A tight-knit group of 10 4-year-olds “sustained a bright and joyful spirit” this past school year as they lived out the beliefs of their school’s founder, Cornelia Connelly. Oak Knoll’s Little Acorns preschool class moved up to Kindergarten on Friday, June 3, 2022. The on-campus celebration was held in the Choral Music Room for parents and teachers.

The celebration included heartfelt and personal greetings, prayers, songs, books, and even a special original song written by the preschool students about what they want to be when they are older, called, “When I Grow Up.” 

Marissa Barbarino, Little Acorns head pre-K teacher, addressed teachers and parents during the moving-up celebration.

“It has been a pleasure having your children this year and thank you so much for sharing them with us – we love them so much! They have accomplished so much this year and we could not be more proud of them. We are truly blessed to be part of the Oak Knoll community,” Barbarino said. 

Lower School Division Head Christine Spies added that the entire school community is also proud of the preschool students and all that they have accomplished this year.

“We are so excited for today!” said Spies. “These pre-K students have had such a wonderful year. These young students have a joyful spirit about them all the time. If I need to smile, I head down to the pre-K class, and they are always welcoming and warm and have worked so hard this year in all their studies and in their play. They have made good friendships and now we celebrate the end of the year.” 

The Little Acorns Pre-K program at Oak Knoll engaged its youngest students throughout the year with several hands-on, high-interest learning lessons, centers, and activities in the classroom.

Oak Knoll’s Little Acorns Pre-K program follows the Connect4Learning Curriculum, which was developed through funding from the National Science Foundation. This curriculum uses research-based and classroom-tested foundations in literacy, science, social-emotional, and mathematics learning. Oak Knoll’s program weaves together these four domains to ensure that each subject is addressed meaningfully and comprehensively with our youngest students. Using a project-based approach, children work toward a larger goal throughout a curriculum unit, including topics such as connecting with school and friends, the environment, how structures are built, exploring museums, or growing a garden.

Learn more about how Oak Knoll’s Little Acorns Pre-K program launches students for success.