Registration Specials In-House Guests Our Pre-School Day Special Events Calendar Important Preschool News! Entrance Requirements 2010-2011 Tuition Information January 21 New Family Registration for 2010-2011 School Year January 26 Veterinarian Visit January 27 Science Day - Parent Volunteers Help January 28 Science Day - Parent Volunteers Help On-going Service Projects Food Pantry December: Condiments such as ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, sauces, gravy January: Soup Foster Care Support Foundation - Accepts gently used children?s clothes and toys for ages newborn to age 18. Accepts infant and toddler car seats, strollers, high chairs, swings. Please call Jo Ann Sella in the preschool office for more details. 770.664.2214. Advent Service Project This year, our preschool's advent service project will focus on collecting toys that will be given to Children's Healthcare at Scottish Rite. The toys will be used to supply the hospital's toy area with much needed toys to help the children pass the time during their hospital stay. Some of the toys will be used as Christmas presents for children who are staying in the hospital on Christmas Day. Please bring your unwrapped gifts to the preschool between now and December 18th and either deposit them into the big gift box at the preschool entrance or give them to your child's teacher who will ensure the gift makes it to the drop box. This is a great opportunity to encourage the spirit of giving within our children. They are naturally generous and love to give. This service project will help provide a reminder to our children about this wonderful season of giving - and truly bring the true meaning of Christmas to life. Thank you for your generosity. Severe Weather School Closing: The preschool will be closed if Fulton County Schools are closed due to severe weather conditions. Please check with your local TV stations for closing updates. Contact Information Pre-School Director................................... Kathy Cicio - 770-664-2214 Pre-School Bookkeeper.................. Cathy O’Sullivan - 770-664-2214 Pre-School Administrative Assistant.... JoAnn Sella - 770-664-2214 E-mail: kcicio@sta.org Mission Statement St. Thomas Aquinas Pre-school embraces children spiritually, emotionally, and socially, nurturing children through plan and socialization in a learning environment and guiding children towards respect and compassion for others in the belief that God made all of us unique and with special gifts. Philosophy St. Thomas Aquinas Pre-school accepts each child at his or her own developmental level providing activities that facilitate growth spiritually, emotionally, socially, physically and cognitively. We believe that children learn through developmentally appropriate practices which offer children the time to learn and practice new skills. We believe that children learn freely and easily when they feel secure and accepted, therefore we strive to provide an environment that is safe, nurturing and stimulating. It is our hope that the pre-school years at St. Thomas Aquinas will encourage a love of learning and an understanding of God’s love for each child. Affirmative Action Statement St. Thomas Aquinas Pre-school accepts children of any race, creed, color, sex, national origin or religion. St. Thomas Aquinas Pre-school is open to all children in the community ages two years through four years old by September 1st. Priority is as follows: Children currently enrolled in the program Siblings of children currently enrolled in the program Families returning to our program who have had a child previously enrolled Parishioners of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church Members of the community Registration 2009-2010 Tuition & Fees Enrollment Instructions Entrance Requirements Bible Buddies Bible Buddies teaches our children about God’s love for us. Our Bible Buddies program utilizes Bible stories, songs and prayers to teach the children about our Catholic faith. These activities are integrated throughout the child’s day in preschool. Bible Buddies Boxes are shared with the classes for a week at a time with special activities and supplies to reinforce the Bible lessons the children are learning. Children will learn: How to make the Sign of the Cross The “Our Father” prayer The “Guardian Angel” prayer Saints Old Testament stories during the Fall months Advent and preparations for Christmas New Testament stories during the months before Lent Lenten Season is taught with special regard for the age of the children. Easter Jesus and Our Blessed Mother, Mary Musical Movement Musical Movement is a fun time held once a week in our large activity room. The children exercise, dance and use their imagination while often matching their movements to music. Activities include the parachute, balance beams, hula hoops, balls or scarves that encourage the children to have fun while developing their gross motor muscles. These are some guests who have visited us in the past. We encourage anyone with a special interest or talent to contact the preschool office to arrange a visit. Some In-House guests present their programs to the whole school and some visit the classroom where they have a child enrolled. Firefighters and a fire truck Policeman and a K-9 officer Music Shows Puppet Shows Nature Shows Dentist Canine Assistants and their handlers Storytellers Weatherman from a local TV station Grandparents Aunts and Uncles Circle Time The children gather as a group with the teacher, usually on the educational rug. The teacher leads the children as they pray, sing songs or do fingerplays, discuss the calendar and the weather, or read a story. Center Time Center Time is a favorite activity with our pre-schoolers. Each center reinforces skills and concepts the children are learning throughout the year. Every child has an opportunity to participate in each center. Small Group Time The teacher and the assistant teacher work with small groups of children on a skill or concept. This can include playing a game, making a craft, talking about a topic, or working with crayons, markers and paint. Art Messy art activities occur most days in our pre-school. Although the children wear a smock while painting, sometimes paint will get on clothing. We purchase only washable paints and recommend you pre-treat the stain as soon as the child gets home. Handwriting The Fulton County Schools in our area have asked the pre-schools to use the Zaner-Bloser method of handwriting. We will teach our Three’s the correct way to make handwriting strokes using paint, markers, shaving cream or pudding. Pre-K