Transitional Kinder & Kindergarten: Ms. Porter (2020-21)
TK-Kindergarten forms the foundation of formal elementary education at Pleasant Hill Christian School. A haven of engaging discovery, we are intentional about addressing the whole child as they practice the love of learning!
Understanding the frames of young children, Ms. Porter creatively prepares students for the day with warm welcomes (songs, poetry, and stories) and community development time so students feel ready and eager to learn. Our school day starts at 8:45 and includes a snack/recess break at 10:00-10:30 as well as a lunch/recess break again from 12-12:45. There is a rest time after lunch and then a different enrichment class each day of the week including art, music, Spanish, computers, and PE. New for the 20-21 school year: The last hour of the day from 2:15-3:15 is dedicated to Outdoor School, a special set of activities for curious explorers with loose parts and lots of tactile experiences designed to spark creativity with lots of fresh air!
Ms. Porter teaches responsibility through classroom jobs and helps the students obtain basic study skills and time management with regular time for Work-In-Progress and Choice Time. There is space for creativity, free play, and adequate amounts of outdoor time to build social/emotional skills.
Students are encouraged to develop fine motor skills which results in skillful and enjoyable handwriting. Students learn lots of silly songs about grammar and have fun building sentences to prepare them for solid writing. Everyone loves math because we emphasize hands-on activities with colorful chips, bears, blocks, and more. Students participate in daily reading groups, practicing their phonics in colorful and fun decodable books. As young citizens, we focus on American History, utilizing classic children's literature and hands on crafts and activities. Science is a treat in TK-K because the focus is "edible science"...so many of the observations/experiments include yummy results.
We schedule a variety of field trips to complement classroom learning including the Fire Station, the Orchestra, the Pumpkin Patch, a local Apple Ranch, End of the Year Field Day, and more! Ms. Porter often brings her beautiful yellow lab, Korah, to the classroom and has scheduled field trips on the years Korah delivers puppies to see the new pups. TK-K at Pleasant Hill Christian School is an exciting place to be. Our aim is that your child would thrive emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and in his/her soul as they start their formal schooling in TK-K. Let us partner with you to lay this important foundation.
Courtney Porter
The Master's College, Newhall CA; Home Economics and Early Childhood Education
Courtney was born and raised in Sonoma County attending El Molino High School and Rincon Valley Christian School. She has played soccer all her life and ended up going to The Master's College in Southern California on a soccer scholarship, graduating in 2004 with a major in Home Economics and an emphasis in Early Childhood Education. Her passion has always been working with kids, and so immediately after graduating she moved back to Sonoma County and got a job teaching preschool at Bethel Children's Center.
Most of her time is spent hanging out with her 3 amazing children: Riley, Daniel, and Jack (but other loves include Jesus, food, coffee, laughing with friends, and food!)
Courtney is a member of Sebastopol's Hessel Church.
2020-21 ENROLLMENT INFO:
Kindergartners must have been born on or before Sept. 1, 2015. (at least 5 years old upon starting kindergarten)
Transitional Kindergarteners must have been born on or before Dec. 1, 2015. Younger children will need Principal's approval.