listening, speaking, pre-reading and pre-writing skills.
The Letter People introduce the letters of the alphabet and their sounds.
Everyday Words are introduced and read in Rebus Readers with the Letter People.
Cooking, science, social studies and other topics are integrated with the letter/sound study.
Children's literature is read daily and a listening center is provided.
Children act out stories using costumes and puppets.

Mathematical Thinking

Free exploration of concrete materials is encouraged.
The children develop one-to-one correspondence to 10 by working individually with concrete materials. WORKJOBS
Sorting, patterning, graphing, measuring, and problem solving are explored with concrete materials.
Numeral recognition to 20 and counting by 1's and 10's is taught during calendar time daily.

Science, Health, Social Studies

Subtopics are explored and experienced as a part of everyday life.
Observing, sorting, classifying, experimenting are encouraged.
Opportunities are used to further the understanding of the environment.
SUBTOPICS: Me, Families, Homes, Animals, Holiday Celebrations, Transportation, Ocean Life, Dental Health, Famous Americans, Weather, Water, Space, Fire Prevention, Seasons

The Arts

Various art media are used for self-expression and representation.
The children take part in group music by singing and listening.
The children participate in creative movement and rhythmic activities in the classroom and in music class.
The children experiment with various instruments to make pleasing sounds.

Physical Development

The children work on large and small motor development by playing games in PE class, as well as in the classroom and on the playground.
The children learn to bounce and catch a ball, walk on a balance beam, run, hop, and change direction while having fun with their friends.

Kindergarten

Language and Literacy

Our language arts program is an extension of the pre-reading and pre-writing program begun in prekindergarten.
The children learn reading strategies through shared, guided, and self-selected reading instruction.
The children begin to distinguish conventions of print.
A word wall is used as a source for recognizing high frequency words.
Children develop phonemic awareness and learn to manipulate sounds.
Children learn and say finger plays and poems and learn to generate their own rhymes.

Mathematical Thinking

Children continue to develop an understanding of mathematical language and concepts by use of concrete materials.
Children continue to recognize and extend patterns and learn to translate patterns from one form to another.
WORKJOBS are continued to further develop one-to-one correspondence.
Numeral writing and recognition is continued.
Graphing, measuring, sorting and classifying are extended through use of concrete materials and become more abstract.
Children develop an understanding of number operations using concrete materials and then learn to use written interpretation of the process.

Science, Health, Social Studies

Children experience science as part of everyday life by observing, classifying, discussing, and experimenting.
They discover ways to solve problems in the environment.
The children are encouraged to be curious about the things around us - plants, animals, seasons, weather, food, the ocean, our bodies, magnets, insects and spiders.
The children develop social attitudes and responsibility in groups.

The Arts

A variety of art materials are used for self-expression and representation.
An appreciation of art history is encouraged.
The children take part in group music activities of listening and singing, as well as participating in creative movement and rhythmic activities.

Physical Development

The children work to develop large motor skills necessary to run, skip, hop, bounce and catch a ball, and walk on a balance beam.
Small motor development is encouraged through games, puzzles, playdough, Legos, use of crayons and pencils, etc