Welcome to Kindergarten
WHAT IS A ST. THERESA KINDERGARTEN?The Kindergarten classroon at St. Theresa School is a place where you will find children practicing how to become active learners. They are learning how to be part of a school community, both socially and academically. Through a variety of individual and group activities the Kindergarteners are well on their way to becoming readers, counters, builders, painters, explorers, and social butterflies!
For the 2010/11 school year we will be changing our format from two half-day kindergarten classes to one full day class with a staggered schedule. We plan to accept 34 children. The first session of the staggered program will run from 8:10 - 1:20, the second session will run from 10:15-3:15. The 34 children will all be together for an "overlap" for 3 hours in the middle. On minimum days they will all attend school for the whole session. There will be one teacher and one aide in the class at all times.
What might look like "just play" is actually serious learning in our Kindergarten. Children are allowed to explore their learning environment and stretch their imaginations while having the security of a structured, well-planned, and predictable daily schedule of activities. We dance our way through the alphabet each morning with our "Letter Aerobics", illustrate and track our class-made books, cook up a new recipe each Friday for our "letter of the week", investigate nature in our class garden, pray, and learn how to be good friends in our Kindergarten family. And those are just a few things you'll see in any given week.
The Kindergarteners learn the social and academic skills necessary for their transition into the higher grades at a pace that is supportive of their developmental stage. The classroom is "center-based", which allows children to work at their own comfort level in a variety of subject areas. Whereas one child may feel like spending 30 minutes building a city out of wooden blocks for our Social Studies unit on neighborhoods, another child may prefer to move around from one center to the next every 15 minutes. By the end of the week, however, each child has had an opportunity to enjoy every center activity and work with a variety of modalities and individuals.
We model Christian behavior through our actions and words while bringing the joy of God's love into the hearts and minds of our school's newest members. Their presence, and the presence and involvement of their family, is our greatest joy. AndSt. Theresa
School is committted to embracing each of you through such outreach programs as "Buddy Families", Open House, Parish picnics and events, and school tours.
COME AND TAKE A PEEK! I THINK YOU'LL LIKE WHAT YOU SEE.
Kimberly Clarke
Kindergarten Teacher