4+ Program Available:
For children with birthdays
Near the kindergarten cutoff
5 sessions per week a.m. & p.m.
Stay and Play
A Supervised Play Situation
Available to children enrolled in the school who have reached their third
birthday and who are toilet trained. These sessions give children another
opportunity to interact with other children, while also providing parents
additional time at a reasonable per-use cost.
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For additional information,
Please contact our Director:
Rosemary Lombard
(908) 233-5417
St. Paul's full-day kindergarten is in session from 9:00 am to 2:55 p.m. A
significant benefit of the program is our limit of 16 students per class. This
small class size facilitates individual growth and enhanced self-esteem. There
are currently two kindergarten classrooms in operation.
The full-day kindergarten curriculum is based on whole language, the phonics
Reading Reflex, the Math-Their-Way and The Chicago Math programs. There is also
a strong science and social studies component as well as special teachers for
Spanish, music and movement.
Children are instructed in an individual as well as a group basis. Each child is
enriched and encouraged according to his/her own particular development by very
experienced and accomplished teachers.
Students are taken on field trips which are woven into the curriculum and also
visited in class by topic "experts", which often include interested
parents.
St. Paul's full-day kindergarten is approved by the Westfield Public Schools and
our students have been accepted and well-prepared for various private and public
elementary schools in the district.
Why select a full day kindergarten?
Today most children entering kindergarten have had at least two years of
pre-school experience. They have already acquired the cognitive skills and
socialization experiences to prepare them for a full day program.
At St. Paul's Day School, we have developed a full kindergarten program that
expands upon the subject matter found in public school programs. The full day
setting enables each child to achieve greater continuity and depth of subject
matter in an enriched, learning environment.
We offer well-equipped classrooms and a low student-teacher ratio. We supplement
the core program with field trips, art, music, Spanish and movement programs. We
encourage the concept of parents as "Partners in Education" and
welcome your participation.
Our teachers assess each child's ability and uniquely adapt the program to their
learning style. Our mission is to insure each child has a positive learning
experience which strengthens self esteem.
Social Studies
Our curriculum centers on the child and family, national and cultural holidays,
the calendar, Native Americans, history - then and now, community helpers and
countries of interest. Appreciation of people and cultures is encouraged. Maps,
globes, child-made passports and imaginary trips enable kindergartners to plan
and experience exciting explorations. Our field trips include an annual visit to
a pumpkin farm, pet shop, planetarium and other interesting places.
Lunch
Kindergartners eat lunch between 11:30am and 12:30pm in their own classroom,
supervised by a classroom assistant. The children generally eat during the first
part of the hour and then play outside or in the Parish Hall with the other
kindergarten classes. Kindergartners also have a light morning and afternoon
snack, which is provided by the school. There is a rest time each afternoon.
Report Cards and Conferences
Conferences between parents and teachers are scheduled in the fall and spring,
and frequent communication occurs throughout the year as parents and teachers
work with one another to provide each kindergartner with the best education
possible. Child-friendly report cards are sent home in February and June.
Reading
St. Paul's Day School uses a phonics-based program, Reading Reflex, to teach
letter sounds and letter combination sounds. These are the building blocks of
our reading program. We also use a whole language approach to reading based upon
the Macmillan and the Wright Group programs and a variety of developmentally
appropriate reading materials to encourage individual reading. Our third way of
teaching reading is through writing. Each child keeps a daily journal which
starts in September with a one letter entry and ends in June with complete
sentences. Children are encouraged to use inventive spelling in order to learn
phonics. Kindergartners are read to on a daily basis, have access to a classroom
library, and we use the Westfield Public Library as our lending-library.
"Kindergarten Readers" visit the preschool and read to the younger
children, which is a particularly happy experience for both groups of children.
Gym Movement Class
Betty Ann Acito is our gym movement teacher. She visits kindergartners on a
weekly baisis and teaches dance movements, skipping, tumbling and additional
skills that enable children to develop large-muscle coordination. The extra
large parachute is loved by all kindergartners.
Spanish
Jean Henehan is our Spanish teacher and she uses i Viva El Espanol! the complete
Spanish language development program. The children learn Spanish through songs,
puppets, and pictures. Young children are fascinated by learning to listen and
speak in another language.
Art
We encourage an appreciation of art and artistic expression through a variety of
materials. We respect individuality in children's art work. Our Young Artist
Series by Amy Driscoll helps children get to know the world's greatest artists.
Our kindergartners learn about the artist, the tools and materials he used to
create his art and then will use the same tools and materials to create their
own works of art. Our Parents and Painters program develops kindergartners'
appreciation of art by parents visiting the classroom to share knowledge of
their favorite artists.
Music
Carolyn Klinger-Keuter is our music teacher and she teaches kindergartners using
the Kindermusic™ method. Mrs. Kueter and the kindergarten teachers work
together to teach the children songs that are related to particular subject
areas and that are developmentally appropriate to this age group. Parents,
teachers, and pre-school children look forward to the Kindergarten's Christmas
Sing-along in December, which is always an especially exciting event.
Mathematics
We use the Math Their Way program. It is a manipulative, "hands-on"
approach to learning. Children participate in sorting, graphing, estimating and
patterning activities. They learn to tell time to the hour and half-hour, learn
place value, counting to 100 by 1's, 5's, and 10's, and addition and subtraction
facts to ten. They also learn to count, add and subtract using money. Math Their
Way is currently used in the Westfield Public Schools making the transition to
first grade easy.
Math, Measurement, Cooking
Children cook and experiment frequently through our unique "Math and
Measurement" program, which develops concrete learning of mathematical
concepts such as fractions, while almost always providing a tasty treat at the
end of the project.
Science
Here at St. Paul's our kindergartners are introduced to the Scientific Method in
a child-friendly manner. Children classify, observe, experiment, and predict
outcomes using classroom materials and the great outdoors as a laboratory.
Nutrition, the senses, the solar system, animals and plants, ecology and weather
are other areas that kindergartners like to investigate.
Full-Day Kindergarten Available:
5 sessions per week
9:00 a.m. to 2:55 p.m.
For registration information contact the office of
The Day School 233-5417
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