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Curriculum
All classroom teachers are fully credentialed. We offer Spanish instruction 3 times per week, art twice per week, music classes once a week and daily physical education with an emphasis on individual skills and team sports. Habits of Mind is integrated across the curriculum, and Character Counts supports the social-emotional growth of our students.
Math
While Kittredge features combination classes in the lower school, the math classes are taught separately by grade level. Kittredge teachers know the importance of engaging students with math concepts at their grade level, while also finding the right pace for those concepts to keep each child engaged. Many of our graduates test out of Algebra I upon entering high school and are placed in Algebra II or Geometry.
Language Arts
With a start in phonics instruction and letter formation, to informational essays on national parks, to persuasive letters to local leaders, Kittredge kids are learning how to read, organize material, reason, and articulate their thoughts to form essays or term papers that demonstrate their comprehension. From Dr. Seuss to Shakespeare Kittredge kids are learning how to internalize what they read and prove their understanding of the text through oral and written responses.
Science
Science classes explore the three states of matter, ecosystems, the human body, geology, and Newton’s law of motion. Harnessing the curiosity that comes naturally to children, Kittredge kids make models of DNA or a living cell. Exploring the world around us sometimes means taking a break from the classroom to examine the hail from an afternoon storm.
Social Studies
Beginning with communities, government, and biographies, moving on to geography, and ancient civilizations, Kittredge students learn the stories of how we came to be where we are today. Culminating with world history and U.S. history, our students learn about historical events from multiple perspectives. Students learn to analyze the historical data that is presented and delve into the motivation behind historical actions.
Spanish
In the lower grades, students are learning vocabulary for items in the home or school. Through song and dance, students are introduced to the Spanish-speaking culture and traditions. By middle school, students are learning to conjugate verbs and how to employ rules of grammar in Spanish. As they prepare for high school, students are writing and creating presentations in Spanish class. Most often, our students test into Spanish II when they begin high school.
Physical Education & Sports
Through games and activities, students are learning to be part of a team, take turns, and play fairly. As students enter middle school, they are introduced to volleyball, basketball, futsal and cross country–working their way to running a full mile. Middle schoolers have the option to play these sports on our athletic teams, which participate in the San Francisco Athletic League, playing against other independent schools in San Francisco.
Art
In art classes, students explore space, form, and texture. Drawing on inspiration from famous artists, such as Yayoi Kusama or Kimmy Cantrell, students study the methods for paint or sculpture as they put them into practice. As our students progress to the upper grades, students learn a variety of mediums, such as paper quilling, watercolor or oil pastels as they develop their own style as an artist.
Music
Our music classes begin with sing-alongs in the lower grades. Students learn to find the rhythm in a song with the use of percussion instruments. As students progress through the grades they are introduced to pitch, harmony, and learn to find their vocal range. The highlight of the school year in music class is the talent show. Every class performs a group act–singing and dancing the night away!