Where Faith and Learning Begins!
SKPS preschool program provides an excellent preparation for kindergarten within a caring Catholic environment. We encourage each child to grow in an awareness of self and others through the love of God.

Our preschool program assists in developing the total person creatively, spiritually, socially, emotionally, mentally, physically and intellectually. It promotes the development of the whole child.

Joy in the learning process is encouraged by a developmentally appropriate curriculum. The curriculum includes religion, reading readiness, mathematics, science, social studies, Spanish and physical activities. Special attention is given to social development through cooperative play. Music is an important part of our program as well as presenting musical programs and plays to parents and families during the year.

The primary purpose of this preschool is to provide guidance, an enriching environment and varied experiences which will help the child to know his or her full potential and attain it. Through self understanding and self appreciation, we seek to enable the child to make a successful home school transition. Our goal is to assist children in learning how to relate to each other, become familiar with a group setting, and develop the following: interest in learning, security and self satisfaction, self expression, self control, creativity and responsibility. We have an ongoing curriculum which enables us to give more to each student and allow them to discover their own capabilities and beyond.

Please select from the following for further information:

 

Program Times, Dates and Registration Requirements
SKPS offers 4 Year Old Preschool classes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in 2.5 hour intervals. Students enrolling in preschool must be 4years old and potty trained by September 1 of the year in which they start.

Our morning sessions run from 8:45am - 11:15am and the afternoon sessions follow from 12:15pm - 2:45pm. Classes run from September through May each year. Click here for admissions and registration information.

Four Year Old Preschool Curriculum
 Our preschool program provides a full ongoing curriculum that nurtures young minds while keeping the spirit free/

  • Religion
    Religion is an important aspect of our program and it permeates all of the student’s daily activities.  Each student will be provided with opportunities to discover the wonder of God’s creation, living and non-living, and to see all of creation as a gift from a loving God.  Children will experience God’s love through prayer, liturgy and Bible stories in class.  Four year old a.m. preschool students begin to attend Mass in January.

  • Practical Skills
    Learning how to interact in a setting outside of the home is one of the major tasks at hand for this age group.  Areas of focus include: respecting one another, following directions, listening attentively, playing well with others, learning to share, proper hygiene, using appropriate language, taking care of materials and property, obeying school and safety rules, and using art materials correctly.

  • Language Arts
    Through speaking, listening, reading and writing, the students will learn the communication skills to encourage and achieve a lifelong love of learning.  Throughout the year, students will participate as speakers and listeners in group activities.  They will practice language development and master the alphabet, both in recognition of upper and lower case letters and sequencing.  Letter-sound correspondence will be explored, as well as identifying simple vocabulary words, right to left progression, top to bottom progression, and sequencing.  Creative thinking will be enhanced, and literature fundamentals (prediction, story details, basic ideas of a story, identifying characters, fact verse fiction, etc.) will be taught.

  • Art
    The art program is designed to build self confidence, enhance creativity and develop fine motor skills.  Each student will experience different media of art forms including drawing, painting, crafts, and sculpting.  Art will be incorporated into the monthly and seasonal themes, and all students will observe and experiment with simple techniques throughout the year.

  • Mathematics
    Mathematics at this level is based on inquiry, exploration and discovery of the child’s environment leading to future development of abstract thought.  Using the Sadlier-Oxford Series, the following will be introduced: position and classification, comparison and patterns, number readiness and graphing, tallying, numbers 0-30 (and beyond), and concepts such as fewer, more and equalizing sets.  Addition and subtraction readiness will be explored, as well as fractions, geometry, measurements, graphing and simple charts, identifying shapes, printing numbers correctly, and calendar activities.

  • Spanish
    Students will learn Spanish words and phrases needed to enhance conversational skills.  Some of the topics to be covered are greetings and introductions, feelings, numbers, parts of the face and other body parts, colors, clothing, animals and family.

  • Science
    Natural sciences enable children to understand themselves, others, the world in which they live, and their Creator.  Discovery is a fascinating experience for children.  Throughout the year, the students will examine daily weather conditions and predict changes, review how the earth has changed through time, and compare seasonal changes.  A study will take place of the Rain Forest, examine planting material and the growth of plants, seeds, bulbs, and cuttings, as well as compare the habitats and food of animals.  The students will discuss the color changes observed in leaves, experiment with magnifying glasses, and measure with scales and balances.  Although each of these topics is included in the three year old preschool curriculum, they will each be expanded upon and discussed in more detail in the Pre-K program.

