PRE-KINDERGARTEN
HANDBOOK
ST. JOHN LUTHERAN SCHOOL
655 WAYNE AVENUE
DEFIANCE, OHIO 43512
Phone: 419-782-1751
419-782-6166
Revised: January 2008
WELCOME TO
ST. JOHN LUTHERAN PRE-KINDERGARTEN!
Your decision to send your child to our school reflects your concern as a parent to place your child in an environment reflecting Christian values and developmentally appropriate instruction. We will strive to make your child’s involvement with our program a happy and worthwhile experience.
Our philosophy at St. John Lutheran School is that a Christian home has the first responsibility and gives the child his or her first training and Christian instruction. The Christian School can strengthen and support the parents in their effort. The school can play an important role in a child’s early Christian development.
We believe that a Christian School can benefit the young child with these goals:
Promoting development through work and play in a Christian environment with the guidance of a Christian teacher.
Helping the child develop relationships with other children and assisting in the development of good personal habits.
Broadening the child’s interests and experience.
Helping to broaden creative abilities.
Assisting in gradual adjustment from home to school life.
Helping a child learn how to cope with life at his own level of maturity.
Aiding in understanding life situations in terms of God’s Word and will.
CURRICULUM OBJECTIVES OF THE PRE- KINDERGARTEN
(5 Year-Old Class)
To broaden the child’s growth experiences (spiritual, social-emotional, mental, and physical) in an environment which encourages the child to develop his capabilities.
SECONDARY OBJECTIVES
I. SPIRITUAL
To acquaint the child with Jesus and His love for him.
To learn that Jesus loves his classmates, teacher, and others.
To respond to Jesus’ love by loving and understanding others.
To learn that Jesus is alive and working and within reach of the child.
To understand and use simple prayers in “talking with Jesus”.
To become aware of ways of worshiping as a child.
To learn to work by himself while enjoying the presence of others.
To share, wait for turns, consider other people, ask permission.
To listen to others and speak in turn.
To ask with a “please” and receive with a “thank you”.
To care for clothing and other simple belongings.
To button, to zip, tie shoes, etc. at the child’s own level of maturity.
Invite others to play, be able to offer and accept help, to show sympathy.
To be friendly - to greet the teacher and other children.
To walk quietly in the halls, obey all safety rules, file out and back in an orderly manner during fire and disaster drills.
To feel success, self-worth, and self-esteem.
To have some responsibility.
To have pride in his church, his family, and his community.
To participate in a noncompetitive learning situation.
III. MENTAL
A. LANGUAGE ARTS
To learn to listen and communicate through oral language at snack time, play time, and group activities.
To learn left-to-right progression.
To learn to recognize the alphabet.
To be introduced to the sounds of letters.
To be introduced to simple words.
B. FINE ARTS
To practice and develop skill in eye-hand coordination, eye-whole body coordination.
To learn fine motor control, especially use of scissors, glue, chalk, paintbrush, crayons, & markers.
To develop creativity.
To enjoy poems and songs by participating in music and Fingerplay activities.
C. MATH-SCIENCE-SOCIAL STUDIES
To understand the value of the number concepts 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10.
To understand one-to one correspondence.
To recognize numerals 1-100.
To understand terms such as large-small, more-less, and big -little.
To identify shapes - triangle, square, circle, rectangle, etc. and pronounce the terms.
To become aware of the life of plants and animals and to know these are gifts from God.
To be aware of seasons and weather.
To be aware of people and services in the community.
To become aware of his/her senses
To learn to listen carefully and carry out instructions.
To develop the large muscles of his/her body through daily motor activity.
To develop the use of small muscles of his/her body through crafts and activities.
To be aware of his/her body in relation to space and its parts.
To become aware of top and bottom, under and over, around and through, and be able to move his/her body through these positions.
To attain and practice the skills of walking on a straight line (heel-toe), running, stopping, jumping, hopping, skipping, and galloping.
To enjoy his/her physical capabilities alone and within a group.
We strive to interweave many aspects of Christian education and age-appropriate developmental learning experiences. We use a developmental approach to learning in our classroom. Each day we offer appropriate play experiences using learning centers and small group activities that provide opportunities for: creative art, dramatic play, puzzles, games, manipulatives, hands-on science & discovery, outdoor play, math, language arts, personal discipline, social development and emotional well-being, health & safety.
We aim to provide experiences for our children to understand the love and joy of the Christian faith, with stories, songs, and other age-appropriate activities. Our children say grace before snacks and experience facets of Christian curriculum in many classroom activities each day. Jesus is definitely a part of our day.
Our learning center activities and group work revolves around a central theme which changes every week or two weeks. Some will be new topics for your child and some will be familiar. Plans will always vary - arousing the children’s curiosity and keeping their interest is our goal. Within this framework, using learning centers and interesting activities, we can offer a flexible, unique experience for your child each day. How a child learns is as important as what he learns, and “play” is how this learning takes place. A child learns by doing.
