French 'école
maternelle' (kindergarten/nursery school) is part of what's called
'école primaire' (primary school), and covers children from 2 to 5
years old.
At Jules Verne, we welcome potty-trained children from 3 years old (depending on seats availability). However, we can also accept in some cases potty-trained children aged 2 years old before the 21st August of the current school year, depending on seats availability. The decision is made by the teachers and management board, after an interview with the child and a one-day trial.
Children are divided into 4 groups:
The école maternelle's mission is “to help every child
grow, conquer its independence and develop key behaviors and skills for the
future. It relies on the child’s ability to imitate and invent, so vivid at
this age, and the child’s love of playing and being active. It stimulates their
whish to learn, to diversify their experience, and to enrich their
understanding. The school is attentive
to their development and growth pace. "
As outlined in the preamble of
the French école maternelle's program, our school and our teaching is organized
around keywords: conquest of autonomy, key learnings, invention, play and action.
In practice, we provide
the right environment for a child to grow at his/her own pace and be stimulated:
thanks to our qualified staff (one adult for 7 children for the 3+ years old,
meaning a French teacher, one or two assistants per classroom, a Finnish
teacher; one adult for 4 children for the less than 3 years old, meaning a
higher number of assistants per classroom if required), special moments for the
little ones (nap time, dedicated room for lunch), dedicated equipments (games,
sports room, well equipped outdoor area).
During
the first years, until the end of the 'MS', we focus on developing
children through a number of discoveries, experiences and activities.
It's a key phase of every child development, and is know under the name
'Cycle des apprentissages premiers' (first learnings phase) in the French education system.
During the final years of nursery school, the rudiments of reading, writing and arithmetic are taught in preparation for the elementary school. It is part of the 'Cycle des apprentissages fondamentaux' (fundamental learnings phase), and this phase will continue during the first two years of the elementary school.
Good communication and
interaction between parents and teachers, between home and school, are a
priority for each child’s development.