  • Music
    The music program is designed to instill and promote the joy and appreciation of music, as well as feelings of joy and love of God.  Songs will be introduced with our monthly and seasonal themes.  The program allows the students to establish good listening skills and encourages freedom, skill, and meaning in moving rhythmically.  In addition, the curriculum stimulates participation in musical activities, moving to a beat, and learning to sing a response to what the teacher sings.  The children will learn to differentiate between high and low notes, soft and loud notes, and between vocal and instrumental sounds.  Finger plays will be taught, and sign language, gestures, movements, and dance will be used in conjunction with prayers and songs presented in religion class.

  • Social Studies
    The curriculum for Social Studies for this age group will focus on introducing the students to the people and customs of the community, country and world around them.  Some of the topics to be discussed include recognizing the importance of self and others, appreciating one’s own family and other families, respecting the ideas of others, learning about different occupations, and recognizing the importance of maps and globes.  In addition, feelings of patriotism will be promoted, as well as respecting our American heritage and that of other cultures.  The students will recite the Pledge of Allegiance, celebrate holidays throughout the year with their historical origin, and show an awareness of people in local government, our communities, and our school.

SKPS Preschool Faculty
Our preschool teachers are accredited teachers with experience in early childhood learning. SKPS has a teacher and an adult teacher's aide in each classroom at an average ratio of seven children per one adult (7:1).

Parent Involvement
Parents are an important part of our preschool program. We are proud that you have chosen to entrust your children to our program. You, as parents, can help tremendously by discussing the preschool with your child. Ask about his or her classmates and teachers as well as the activities of the day. Parents are also important to the teachers and we would like to encourage you to participate on the following committees as your schedule permits:

  • Party Committee
    This committee plans and directs all games, decorations and food for parties. The teacher will remain with the children during parties and work with the parents.
  • Parent Help Committee
    Parent helpers work in the classroom assisting with special art projects, cooking projects and other specific activities. You will be contacted in advance when help is needed.
    Project Committee
    Parents help cut out patterns for monthly projects. Patterns will be given to parents in advance in order to have the project ready for the date needed. This assistance can be done at home.
  • Community Involvement
    We hope to introduce your child to many of the careers and talents present in our communities. This will be accomplished in part by classroom visits. If you would like to share a talent or career with your child’s class please let us know.

Snacks and Birthday Treats
There will be a midmorning and mid afternoon snack during the school day. Parents
are asked to provide nutritional snacks and juice. You will be asked to provide snacks
about every six to eight weeks. Our classrooms are Nut Restricted as we have students in almost every classroom who are allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. Therefore, snacks for preschool are nut restricted and should chosen from the Approved "Nut-Checked" Snack List.

Snack time is a time for goodies and fellowship. We thank God for food and the
opportunity to be together before eating. This is a happy time for your child as he/she
serves the other children. You will receive a sheet with your assigned day for bringing
snacks.

Parents may also send a token in for their child’s birthday. Please inform the teacher in advance so that we are able to plan this on the snack calendar distributed to parents. Stickers, pencils, book markers, etc. may be ideas for tokens. Summer birthdays will be celebrated at the end of the school year with all preschool children and parents at an end of the year picnic.

Please refer to our Allergy and Snack policy for further information.

Clothing
SKPS preschool students are not required to wear a uniform. Since the weather is usually warm at the beginning and end of the school year, shorts may be worn. We ask that families please label coats, hats, sweaters, boots, and mittens. This makes it easier to dress the children for dismissal time. Also, please send mittens instead of gloves (it can be difficult getting all those little fingers into the right place at the end of the day).

Children should wear comfortable clothing suitable for normal play. Many days may
include paint and paste activities (which can get a bit messy), so we ask that you send in an old shirt (with your child’s name on it) to be worn for these activities. Tennis shoes are good for running, climbing and play activities of all kinds. Dress shoes tend to be slippery and may cause accidents. No flip flops. We also ask for a change of clothes to remain at school. If your child spills juice, paint or has a bathroom related mishap this will make the day more comfortable.