Preschool 2-4 Curriculum

Our Preschool 2 program allows students to explore and discover the joy of being in school while learning important social and self-help skills in a loving and nurturing environment. PS2 students do not have to be toilet trained and are not required to wear a uniform.

• A program designed specifically for children 18-36 months, Frog Street Toddler is built around the cornerstones of early brain development research, learning domains (language, cognitive, social/emotional, physical), and intentionality. The theme-based collection of activities helps strengthen the wiring happening in the brain through exploration, repetition, and engagement.
   
• Introduction to the Zoo-phonics program to teach phonemic awareness (the sounds associated with letters). This program reinforces letter sounds, letter recognition, reading and spelling through fun animal characters and their corresponding kinesthetic movements. Zoo-phonics utilizes the “hierarchy of learning” which follows this progression: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Capital and lowercase letters are introduced together so that children can begin to form associations between the two.
   
• Developmentally-appropriate fine and gross motor activities, including special art projects based on our units of study
   
• Vocabulary development is enhanced by our small student-to-teacher ratio and language-rich environment.
   
• Math activities are designed to encourage number sense, including the skills of sorting, grouping, and forming simple patterns.
   
• School and home partnership with toilet training
   
• Respect for others and the development of empathy is modeled and encouraged.
   
• 1-2 daily enrichment classes and outdoor/free play time

Preschool 3 students engage in thematic units that are designed to promote creativity and cooperation. Beginning in PS3, students wear school uniforms and must be toilet trained.

• Early literacy is promoted by the use of Zoo-phonics program, including vocabulary expansion and articulation, based on phonemic awareness (sounds associated with letters). This program reinforces letter sounds, letter recognition, reading and spelling through fun animal characters and their corresponding kinesthetic movements. Zoo-phonics utilizes the “hierarchy of learning” which follows this progression: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Capital and lowercase letters are introduced together so that children can begin to form associations between the two.
   
• Math revolves primarily around the development of number sense, or the intuition about numbers and their relationships. Our contextualized, theme-based math activities utilize manipulatives to assist with understanding one-to-one correspondence, number recognition, and advanced pattern-making.
   
• Students are exposed to stroke and letter formation and work with appropriate pencil grip with Handwriting Without Tears’ multi-modal approach. This award-winning program was designed by occupational therapist Jan Olsen and draws from her experiences working with children and the frustration they often felt with traditional handwriting programs. “Children play, build, sing, color, write, and learn” as they develop fine and gross motor control and color, shape, letter, and number recognition. 
   
• PS3 emphasizes the importance of play in numerous developmentally-appropriate settings, such as tactile and sensory exploration, fine and gross motor activities, and dramatic play, through which students enjoy opportunities to take initiative, make friends, and experience a sense of belonging.
   
• 1-2 daily enrichment classes and outdoor/free play time

The Preschool 4 program moves to predominantly letter-themed weeks and is designed to prepare students for kindergarten utilizing a variety of student-driven and teacher-led instructional strategies.

• Continuation of Zoo-phonics program, highlighting capital and lowercase sounds and letters and culminating in reading and understanding word families (hat, cat, mat, etc.). This program reinforces letter sounds, letter recognition, reading and spelling through fun animal characters and their corresponding kinesthetic movements. Zoo-phonics utilizes the “hierarchy of learning” which follows this progression: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
   
• Addition of the language arts program, Happily Ever After. Utilizing classic stories from children’s literature, Happily Ever After focuses on development in the areas of oral language and vocabulary, listening and discernment, direction following, and fine motor skills. The program is designed to accompany the Superkids reading and language arts curriculum our students use in kindergarten through second grade.
   
• Contextualized math activities using manipulatives and highlighting number sense, estimation, graphing, measurement, conceptual area and perimeter, and basic number operations
   
• Continuation of Handwriting Without Tears to include more intensive work on proper pencil grip and the formation of capital and lowercase letters, numerals, and shapes. This award-winning program was designed by occupational therapist Jan Olsen and draws from her experiences working with children and the frustration they often felt with traditional handwriting programs. “Children play, build, sing, color, write, and learn” as they develop fine and gross motor control and color, shape, letter, and number recognition. 
   
• Continued work on developing empathy and appropriate social skills
   
• 1-2 daily enrichment classes and outdoor/free play time

Masterpiece of the Month

Through a combination of product and process art, PS3 and PS4 students experience the work of great artists in a whole new way. In addition to learning basic art concepts, design elements, and skills, students try their hand at creating pieces in the style of featured artists. At the end of the year, students have completed a portfolio of their masterpieces for all to enjoy.

Godly Play

The Godly Play program invites Preschool students to discover God, themselves, and one another through our sacred stories. Based on Jerome Berryman’s work in the Montessori tradition, Godly Play uses a careful telling of scripture stories, engaging story figures, and activities to encourage children to seek and find answers to their faith questions. Godly Play respects the innate spirituality of children and encourages curiosity and imagination in experiencing the mystery and joy of God.

Joyful Noise: Music and Creative Movement

The curriculum for Joyful Noise introduces Preschool students to diverse styles of music, both sacred and secular, including religious hymns, seasonal songs, and nursery rhymes. Fundamental music concepts are presented, and students enjoy experimenting with items such as musical instruments, scarves, and the parachute. This program teaches students to combine fine and gross motor coordination and promotes positive social interaction and communication skills while building self-esteem. Students gain a variety of musical skills including singing, playing instruments, and purposeful movement through the joy of music.

Rise and Shine

Based on the SPARK physical education program, this class is designed to enhance gross motor skills and improve overall body and spatial awareness, as well as to facilitate balance, eye-hand coordination, and sensory integration. This class incorporates a variety of fun movement activities such as aerobics, dance, yoga, stretching, calisthenics, tumbling, and sports. Students are able to shake their wiggles out in a fun, constructive environment while gaining confidence and creating positive associations with exercise and fitness.

Curious Kids

Curious Kids is a science enrichment class combining a STEAM approach along with traditional methods where children learn basic scientific concepts in a fun, age-appropriate environment. Through units such as magnets, weather, gravity, plants, and more, children develop skills such as observing, measuring, predicting, classifying, and communicating. This class captivates and stimulates the minds of our young students, bringing out the natural scientist that lies within and encouraging a lifetime love for the field of scientific knowledge.

Preschool students begin an awareness of the Spanish language through traditional Spanish songs, rhymes, and games. They learn colors, counting, animals, parts of the body, and simple Spanish phrases. Students are immersed in “dialogue-rich” learning activities that provide a basis for this beautiful language as they matriculate.

During story time, children's imagination and creativity are sparked by their exposure to a variety of literature selections. Students experience engaging lessons involving picture books, read-alouds, nonfiction books, fairy tales, movement activities, and much more. Interactive lessons also teach students appropriate book handling, the parts of books, print concepts, and letters.

Our Preschool students are introduced to Bible stories through music, prayer, storytelling, and drama during weekly chapel services. The values of caring, sharing, and loving are taught in a Christ-like environment with the goal of helping our children view themselves as unique and special creations of God. Chapel is held every Wednesday morning in the Preschool Chapel, and families are welcome and encouraged to attend.

• Lower and Middle School student interactions such as the guest readers
• Halloween Happening
• Thanksgiving Feast
• Santa Claus Visit
• Preschool Christmas Sing & Nativity Play
• Bedtime Stories & Snacks
• Easter Egg Hunt
• Spring Sing
• Olympic-themed and specialty-themed field days
• Special themed dress days
• Grade specific events such as Bye-Bye Beach Day (PS3), Pumpkin Patch & Scarecrow Day (PS3), 50th Day of School Celebration (PS4), and more