 Philosophy:
At St. Francis of Assisi Preschool we will present a
developmentally appropriate program that allows children to learn at
their own pace through hands on activities. Our program will develop
the whole child in an atmosphere of encouragement, affection, and
creativity. Our preschool will set the foundation for Catholic
learning with a curriculum that is centered on Catholic values. We
will emphasize these values through singing, stories, and prayer
before snack-time. It is our mission to help children learn and
respect themselves and others, to celebrate diversity and uniqueness.
We believe that by allowing children to make choices, and by giving
them the opportunity to learn through experimentation, we will help
them develop a life long enthusiasm for learning.
Curriculum:
We recognize that children have their own learning styles and so
it is with teacher guidance that we encourage children to progress at
their own pace. Our curriculum will develop the whole child by
including physical, cognitive, language, social, emotional, creative,
and spiritual development. We will use the church calendar as a guide
for our activities, incorporating family, self, and community. Our
activities in the classroom will gear children for Kindergarten
readiness into the Catholic school system by incorporating Letter and
Number recognition, simple phonics, shapes, etc. Throughout the year
we will incorporate religious holidays into our program by working on
long-term projects that will be enjoyed by the entire church
community. Our children will also participate in church celebrations
with baking projects. By participating in these activities and
bringing the preschool community together with the larger church
community we are teaching our children the importance of being part of
a community and the importance of working together as a team.
Class Organization:
Our class will be organized into several learning areas including:
Blocks: Blocks are an important tool for cognitive
development. They encourage problem solving, math principles, and
cooperation.
Language: The language center will focus on letter
recognition, and the ability to tell a story with a beginning, middle,
and end.
Manipulative: This includes puzzles, sorting
activities, lace boards, and other activities that focus on the fine
motor skills/problem solving.
Dramatic Play: This area may look like just a play
area to parents, and it is. Play is an important part of the learning
process. Children work through life experiences through dramatic play.
Art: Our art area will consist of planned daily
projects, long term projects, and plenty of creative materials for the
children to delve into and create masterpieces of their own.
Group area: Our group time will include things such
as music, movement, story telling, science experiments, finger play,
and sharing. This is a time for children to be heard by the group and
to participate in group activities.
Outdoor play area: Many gross motor skills such as
running, jumping, balancing, skipping, etc can only be mastered
outdoors. Our outdoor play area will encourage the use of these skills
and also include sand and water play and plenty of creative play.
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