Preschool Kindergarten | Legacies Academy

Our School

Why Choose Legacies Academy?

Multi-Age Classrooms create a community that allows students to teach and learn, lead and follow, and cooperate and collaborate. Students actively work with each other in what becomes a family-like setting. A low teacher-student ratio allows for an individualized education that allows each child to reach his or her own potential.
Our campus and classrooms are a Reflection of Best Practices to form an authentic education, as we celebrate and value the uniqueness of every individual. Service to others happens within the classroom, throughout the school and beyond to the broader community. All are valued as individuals and guided to be responsible, respectful citizens of their school and the world.
Classrooms are organized to encourage Hands-On Learning in an atmosphere of freedom within limits led by teachers who follow the spontaneous activity and interests of the child. This encourages exploration and discovery, as well as independence.
Fostering a Love of Learning that will last a lifetime is the focus of every teacher. Individualized learning plans are created for each student in an atmosphere of study that will be challenging but not overwhelming, based on a pace that suits each child.
We offer Enriching Opportunities to our students within our classroom and beyond. Students form great bonds with their classroom teachers while engaging in French, music, art and physical education.

Take a Peek Inside

Step into our Preschool

Through these doors

we are Makers
We move what we're learning
From our Heads
To our Hearts
Through our Hands

We believe that there are three teachers within the classroom walls: The adults, the students, and the environment. Throughout the school year we build the classroom along with the students and we start off with a blank canvas. To create an environment that actively teaches, we present the children with invitations for learning and provide materials that encourage them to wonder, explore and look closer. If you watch a child closely as they play, you will be able to pick out the concepts that they are exploring! Add paper, writing tools and books and they will want to use them as they have seen adults use them and they will want to imitate that! Play is truly a child’s work! We learn to observe and grab onto opportunities while they play to incorporate the Alberta Standards in ways that are authentic and meaningful to them.

Maker's Station

Here, the kids are Designers, Architects, and Engineers. They will explore how math, science and art are all heavily connected here as they build, design and create! This area fosters math concepts such as measurement, grouping, sorting, patterning, and symmetry. It fosters science concepts such as balance, force and motion and cause and effect. It also fosters social-emotional growth as they will be forced to practice patience with each other and problem solving socially with friends. They will problem solve as projects don’t work out as planned, collaborate with others as they work together to a common goal and get along with each other. They will practice grit, a growth mindset, perseverance, and learn to deal with disappointment properly. We introduce the kids to the term “Mathematician” and discuss exactly what math is and how we use it everyday and see it all around us in our environment, at home and in nature and art! They will be taught how to recognize the math concepts that we learned in our whole group lessons in their daily lives and will be given opportunities to practice those concepts as mathematicians by using the materials set out to explore here.

Wonder Centre

This is where they will explore science and social studies. Here they will learn to slow down, look closer, notice and discover new things and document what they notice as a scientist would. They will predict, explore, inquire, wonder and experiment here. They will use the tools of scientists such as magnifying glasses, microscopes, safety googles, and more. We provide the children with open ended loose parts to explore, wonder and create with. A lot of creative thinking, math and design elements happen as they incorporate these loose parts with their creations. Some of these materials are from nature, some recycled and some purchased.

Dramatic Play

It may look like a house, but this space can become anything - a store, restaurant, bakery, Santa’s toy shop, vet clinic, Doctor’s Office, airport, market, school, coffee shop, Haunted House, etc. The children will write lists, write prescriptions, take orders, make signs and posters, write recipes, create magazines for waiting rooms, etc. Then they will practice reading as they reread what they and others have written! All of the Language, Speaking and Listening Outcomes are covered in this area. Here the kids use writing skills (or pre-writing skills) in an authentic way as they use writing just as we do in everyday life!

Art Studio

This area of our room dedicated to fostering Creative Thinking Skills. We start out with very limited materials, but as I teach them how to use and take care of different artists tools, more is made available for them to use when they want. Throughout the year they will use tempura paint, acrylic paint, watercolours, tempera cakes, oil and chalk pastels, charcoal, and many kinds of brushes. They will also use oil based clay, play dough, mud clay, wire, beads, pipe cleaners, recyclables etc. to create sculptures and loose parts to create transient art. These creations are displayed in our classroom as valuable works of art.

Language Arts & Mathematics

Every child will have one-on-one sessions with a teacher in order to establish foundational skills in both mathematics and language. These sessions are structured, teacher lead and sequential. Progress is tracked and students are able to work through the materials at their own pace while being guided and supported each step of the way. These skills introduced are manifested in the child's work and practiced through play.

Circle Area & Reading Nook

Every day starts off with a communal circle time where the students and teachers come together and visit before starting off the school day. This is a time for children to share stories, ask questions and learn to take turns. We always read a story and discuss a topic of interest that helps guide our investigations and peak curiosities. Circle time also involves singings, movement activities and a Special Helper. After circle time is over the Reading Nook is open for the children to explore books independently and to have a quiet, imaginative area to escape to.

Just ADD the Little Humans...

That is our room! As you can see, reading, writing, science and math are all incorporated, practiced and used in all areas of our room. We set out the materials and as they explore and play, they learn and apply the skills that they have been introduced. Without play, those skills will suffer. Now the only thing missing are precious little children to come and explore!