Preschool Program

The 91传媒 Valley鈥檚 Maternelle welcomes children as young as 2.5 years old, offering a nurturing entry point into bilingual education. Early childhood is a critical period for language acquisition, and our program is thoughtfully designed to take full advantage of this formative stage.

Our experienced, certified native-speaker teachers create a warm, safe, and stimulating environment where young learners thrive. Through purposeful play, structured socialization, and age-appropriate academic exploration, students develop confidence, curiosity, and a lifelong love of learning.

The Maternelle program reflects FASSV鈥檚 unique dual-curriculum approach, harmonizing the rigor of the with the creativity and student-centered philosophy of the . This blend fosters strong foundational skills while encouraging independence, critical thinking, and imagination.

Beginning in preschool, students are immersed in a balanced bilingual model, with instruction delivered 50% in French and 50% in English. This intentional structure supports natural language development while building the academic and social foundations essential for success in elementary school and beyond.

Maternelle lays the pedagogical groundwork for a seamless transition into FASSV鈥檚 elementary program, empowering students to grow as confident, capable, and globally minded learners.

What do the students learn?

At the 91传媒 Valley, Maternelle students develop essential academic, social, and emotional skills within a bilingual French鈥揈nglish environment. Learning is intentionally structured to foster independence, collaboration, and confident communication.

Language and communication are at the core of the program. Students build rich, well-structured oral language in both French and English, enabling them to express emotions, share ideas, and engage meaningfully with others. Through daily interaction and guided practice, students learn to:

Communicate clearly and confidently in both languages
Expand vocabulary, syntax, and rhythm of speech
Practice active listening, turn-taking, and following directions

Social and emotional development is nurtured through daily routines and shared experiences. Classroom rituals, transitions, circle time, and table activities provide structure and security while encouraging autonomy. Students learn to:

Balance independence with collaboration
Respect classroom expectations and routines
Develop patience, cooperation, and self-regulation

Through guided lessons and free exploration, students strengthen motor, sensory, and cognitive skills. Movement, play, and hands-on activities support whole-child development and help students engage fully with their environment. Children develop:

Fine and gross motor coordination and spatial awareness
Sensory, emotional, cognitive, and relational abilities
Focus, attention, and early problem-solving skills

Mathematics, science, and creative expression enrich daily learning. Students explore the world through age-appropriate academic and artistic experiences that spark curiosity and imagination. They are introduced to:

Numeration, basic geometry, and early problem-solving
Scientific concepts through observation and exploration
Artistic expression through drawing, storytelling, music, dance, and song

Step by step, students develop autonomy, confidence, and social awareness, laying the groundwork for the critical thinking skills that will emerge in later years. This intentional progression reflects the core mission of the 91传媒 Valley: to educate capable, curious, and globally minded bilingual learners.

An overview of the skills taught in each maternelle grade:

Preschool (Starting at 2.5 Years Old)

In Preschool, students begin learning how to live and learn together within a structured, nurturing classroom environment. Language development is central to daily learning, especially during circle time, where familiar routines support vocabulary growth and early academic concepts.

Students develop foundational skills through daily activities that include:
Language-rich circle time focused on the date, attendance, and weather
Introduction to basic vocabulary (yesterday, today, tomorrow, days of the week) in both French and English
Early numeration through counting classmates and matching numbers to quantities
Exploration of concepts such as more/less, bigger/smaller, and basic geometric shapes

Each period of the year is organized around a theme, with vocabulary introduced and reinforced in both languages through:

Songs, stories, and read-alouds
Hands-on activities connected to the theme
Story comprehension activities, including sequencing illustrations and answering questions

Students begin recognizing letters and identifying their own names while developing early social and emotional skills. They learn to:

Share, respect others, and regulate emotions
Follow one-step oral directions
Demonstrate growing autonomy in daily routines

Pre-Kindergarten (Pre-K)

In Pre-K, language remains the cornerstone of learning as students begin expressing themselves in complete sentences and expanding their vocabulary daily. Literacy, mathematics, science, and social-emotional learning are further developed through integrated, age-appropriate instruction.

Students strengthen their skills by learning to:
Retell stories using visual supports and recite rhymes and poems from memory
Recognize letter names and sounds and identify their own names and those of classmates in print
Participate verbally in the production of written texts and show curiosity about writing

In mathematics and science, students:

Deepen their understanding of numbers and the number line
Learn that each number is formed by adding one unit to the previous number
Sort objects by shape and identify patterns and sequences
Recognize two-dimensional shapes and basic three-dimensional solids
Explore time concepts (day, week, month, seasons)
Form hypotheses, observe plant life cycles, and build simple models through drawing

Social and emotional learning supports students in:

Recognizing and expressing emotions
Channeling feelings appropriately
Developing empathy and cooperative behaviors

Kindergarten

In Kindergarten, students demonstrate increased language proficiency and academic independence. They communicate using complex, coherent sentences and actively engage in discussion, narration, and problem-solving in both languages.

Language and literacy development includes:

Following multi-step directions
Using appropriate temporal and spatial vocabulary in explanations and stories
Recognizing all letters and corresponding sounds
Beginning to read and write independently
Writing their own names and recognizing sight words

In mathematics, science, and technology, students:

Count to 100 and quantify sets up to at least ten
Compose and decompose numbers through concrete and mental manipulation
Solve one-step word problems
Identify, compare, graph, and describe shapes and solids in both languages
Build structures and models using drawings or assembly instructions
Use tablets, computers, and introductory coding tools (such as Bee-Bots)

Science and the arts further enrich learning as students:

Explore animal and plant life cycles and human anatomy
Create visual compositions individually and collaboratively
Identify and reproduce simple rhythmic patterns through movement and instruments

Students also develop strong collaborative skills by:

Working toward common goals
Taking on complementary roles
Communicating respectfully and effectively

A Holistic and Enriching School Experience

While the curriculum is highly structured, students at FASSV create lasting memories through play, music, poetry, art, field trips, and meaningful relationships with peers and teachers from diverse cultural backgrounds. Academic subjects remain intentionally integrated, and social-emotional learning continues to be a priority throughout Maternelle.

Each school day includes three recess periods鈥攎orning, lunchtime, and afternoon鈥攁llowing students to explore freely, engage their imagination, and continue developing motor skills introduced during daily movement activities.

Outcomes by the End of Maternelle

By the end of the three-year Maternelle program, students:

Participate confidently and respectfully in a school community
Build cooperative and productive relationships with others
Know when to listen, help, and ask for help
Demonstrate emotional regulation and self-confidence
Show a high level of autonomy in daily routines
Take an active role in their learning
Speak and begin to read and write in both French and English

They leave Maternelle as capable, confident students鈥攆ully prepared to succeed in elementary school.

91传媒