Pre-Kindergarten
Our students occupy three classrooms for the Preschool program. New classroom groupings are formed each September, as our 5 year olds move on to Kindergarten. Each class has a set daily schedule and routine, which helps the children to understand classroom time as a predictable series of events. Since we do serve different age groups, the daily routine in each class differs slightly to serve the developmental needs of that group of children. The daily schedule offers a balance between the following types of activities:
- active and quiet times
- large group activities, small group activities, and time to play one or with others
- indoor and outdoor play times
- time for children to select their own activities and time for teacher-directed activities
Within the scope of our curriculum, children learn to articulate their needs, and develop an awareness of their feelings and their personall rights to express them. Children enrolled in this rogram will have experiences in a variety of activities such as the following: arts and crafts, music and movement, science experiences, math, reading, language, nature, sensory, and manipulative play.
We also offer a variety of enrichment activities for our children that include field trips, library visits and music. Our school is willing to try new ideas. Just as Sunrise Academy fosters creativity within the children, so does it foster and encourage its staff to be creative. We take the experiences gained from being childcare professionals and rise to meet life's daily challenges. In this environment which is based on Islamic values, not only will the children develop a positive self-image but also a strong Islamic identity.
Religious Studies
It is our goal to develop in each child a love for and understanding of God and Islam and to nurture an identity in each child as a confident and faithful Muslim. We hope to accomplish these goals through appropriate instruction in three basic areas (Islamic Studies, Qur'an, and Arabic Language) and through the creation of an environment conducive to the promotion of Islamic values and beliefs.
In this program, we follow a set of themes for each month. Also, a set of Qur'anic verses and short suras are selected to correspond to these themes for the children to talk about and to memorize. In their first introduction to religious concepts, our children are offered a loving and exciting approach to this subject to instill in them a good feeling about God and about who they are as little Muslims. We nurture their positive growth through developmentally appropriate learning.
Children at Sunrise Academy benefit from an integrated Islamic Studies curriculum. Their day starts off with the teachers bringing the groups together for suras, songs, discussion of "value of the week," activities, and sharing in our classrooms. In each classroom, there are daily, small and large group activities. Also each day the children have the opportunity to pray.
