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Queen of Angels Preschool
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Preschool Newsletter 3 year olds 4 year olds
4 year olds AM
Classroom Rules:
Walking feet (no running)
Helping hands (no hurting)
Inside voice and listening ears (no yelling and wait for your turn to talk)
Don't go out of the room until you tell a grownup why you are leaving
WWJD? (Treat others like Jesus would)
For more on classroom rules,
Curriculum topics
Early September: new friends and growing
Late September & Early October: changes in seasons, changes in nature
Late October: Halloween
November: Foods, Native Americans, Pilgrims, and Thanksgiving
December: Christmas (religious and secular)
January: changes in seasons, changes in nature, families and homes, animal hibernation
Early February: St. Valentine's Day, showing love for others
Late February & Early March: Community Helpers
Late March/April: changes in seasons, baby animals, spring insects and animals, Easter (religious and secular)
May: Mother's Day, warm weather activities, end of school
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The main goal for the preschool classes is to prepare your child for school. The foundation for future learning is set in place first in your home and then in our classroom. There is a teacher and aide in each class. The limit for the 3 year old class is 14 with a child/adult ratio of 7:1. The 4 year old class has a limit of 18, with the ratio of 9:1. Those ratios are set by the Catholic Schools Office and they follow the guidelines put out by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). A child must 3 or 4 by September 1st to be able to be in the 3 or 4 year old class. All children must be able to take care of their own needs in the bathroom (that is, potty trained). We will encourage the children to wash their hands themselves as well as put on their own jackets and backpacks but we will gladly tie shoes! Welcome to Preschool! Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Paula Johnson and I will be your child’s teacher. My husband, Jim, and I have been parishioners at Queen of Angels for 30 years. Our four daughters are products of Catholic education, having graduated from Queen of Angels and Bishop Dwenger High School. I am a graduate of the University of St. Francis. In the past, I taught at the YWCA Preschool for a total of 7 years. This is my 15th year at Queen of Angels. My aide is Christine Wright and this will be our third year of working together. Mrs. Wright enjoys being around our students and they enjoy being around her. She is the one who keeps our classroom organized and functioning well. (I really appreciate that!) So, are you ready for preschool? I’m sure your child is ready and can hardly wait! Here are some important things you need to know about our program. Our main focus for the 3 year olds is in the area of social growth and development:
They will be exposed to these different areas of the curriculum often. There will be time for them to explore these areas on their own as well as time when there will be more formal instruction. The cognitive skills we expect to develop are essentially "pre" skills:
For religious development we expect the children to develop an increasing awareness of God, Jesus, and His love. They will pray together to develop a sense of being together as God's family. We try to encourage the values of justice, peace, and a respect for life that the home first teaches at an early age. The goal for the 4 year olds is to master everything expected of the 3 year olds. Plus, they will have additional instruction time to develop the skills necessary to succeed in their subjects in later years. These include but are not limited to:
In the areas of motor development, we will work with balls, bean bags, and activity records to move our larger muscles. For the smaller muscles, we will work with playdough, paints, pegs on a pegboard, scissors, nuts and bolts, buttons, tweezers and of course, pencils. Student-Parent Open House A Preschool Parent Orientation meeting will be scheduled in August in the church basement. We know the children will be upset that you get to come to this meeting and they don’t, but this meeting is for adults only, please. During this time, we will introduce my aide and myself, present an overview of the class time, show you the religion texts, give you forms to fill out for the first day of school, distribute paperwork regarding preschool and explain snack schedules, etc. Also, you will have a chance to ask questions and see the room. It will last about 1 ½ hours. Be sure to attend this meeting because the information presented is most important and not all of it is included in the paperwork. Also planned for August is an Open House for students and parents to visit the classroom together. The 3 year olds will have open house one day and the 4 year olds will have their open house on another. At this time, you will be able to help your child find his/her own tubby, listen to a story, meet other people and explore the room. You may bring your child’s supplies at this time. Please plan to stay with your child for the entire time. The whole process will take about 1-1½ hours. Our preschool classes will begin after the parent orientation and the open houses have been held. Classroom Information In the interest of safety, always plan to accompany your child into and out of the building. Please wait in the hallway outside the classroom door for the doors to open. Never leave your child unattended in the hallway or alone in the classroom. The classroom door will be opened early for your convenience, at 8AM and 12PM. (Please do not bring your child into the room any earlier. The last few minutes before class are precious moments for us to prepare for the children.) After class, when we see parents in the hallway, we will release your children a few at a time. This will be the arrival/dismissal policy for the entire year. Snack time is an important part of preschool. It gives the children a chance to practice their table manners and wait their turns, refuel and socialize while “at table”. Again this year we require prepackaged, store-bought snacks. This means we cannot accept homemade food. We ask that you keep our snacks nutritious. Please save the sweet treats (store-bought cookies, cupcakes, etc.) for special events like birthdays and party days. Remember, these are just suggestions for healthy snacks. Check here for a list of snack suggestions. You don’t have to follow this list exactly, just consult it occasionally when you run out of ideas. If your child has food allergies, let us know as soon as possible, so that all of us can be aware of the situation. Also included is a list of supplies needed for our class. These are items that will be stored in our room and used when we have the need. I have enough to get us through the first few days, but please bring these items at the open house or during the first week of school. On the supply list is a back pack. We prefer this to be a bag that can actually be worn by the child so both his/her hands are free. It is most important that your child bring a back pack every class time. Please make sure that it is large enough for an unfolded 9 x 12 inch paper and that your child can open and close the back pack by him/herself. Now is a good time to ask you to mark your child’s name on everything that comes to school. This includes things that are worn to school but that can come off, e.g.: shoes, sweatshirts, sweaters, hats, coats, etc., and the back pack! The classroom rules can be summarized by the following:
1. Walking feet (no running) 2. Helping hands (no hurting) 3. Inside voice & listening ears (no yelling & wait for your turn to talk) 4. Don't leave room until you tell a grownup why you are leaving. 5. WWJD? (Treat others like Jesus would) These rules are pictured for the children on the bulletin board. Written rules can be seen in their entirety above the bulletin board in the classroom. Also, there is a list of positive rewards and consequences. If, after reading all of this information, you still have questions, please feel free to contact Mrs. Johnson at the school (483-8214). She is looking forward to working with you and your children.
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Preschool Picture Gallery
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