Preschool

Printable Preschool Parent Handbook

Overview

Xenos Christian Schools believes the preschool experience provides the foundation for future academic success. Our program prepares preschool children for kindergarten by exposing them to a variety of opportunities designed to develop their language and math skills.

Our program focuses on the whole child and includes opportunities for them to develop their social, emotional, spiritual, intellectual and physical skills. We encourage enthusiasm for learning by giving each child an opportunity to explore developmentally appropriate activities.

We use the Core Knowledge Preschool Sequence, which starts with the premise that children are always "ready to learn". The preschool sequence provides a specific, explicit sequence of skills and knowledge. This allows teachers to guide a young child's development based on their present level, while providing the stepping-stones necessary to advance to higher levels of understanding and competence.

The preschool staff uses a variety of methods to evaluate a child’s developmental progress including, classroom and parent observations, one-on-one interactions and formal assessments. The teachers work closely with each parent to insure the most effective learning environment for their child.

Our Programs

Xenos Christian Schools offer both a 3 and 4-year-old program. The 3-year-old program meets two half-days per week and the 4-year-old program meets three half-days per week. Each of the programs is certified by the Ohio Department of Education. Preschool students must be 3 or 4 years old by September 30 of the current year and completely potty-trained (no assistance required) before the start of school.

Each child learns to interact in a classroom environment as well as a small group time with a specific teacher. Small groups allow for closer interaction and a focused time of learning. Each classroom is arranged into learning centers. Many learning opportunities occur as the children rotate through the centers. The teachers regularly change the learning centers to provide variety and expand the child’s learning experience.

Parent Communication

At Xenos Christian Schools, we believe communication between the school and home is essential. Parents will receive the following forms of communication from the school.

• The first week of each month, parents receive a newsletter. The newsletter includes information regarding the monthly theme, field trip information, classroom events and classroom needs.

• Information is sent home each day with your child.

• Outside each classroom there is a Parent Information Board. The board contains information regarding weekly activity plans, snack schedule, daily schedule, special events and announcements.

• There are two parent/teacher conferences during the year:

• Fall - observations of your child at school

• Spring – review of your child’s kindergarten-readiness assessment

• Unscheduled conversations at drop-off or pick-up times are always welcomed

Daily Schedule

Calumet Christian School

Xenos Christian School

Preschool Curriculum

We use the Core Knowledge Preschool Sequence. The curriculum provides skill and knowledge development in the following areas.

Content Area	Overall Objective	Objective
Physical Well-being & Coordination	Movement & Coordination	- Physical attention & relaxation - Gross Motor Skills - Eye-Hand & Eye-Foot Coordination - Group Games -Creative Movement & Expression
Social and Emotional Development	Autonomy & Social Skills	- Sense of Self and Personal Responsibility - Working in a Group Setting
Approaches to Learning	Work Habits	- Memory Skills - Following Directions - Task Persistence & Completion
Language	- Oral Language - Nursery Rhymes, Poems, Finger plays and Songs - Storybook Reading & Storytelling - Emerging Literacy Skills
Knowledge Acquisition and Cognitive Development	Mathematical Reasoning and Number Sense	- Patterns & Classification - Geometry - Measurement - Numbers & Number Sense - Addition & Subtraction with Concrete Objects - Money
	Orientation in Time and Space	- Vocabulary - Measures of Time - Passage of Time (Past, Present, Future) - Actual & Represented Space - Simple Maps - Basic Geographical Concepts
	Scientific Reasoning and the Physical World	- Human Characteristics, Needs & Development - Animal Characteristics, Needs & Development - Plant Characteristics, Needs & Growth - Physical Elements (Water, Air, Light) - Tools
	Music	- Attention to Differences in Sound - Imitate & Produce Sounds - Listen & Sing Listen & Move
	Visual Arts	- Attention to Visual Detail Creating - Art (Painting, Printing, Drawing, Collage, Sculpture) - Looking at and Talking about Art.

Monthly Themes

Small Groups

Preschool Small Groups meet during the learning center time. Preschool students are divided into are divided into 2-3 groups. Students meet with the same small group teacher everyday for 20 minutes and participate in the same small group for the entire school year.

The goals for the small groups are:

• To learn how to be a member of a group. This includes beginning to be sensitive to and meet the needs of a group, to learn how to communicate more effectively with others, and to learn to work as a group to accomplish a task.

• To learn how to build relationships with other members of the group, including the teacher. This additional amount of time in a smaller group helps students develop their relationships.

• To promote more active learning experiences in many areas. Small group provides an opportunity for more focused attention and helps reinforce the concepts introduced in the larger classroom setting.

Skill Enhancement Groups

Each Wednesday, time is allotted in the preschool schedule for Skill Enhancement Groups.  These groups are designed to teach new skills or reinforce skills previously learned.  Teachers may work with 2, 3 or 4 students at a time, depending on the skill chosen, while the other students participate in the learning centers.

Learning Centers

Each preschool classroom has a variety of learning centers. The students have the opportunity to explore a wide variety of developmentally appropriate activities. Each learning center provides the students with opportunities for cooperation and social development as they learn to explore these centers together.

Art Area - The art area provides an opportunity for students to explore working with various media. The process of working with the materials is the focus rather than the finished product. There is a daily art activity done at the table guided by the teacher and free painting at the easel. Art supplies are readily accessible to children which allows them to make choices and interact with different materials

Dramatic Play Area - The dramatic play area presents the students with opportunities to role-play and explore the adult world through imagination. This area includes many types of pretend play situations as well as the housekeeping area.

Block Area - When children build with blocks they are developing control of the small muscles of fingers and hands as blocks are added to a structure. This area helps students learn to think, plan and develop problem solving skills.

Manipulative Area - The manipulative center includes puzzles, games, play dough, paper drawing implements and table-top toys set out at tables. Controlled movements of the fingers and hands enable children to master the muscles necessary for writing. As they work with color and patterns they have opportunities to develop visual discrimination and memory. Through sequencing and classification games they are exposed to early math skills.

Book Corner Area - A wide variety of books are available at the book corner. Early reading readiness skills are developed as they learn that pictures often tell a story and that a story stays the same as it is read over and over. Listening, paying attention, sequencing, and thinking skills are all being developed as children enjoy a story. They become exposed to new vocabulary words and the style of formal written English as they listen to stories. Exposure to literature at a young age helps prepare students for learning to read in early elementary school.

Science Area - The science center provides valuable opportunities for cause-and-effect learning to take place. It introduces students to the concept of scientific method by providing opportunities for making observations, thinking of possible explanations, trying out possible causes, observing results and drawing conclusions. The science area includes the science table and the water table. Class pets, plants and various ongoing learning projects are included in the science center.