Kindergarten Zurich Wiedikon - German & English

Offer

In our Kindergarten we offer a safe learning environment for the children in German and English

The Kindergarten lessons are based on the official Swiss curriculum “Lehrplan 21”. The children are taught in a varied and playful way in all areas of development in order to be prepared to enter school after finishing their time at Wings.

Children have enormous learning potential and they are ready and eager to discover the world. They deal with a large number of experiences and constantly ask questions to understand. We want to offer the children a safe, varied and interesting environment. In an organised and playful setting that they should be able to get a broad overview of the most diverse aspects of life and develop their own personality.

They are looked after in a bilingual environment German and English. We have hired trained Kindergarten teachers in German and English.

We want to offer the parents the opportunity to pursue their professional activities with the certainty that their child will not only be in good hands during this time but will also be encouraged according to their inclinations and needs.

Since the founders of Wings School are working parents themselves and place their child in the care of the institution there is a personal interest in offering the best care.

Enrollment Kindergarten

Staff Kindergarten

The kindergarten groups are led by an English and German- speaking kindergarten teacher together with one apprentice or assistant.

Head of School (EDK recognized)
German and English speaking Kindergarten teachers (with a Swiss recognised diploma or equivalent)
Apprentices or Assistants

Kitchen and Housekeeping
Qualified Cook, Cleaner and Assistant

All employees attend a first aid course and a fire fighting course.

The Wings School complies with the legal requirements of the SKV, elementary school authorities and the corresponding Swiss authority regarding working hours, holidays, salaries, training and further education of employees.

Program

The kindergarten weekly program supports the children in all areas of development in both languages.

The weekly program is designed to benefit the children in both languages in the group setting and individually. This is just a rough outline of our daily routine. There are small differences between the individual groups.

Morning session

7.30 – 8.50 arrival, breakfast and preparation

During this time the children have the opportunity to eat something if they arrive before 8:30 and to play in the classroom.

Forenoon

9.00 – 11.30 Lesson time

During this time the children take part in activities planned by the teachers such as: lessons, morning circle, group work, outings and free play.

Lunch session

11.30 – 14.00 Lunch and Quiet Time

A hot meal is prepared daily in our in-house Kitchen by a qualified Chef. The menu is published at the beginning of the week. Meals will include things like spaghetti, chicken with potatoes, meat with vegetables etc.

After lunch children have the opportunity to relax by listening to a story.

Snack

15.30 – 16.15 Snack

At 16:15 the school day comes to an end for the first year Kindergarten children, and for the second year children at 16:45. For the children that stay after the Kindergarten hours they have the opportunity for free play.

End of day

17.30 – 18.30 Play and tidy up

Around 18:00 the children will prepare for the end of the day in the Kindergarten. They will help tidy up and play with the other groups until they are picked up by their parents.

Kindergarten Curriculum

Language, sport, maths, science, music, dance, theather, excursions, arts and crafts

At the start of each new theme, the parents receive a newsletter with an overview of the coming weeks.

Possible themes

Social behaviour (Myself and my class, family, cultures, people, cooperation and solving conflicts, etc.)
Geography and environment (Continents and seas, countries, cities, weather etc.)
Dental hygiene, food and cooking
The human body
Animals, plants and natural relationships
Safety and hazards (Poisons, fire and roads)
Emotions (feelings, property, respect, patience and recognition)

Language

Children are taught in both English and German during the lessons. Our staff consistently speaks to the child in only one language to prevent the child from mixing languages.

Language development includes learning basic phonics, introduction to the alphabet, visual aids, understanding the language and using it accurately.

Arts & Crafts

The aim of the arts subject is to develop creativity and aesthetic appreciation. The children experience a wide variety of media such as drawing, painting clay, hammers & nails, nut & bolts, dough, scissors, paper, cardboard, glue, tape, etc. The children’s artwork will be displayed in classrooms and school hallways. At the end of each year the children can take their work home with them.

Sport

Einmal pro Woche steht uns die grosse Turnhalle des Schulhauses Rebhügel zur Verfügung.

It is very important to us to let the children spend enough time outdoors. Since we do not have our own garden we visit the surrounding playgrounds and parks everyday if possible and at least three times a week.

Music, Dance & Theater

Music is an important part of learning. We sing regularly, play with various instruments and also focus on body movement and experiences using rhythm and dance. Role-play games are also integrated into the curriculum.

Maths & science

Scientific topics introduce the children to the basic concepts of mathematics, physics and chemistry. Our goal is to make the children curious and let them experiment with joy and fascination. They have the opportunity to carry out small experiments, to think about it, to solve problems and to implement what they have learned. They will get to know the following concepts among others: weight, speed, light, tones, sizes, quantities, numbers, arithmetic operations etc. In addition, the children also learn how to use the computer.

Excursions

We arrange 1-2 full day excursions per year as well as several half-day excursions. In many cases the excursions will be linked to a current theme.

Parent Events

In the interest of the child, good cooperation between parents and teachers is important.

Wings Party

In the Summer, we invite all parents, children and staff to a barbeque where we can get to know each other better.

Parents evening

At the beginning of the school year the parents are invited by their class teacher for a parents evening. The parents have the opportunity to get to know the teachers, the other parents and receive information about the class.

Parent teacher meetings

During each Kindergarten year two parent teacher meetings will take place. At the beginning of the school year the parents will be invited for a meeting after the first three months and then again after six months.

Turnip Parade (Räbenliechtli)

Each year the Daycare and Kindergarten teams invite Wings School families to join us on a traditional turnip parade through the area. Drinks and snacks are made available at the end.