ABSENCE
If your child is sick or will not be attending school, please notify the school office (419-782-1751). You must send a written excuse, immediately after an absence, giving the date and reason for absence.
For the sake of your child’s health and also for other children’s health, a child should be kept home if he shows such symptoms as: restlessness at night, common cold, fever, earache, vomiting, diarrhea, sore throat, pain, chills, headache, sneezing, running nose, skin rash, enlarged glands, or reddened eyes.
ACCIDENTS
Immediate first aid treatment is given in case of an accident at school. Internal medicines are never given. Parents are notified if an accident occurs.
DEFIANCE COUNTY RESIDENCE
Pre-Kindergarten children who reside in Defiance County may use the public school bus system which
delivers and returns them to school and home. If for any reason bus service is not available, you will be notified through the school newsletter or personal contact.
DEFIANCE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Bus service for Kindergarten age children who live inside the city limits is available through the Defiance City school buses. The following conditions apply.
TIME OF DAY: City school buses are available to bring the children home from school at 3:30 (see the residence requirement).
RESIDENCE REQUIREMENT: The child’s HOME ADDRESS must be at least a mile from the child’s school to qualify for bus service. The home address is the one used to determine eligibility for the bus service even if the child is transported to or from another address such as baby sitter or grandparent.
Bus routes are determined shortly before school begins. The school office must be notified that your child will be riding the bus so that he/she will be added to the route.
CALENDAR & NEWSLETTER
A calendar will be sent home at the beginning of the school year listing many scheduled events, holidays, etc. An updated monthly calendar will also be sent home the last full week of each month, attached to the newsletter. We try to maintain a schedule very similar to the public schools’ so the bus service is in accord. Each Friday a school office newsletter is sent home with each child. This gives current news and events and lists early dismissals and other pertinent information. A written notice will be sent home for special events when necessary. A classroom letter is sent home each week also from the Pre-Kindergarten teacher.
CLOTHING
Clothing is more easily managed if it is simple and washable, labeled with your child’s name (boots, coat, etc.), provided with large loops for hanging, equipped with pockets, and roomy enough to be put on and taken off easily. Please label your child’s paint shirt with his/her name.
FEES
There is a Book and Supply Fee of $75.00 per year per child. This pays for materials purchased for use in the curriculum program.
For children whose parents are nonmembers of our church, there is a Pre-Kindergarten tuition charge of $1,069.00 per school year. For member families with only one child in Pre-Kindergarten, there is a family fee of $492.00. Tuition or family fee is payable by the month. If you choose that option you will receive a monthly invoice from the school payable by the 10th of the month. After the 10th of the month a $10.00 late fee is added. Please see the principal for other special arrangements you might need.
FIELD TRIPS
Field trips may be taken during the year. Permission slips must be signed for these trips. Parents may be asked to help with transportation or supervision. Parents who help with transportation will be required to provide a copy of a valid driver’s license and current insurance card.
MONEY
All money sent to school should be placed in a sealed envelope marked with the amount, the child’s name, the teacher’s name, the grade, the school, and the purpose for which it is to be used.
PARENT-TEACHER LEAGUE
We have a Parent-Teacher League which meets regularly during the school year. We encourage each family to participate.
SCHOOL HOURS
The afternoon Pre-Kindergarten class runs from 12:45 until 3:30 P.M. Coming to school every day, on time, is important for your child’s steady school progress. If children unnecessarily miss important experiences, they
may become discouraged and fall behind their classmates.
EARLY DISMISSAL/DELAYED STARTS/ CLOSINGS
Scheduled early dismissals, delayed starts, or school closings will be communicated to parents/students well in advance of such dates. These dates may be listed on the school calendar or published in the weekly newsletter.
INCLEMENT WEATHER
In case of school cancellation or delay due to bad weather, announcement will be made over local radio stations. A listing of those stations will be published in a weekly newsletter early in the school year. Because buses must go out on routes at an early hour, the decision to delay or cancel will normally be made by 7:00 AM.
2-Hour Delay Schedule
Pre-Kindergarten will run from 1:00 until 3:30 P.M. on a two-hour delay day.
SAFETY
Your child should leave at home any articles that might cause accidents: play guns, knives, etc. If local hazards exist which are dangerous to children, parents should inform the principal.
APPLICATION
A child must be five years of age on or before September 30, 2008 to be eligible for Pre-Kindergarten.
Children whose birthdays fall between October 1, 2008 - December 3, 2008 may be eligible based on an interview with the principal.
Return the Application Form along with a copy of your child’s official birth certificate (obtained from the health department) and the application fee.
