Download Preschool - St. Michael South Shore

June 2016
Dear Preschool Families,
We are very excited to have your child in the preschool classroom! The assistant teacher,
and I work very hard to create a learning environment that is faith-filled, safe, encouraging, and,
above all, highly academic. On any given day students can observe problem solving with their
peers, working in small groups, learning in whole group activities, and learning through their play.
We provide a linguistically rich environment for our students full of books, environmental
print, and verbal language. Because we are a multi-age classroom, we will have a mixture of
students ranging from 3 to 4. This age range helps encourage language development
especially with our younger 3s. Our preschool classroom offers students ample opportunities to
develop their phonemic awareness. We incorporate Heggerty Phonics, a program, which
teaches rhyming, segmenting, initial sounds, and ending sounds in order to develop
kindergarten readiness in language arts.
Our students will also have the opportunity to experience Everyday Math; a curriculum
allows students to gain valuable mathematical concepts, such as number sense, measurement,
one-to-one correspondence, number identification, and patterning skills. Students will have a
chance to experience these concepts in a variety of hands on developmentally appropriate
ways.
In addition to literacy and mathematics, students have daily opportunities to develop
social and emotional skills, fine and gross motor skills, as well as artistic, musical, and movement
abilities. Because of our participation in the PNC Early Science Initiative, our students and their
families have ample opportunities to learn about the natural world and science principles
through hands-on activities in the classroom, around the school, and throughout the city.
We look forward to welcoming you and your students into the new academic year.
Gaining a partnership with our families is very important to us. Please note that all family
volunteers must complete a virtual training, an online background screening, a CANTS form, and
a Code of Conduct form. Please see the office for more information about volunteering.
We also look forward to having a magnificent school year!
Kindly,
Preschool Teacher