Our Program PreK-KG1

Welcome to AIS-R’s Early Years (PreK & Kg1) Program page. Here you will find specific information about our Eagle Honor Code; curriculum & play-based approach; and parent partnerships & communication. For additional information, please visit the AIS-R Elementary School blog.

Eagle Honor Code:

AIS-R elementary school students are expected to follow our AIS-R Honor Code, which defines what it means to be an AIS-R EAGLE: Ethical, Adaptable, Global, Learning, and Environmental. We believe our elementary school children are AIS-R Eagles and that they Make a Difference. Students are asked and expected to Give their Eagle BEST and Be their Eagle BEST!

Eagle BEST (Believe; Effort; Support; Trust):

• We believe. I believe in myself, my work, my learning, and my choices
• We give 100% effort. I gave it my all!
• We support each other. I’ve asked for support or I’ve given support to another to help each of us reach our Eagle BEST.
• We trust. I trust myself. I trust my Eagle friends. I trust my Eagle teachers.

Our Curriculum & Philosophy:

Our Three-year-old (PreK) and Four-year-old (Kg1) Early Years program is a wonderful place for both children and parents. Based on the principles of empathy, responsibility and community, our play-based program encourages students to learn in a self-guided, collaborative manner through exploration, discovery and sharing. We ensure that this model of learning takes place within a nurturing and enriching environment, based on the diverse interests and needs of each individual child. Our fundamental goal is to respect and foster intellectual curiosity and help children develop into caring, autonomous, self-directed learners.

Our Day & Play Based Approach:

Our Students partake in a half-day program, beginning their day at 8:20am and are dismissed at 1:15pm. PreK-Kg1 students eat snacks at breaks provided in their learning day. Nutritious snacks are essential to keep students’ energy at appropriate levels to keep them satisfied and attentive to the learning tasks at hand. Sweets and foods with a high level of sugar provide false bursts of energy and may leave students hungry and sometimes irritable. Candy, chocolate, chips, commercially-packaged cookies, and soda are prohibited and students will be asked to save these “treats” for home. As AIS-R Eagles and “models of healthy living,” we ask that only healthy options are packed for your child. There are ample opportunities for outdoor play in our shady playground and Eagle Eco Center which has small animals, a building center and a mud kitchen. Formal instruction includes Circle Time, Story Time, Kg1 Phonics program and our Kg1 Zoo Phonics program and Kg1 Handwriting Without Tears program to introduce literacy skills. Our Early Years Classrooms have been carefully designed to encourage and stimulate independence, cooperation, confidence and self-regulation as children move between carefully orchestrated learning spaces, commonly referred to as play-based centers. Our open plan environment is equipped with the following inquiry spaces: science & nature, dramatic play, atelier, woodwork & makerspace, sensory, math provocation and block & building centers.

Independent Toileting:

All students attending AIS-R must be fully toilet trained. In our efforts to uphold our safeguarding policies and to keep our learning environment clean and healthy, independent toilet training is a “non-negotiable” for all students. A child is toilet-trained when they have mastered control of their bowel and bladder functions and can attend to bathroom needs independently without adult assistance. A student in attendance who has not secured toilet-training (as defined as 3 consecutive school days with accidents), attendance is withheld for 20 school days to give the child and the family an opportunity to complete the training and secure independent toileting.

Animals & Allergies:

Our learning environments support the natural curiosity of our AIS-R Eagles and therefore incorporates natural elements such as plants, soil/sand, flowers, and fruits/vegetables as well as the care for several live animals of different species to include but not limited to birds, lizards, and small mammals (guinea pigs, hamsters, etc.). Should a child be allergic in such conditions, accommodations may be possible within our program parameters, but cannot be guaranteed. Modifications to the program such as removal and/or relocation of an animal(s)/natural elements (during student attendance) cannot be accommodated. With 60 nationalities and a transient community, AIS-R is NOT an allergen-free (nut, milk, wheat, fish, etc.) campus and due to our outsourced food caterers, we cannot guarantee that foo d prepared in our Dining Halls or food brought to school by students is nut/allergen free. It is the expectation of the parent to inform the nurse of their children’s allergies. No child is admitted to AIS-R without a completed medical form.

Parent Partnerships & Communication:

Open, honest and ongoing communication is critical to the success of the educational partnership we strive for between students, parents and teachers. We ask that you follow the Parent Communication Flowchart when communicating concerns. The following are sources for school related information:

• K-12 Activity Calendar:A calendar of all AIS-R events is distributed to all students.
• Blogs: The Elementary School blog, http://blogs.ais-r.edu.sa/jcanar/, contains news and information about Elementary School activities.
• Grade Level Blogs: All grade level events and activities can be accessed via your child’s grade level blog.
• Email: Families can email teachers and administration with questions and concerns.
• Newsflash: A weekly newsletter of upcoming events, articles, and items of special interest to parents and students is emailed to all parents and can be viewed online through Moodle.
• SeeSaw: An ePortfolio learning platform that allows students to demonstrate their understanding specific of learning goals in both homeroom and Specialist classes.
• Instagram: Homeroom and Specialists Instagram accounts highlight photos of learning.
• Skyward: Is our school information system that allows parents to view their child’s report cards, MAP scores, and school messages. Each parent is issued a Skyward ID and password. Please keep your skyward contact information current.
• Website: Browse the school’s website to find general information about each grade level and general school information www.aisr.org.
• AIS-R APP: Houses the latest news, daily updates, events, social media, and pictures of what is happening at AIS-R (Apple and Android).