Our three-year-olds have fun and enjoy learning. Our patient and caring teachers develop interesting lessons and activities based on monthly themes including the seasons, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Lent.
Each day begins with prayer. Students pray in the morning, before snack time, and at the end of the day. Children attend Mass on holy days and at the start and close of the school year. A love of Christ and Catholic values are always visible and included in stories and craft projects.
Teachers integrate creative hands-on learning materials, songs and play to introduce the alphabet, colors, shapes and numbers. Learning the virtue of patience, along with the social skills of sharing and playing well with others, are part of students’ daily experience.
Classrooms are warm and nurturing environments, with children’s names, pictures and birthdays listed on their cubbies. The classrooms are set up with a variety of activities to stimulate learning and play. Bulletin board themes change often to enhance classroom learning and give students an opportunity to display their artwork.
Our large and bright playroom provides a stimulating environment with plenty of room for movement. Here children can walk, run, and jump to develop gross motor skills. In addition, our soon to be completed (Fall 2006) outdoor playground will provide students with an opportunity for fun and fresh air.
4-YEAR-OLD PROGRAM
Kindergarten readiness is the theme of this program. As our four-year-olds continue to learn while they play, a rich learning environment provides variety and builds upon the curriculum of the three-year-old program. Look into a classroom and you’ll see skyscraper cities under construction at our Block Center, children looking at books and aided by listening headphones at our Listening/Viewing Center or children listening wide-eyed to a book in the Library Corner.
Four-year-olds love to talk and language games, especially rhymes, are an important step towards reading readiness. Pre-reading games are played often to reinforce readiness skills. Thematic curricula in the areas of religion, social studies, and science promote vocabulary building. Four-year-olds are excited to share their new-found knowledge of words like "Nativity," "cranberry" and "astronaut." Religious education is taught through songs and games.
Four-year-olds at St. Michael’s School receive weekly instruction from our Physical Education and Spanish language teachers. Daily visits to the playroom -- and soon, the outdoor playground -- are a highlight that allows children to continue to develop gross motor skills.
Both 3 year and 4 year old students have the option of staying an additional hour and forty-five minutes to enjoy lunch and play through our Lunch Bunch program.
The four-year-old program culminates with a year-end graduation ceremony. Parents and siblings join in the excitement as our Pre-schoolers joyfully sing for them.