children will learn to write their first and last names using an uppercase letter followed by lowercase letters. Children will be encourage to write letters, but we will not do handwriting drills on worksheets. Literacy Our pre-school staff has been trained in the five areas of literacy development (phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, comprehension and fluency) by Brenda Fitzgerald, Executive Director of the Georgia Educational Training Agency. Literacy development is woven throughout your pre-schooler’s day as we develop the skills they need for reading. Mathematics Your pre-schooler will use mathematics throughout the day as they learn concepts of one-to-one correspondence, more-less-equal to, measurement, quantity, numberal recognition and number-set relationships. Mathematic concepts are integrated into the activities your child will participate in during the day. Social Studies Pre-school children learn about themselves, their families and their community. Dramatic play is often a favorite activity using clothing and props for a grocery store, doctor’s office, post office, shoe store, fire station, chef’s kitchen and many others. Science Science activities and experiments are amazing when viewed through the eyes of a pre-schooler. Your child will learn that air can move objects, that living plants need soil, water, and air and many other science concepts. The Discovery Area in a classroom will encourage your child to ask questions. Miss Joy brings the necessary equipment for each child to perform his/her own observations and till guide the children through their explorations in a variety of topics. Teachers or assistant teachers are present to assist in the learning experience. Show and Tell We encourage your child to bring items to share in the classroom during Show and Tell. The teachers will notify you when it is your child’s day to share. Computers Pre-K children will work on computer programs that supplement the curriculum. They usually work in groups of two or three. Playground This is usually the children’s most anticipated time of the day. Children will play on the playground every day, weather permitting. Our curriculum is a blend of purchased materials and teacher-made activities. Our teachers draw from many resources to provide the learning opportunities your child will experience. Each age level has goals and objectives to accomplish which are presented in a developmentally appropriate manner. Each classroom is well-stocked with manipulatives and art supplies. Library books from our resource room are circulated each month. Our resource room also provides literacy books for phonemic awareness and phonics, theme-specific materials, and additional art supplies. Pictures Individual pictures are taken in the Fall and Spring. Proofs are sent home in your child’s communication folder for you to purchase picture packages. Class pictures are taken in the Spring. Art in the Park Art in the Park is usually held at the end of September. Art stations are set up outside and the children go from station to station with their teachers. Parent volunteers are needed to help with the activities at each art station. Dad & Me Night Dad and Me Night is held in October. The children decorate a tie during preschool classes for Dad to wear for his special night. The children and dad participate in a special activity together and enjoy a snack. Halloween Children wear their Halloween costumes to school (and leave any swords, guns, and magic wands at home). The children will parade through the halls for the enjoyment of the parish staff and the other children. Thanksgiving Luncheon The Thanksgiving Luncheon is held just before Thanksgiving break in the Parish Hall. A community prepared luncheon, just as the Pilgrims and Indians did, is our theme for the luncheon. We emphasize the sharing part of Thanksgiving by asking each class to contribute something to the meal. Think non-traditional, very kid-friendly food! Cheese, turkey, and ham cubes, cut-up grapes and apples, carrots and ranch dressing, crackers and juice are served for our preschool Thanksgiving meal. We have found the children actually eat lunch when it is familiar food instead of the unfamiliar traditional meal. St. Nicholas’ Day – December 6 Sometime during the morning, St. Nicholas leaves a treat in our shoes! Christmas Program This is a special program for our pre-school families. After several weeks of practice, our children sing holiday songs for our guests. The children are released to their families immediately following the program. Refreshments are offered in the Gathering Area. Science Day Science Day is held for the 3’s and Pre-K classes in January. Each teacher presents a science activity (volcanoes, snails, air flow, magnets, etc.) for the children. The teachers remain in the classroom while two parent volunteers take the children from class to class. When the children return to their classroom, the teacher holds a circle time to discuss what they experienced. Tea for Moms Tea for Moms is held in February around Valentine’s Day. The children make a gift and a card for Mom. The classroom is decorated by the children and the tables set for the tea. This is a very special day for the children and their mothers. Dr. Seuss' Birthday – March 2nd Some of our favorite stories are by Dr. Seuss! Children may bring their favorite Dr. Seuss book to share with the class. St. Patrick’s Day Green is the color and leprechauns make a mess! Easter Egg Hunt Each child brings a dozen plastic eggs filled individually wrapped candy. Parent volunteers hide the eggs and each child finds a dozen eggs to take home. Field Day Field Day is held in late April. Activities are set up near the playground, in the grassy areas and in the upper parking lot. The games and activities are run by parent volunteers. A water station is available throughout the event. Cinco de Mayo – May 5 Festive is the theme and cheese quesadillas are prepared for the children and staff. Colorful hats and shawls adorn many of the staff members. Pre-K Blessing Ceremony This special ceremony acknowledges the growth our children have made as they finish their Pre-K year. The children will perform a song for your enjoyment. They will receive a special blessing certificate from their teachers and one of our priests will offer a blessing for them as they go forth to their next year of schooling. Last Day of Pre-school Spring Programs and Parties are held on the last day of school. The party will begin in your child’s classroom following our musical program. All parents are invited to join us.