The Nonrefundable Application Fee for the Pre-Kindergarten Classes is $75.00. The Nonrefundable Application Fee must accompany the Registration Form. If received by March 20, this fee will be applied to the yearly tuition.
HEALTH/PHYSICAL
The State laws require all pupils entering school to have the recommended immunizations or a statement from the parents permitting exemption. A copy of a physician’s statement or record from the health department is required by the first day of school.
Immunizations should include:
• 4 or more doses of DPT or Td (adult) vaccine. If the 4th dose was received before the fourth birthday, a 5th dose is required.
• 3 or more doses of Oral Polio vaccine is required. If the 3rd dose was received before the fourth birthday, a 4th dose is required.
• 2 MMR doses before starting Kindergarten
• 4 doses of Hib by 15 months depending on when the Hib schedule was started or one dose at or after 15 months of age.
• Tuberculin test is necessary before preschool
• 3 dose series of Hepatitis B before entering Kindergarten
•1 dose of Varicella
When recording immunizations or diseases, give the month, the day, and the year. Include any information that would be helpful to the teacher. If there are special needs, kindly note this.
The Emergency Card and Emergency Medical Authorization Form are to be completed and returned by
the first day of school. Be sure to complete both sides of the card and sign and date the card. Please sign and date the Emergency Medical Authorization Form also.
SNACK TIME
Snacks are available daily for all students. The teacher will provide information on snacks.
Please advise the teacher of any dietary restrictions.
SUPPLIES
A sample Supply List might include: a short-sleeved paint shirt, a box of Kleenex, a roll of absorbent paper towels, a book bag, a school box for holding pencils, etc. (may be cardboard or plastic), a box of 16 or 24 Crayola crayons, 2 or 3 #2 pencils, box of sandwich-sized Ziploc-type bags, and a package of 100 or 200 200 basket-type coffee filters (for snack). The supply list will be given at home visits in August.
CLASS SIZE/ROSTER
The maximum class size will be 20 students. The school retains the right to alter the boy:girl ratio in cases of extreme imbalance in class enrollment. Parents are asked permission to place their child’s name on a roster published for other members of the class.
PREKINDERGARTEN SCREENING
After school begins, Pre Kindergarten/Kindergarten Screening is held to determine each child’s strengths and weaknesses. Screening is normally held the third full week of school, during regular school hours. Kindergarten classes are not held on those days. 2 - 3 days are normally needed for screening, depending on class sizes. One or both parents attends the screening with the child. Information on screening and scheduling is sent home the first week of school.
STAFF
The Pre-Kindergarten class is taught by a state-certified or licensed teacher with a minimum of a four-year degree. In addition each class will have a teacher aide, if the Adult/child ratio exceeds 1:10.
AUGUST HOME VISITS/OPEN HOUSE
Families are visited each August prior to the start of school. The teacher brings important information about the school year and this gives the child a chance to meet the teachers prior to the start of school. An open house is also held the week before school starts to help the child become familiar with the classroom.
DISCIPLINE POLICY
According to the Ohio state guidelines 3301-37-10, behavior management/discipline shall apply to all persons on the premises and shall be restricted as follows:
(1) There shall be no cruel, harsh, corporal punishment or any unusual punishments such as, but not limited to, punching, pinching, shaking, spanking, or biting.
(2) No discipline shall be delegated to any other child.
(3) No physical restraints shall be used to confine a child by any means other than holding a child for a short period of time, such as in a protective hug, so the child may regain control.
(4) No child shall be placed in a locked room or confined in an enclosed area such as a closet, or box, or a similar cubicle.
(5) No child shall be subjected to profane language, threats, derogatory remarks about himself or his family, or any other verbal abuse.
(6) Discipline shall not be imposed on a child for failure to eat, failure to sleep, or for toileting accidents.
(7) Techniques of discipline shall not humiliate, shame, or frighten a child.
(8) Discipline shall not include withholding food, rest, or toilet use.
(9) Separation, when used as discipline shall be brief in duration and appropriate to the child’s age and developmental ability, and the child shall be within sight and hearing of a staff member.
(10) The staff shall not abuse or neglect children and shall protect children from abuse and neglect while in attendance.
PREPARATION FOR PRE-KINDERGARTEN -- CHECKLIST
1. Copy of official birth certificate (obtained from Health Dept., not the hospital).
2. Health record returned to school showing proper
immunizations. For complete list, see page 5.
3. All defects, corrections, immunizations, and diseases
recorded on child’s health record
4. If your child has any physical problems such as
hearing
or vision difficulties, heart, muscular, or bone
conditions, the teacher needs to know about them.
5. If your doctor believes your child should not take
part in certain physical activities, a statement to that
effect must be sent by him to the school. All children
except those having specific notes from their doctors
will participate in all school activities.