St. Mary’s Little Lambs’ Preschool

 TABLE OF CONTENT

General Guidelines

Arrivals and Dismissals                         

Birthdays                                                 

Clothing                                                   

Medical Forms/ Accidents                    

Behavior Policy                                      

Mandated Drills                             

Snacks and Lunch                                  

Parent/Teacher Communication       

Weather/Calendar                                 

Closing Remarks            

Staff

PARISH ADMINISTRATOR      Father Christopher Argano

DIRECTOR                                     Val Wojnicki

TEACHERS               

Kim Mule

Val Palmer

 Eileen Allen

ASSISTANTS                                

Kelly Kelleher

 “LET THE CHILDREN COME TO ME” Matt. 19:14

MISSION STATEMENT

 St. Mary’s preschool programs are dedicated to providing social, emotional, physical, and academic growth, within a Catholic setting.  Our students are motivated by new and exciting experiences, which will enrich their bank of knowledge.  Our goal is to provide a program that develops age-appropriate milestones for our children in a safe and nurturing environment.  Little Lambs is devoted to differentiating and developing each child’s talents and strengthening their abilities.

PLEASE NOTE THAT ST. MARY’S LITTLE LAMBS IS A LICENSED DAY CARE, AND ALL REGULATIONS FOR OUR SCHOOL CAN BE ACCESSED BY GOING ONLINE TO THE OFFICE OF CHILD AND FAMILY SERVICES.  OUR REGULATIONS CAN BE FOUND UNDER section 418

GOALS OF THE PROGRAM

(Goals written here are conflated due to the varying ages of the children.  Not all goals are listed nor do all apply for all ages.)

Social and Emotional Goals

• Exploration, discovery, language and motor development are integrated through play, arts and crafts, drama, emergent stages of reading and journaling, age appropriate print conventions and prayer.
• All our children will be given the opportunity to develop their independence in a secure and environment.

Physical Goals

• Each day, weather permitting, our children will engage in outdoor play with their peers. 
• Activities within the classroom will address physical motion through music and dance.

 Academic Goals

• Our program at Little Lambs will be aligned with the New York State Standards for preschool age children and provide enrichment in areas such as science and written expression.
• We address age appropriate print conventions,  phonological awareness skills, phonics, comprehension, formation of letters, emergent literacy skills, language and listening skills; numbers, operations and problem solving through:

                                                       Listening Games

sequencing

detecting and production of rhyme

word and sentence structure

awareness of syllables in words

identification of initial consonant sounds, ending and medial sounds

identification of and matching of upper and lower case alphabet letters

segmenting of syllables and phonemes within a given word

one to one correspondence of letter and sound

develop short vowel patterns through a multisensory approach

identifies grade appropriate sight words

can draw on prior knowledge

make predictions

identifies story elements

begins to develop emergent writing skills using letter sounds

• Development of vocabulary through daily conversation and through daily Read Alouds
• Awareness of print (writes own first then last name and alphabet letters; both upper and lower case)

Math Skills

• Can count to 100 by 1’s and 10’s
• Demonstrates 1 to 1 correspondence
• Sorts and classifies objects by position, shape, size, color, number of corners, etc.
• Understanding of symmetry
• Identifies, copies, extends and creates patterns
• Identifies the five basic shapes (circle, oval, square, rectangle, triangle)
• Draws the five basic shapes
• Identifies additional shapes (hexagon, diamond)
• Identifies numerals (0-10) and learns to correctly write those numbers
• Labels sets (0-10) with correct numeral
• Compares sets of objects and uses the terms equal, more than, or less than correctly
• Can count backwards from 10
• Identifies coins (penny, nickel, dime, quarter)
• Joins and separates sets of objects
• Identifies half versus whole
• Divides sets of objects into equal groups
• Measures length with a variety of non-standard measurements
• Compares measurements and uses the terms shorter, longer, taller, heavier, cooler, holds more, etc. correctly)
• Uses positional words to explain location (left, right, on, off, inside, between, above, below, etc.)
• Makes and interprets simple graphs
• Has understanding of addition and subtraction concepts
• Develops math vocabulary

Fine Motor Skills

• Works to develop and strengthen fine motor dexterity for later holding a pencil properly and begin emergent writing.
• Holds pencils and scissors correctly
• Snips at first and then moves to cutting on lines vertical, horizontal, diagonal

Gross Motor Skills

• Hops on both feet together               
• Hops on one foot (left and right)
• Marches
• Gallops 
• Skips

Home Skills (these skills are a progression throughout the year)

• Recites address from memory (including city, state and possibly zip code)
• Recites telephone number from memory (including area code)
• Recites birth date (including year)
• Demonstrates the ability to put on and fasten outer clothing (unassisted)

Social and Work Habits

• Puts forth best efforts in work
• Takes care of school materials
• Uses self-control to follow school rules
• Works independently
• Completes work in a reasonable amount of time
• Follows directions
• Listens attentively to others
• Stays on task
• Willingly participates in activities

Possible Science Topics

• animals, plants, weather, life cycle of the butterfly, magnets, what floats and sinks, our planetary system etc.
• Health and Safety:  teeth, our body, nutrition and food groups, five senses, fire safety etc.

Possible Social Studies Topics

• Home:  Self/Family/Friends
• Community:  community helpers
• History:  Holidays such as Thanksgiving, President’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday, Memorial Day, etc.
• Economics:  wants and needs
• Government:  respecting rules and rights of others

ADMISSION AND FINANCIAL POLICIES

ADMISSION POLICY

Admission is open to all children in St. Mary’s Parish; as well as the surrounding community. Classes will be filled as registration forms are filed.

Little Lambs is under a NYS Day Care License.  Our staff is comprised of head teachers, teacher aides, and volunteers.

FINANCIAL POLICY

As of the September 2022-2023 school year, all financial responsibilities, to Little Lambs, will be handled through FACTS, a tuition management company. At registration you will be given the information you need to directly set up an account with FACTS and develop a plan that works best for your family.

GENERAL GUIDELINES

ARRIVALS AND DISMISSALS

3s and 4s are driven to and from school

Promptness in your child’s arrival is important for the child’s participation in the activities of the day. Our formal day begins at 9:00. 

Please be prompt for dismissal. If you are unavoidably delayed when picking up your child, please call us at 496 – 7221. If we do not hear from you and we cannot reach you, we will try your emergency contact numbers. We will make arrangements to care for your child until your arrival. The safety of your child will always come first.

RELEASE FORMS

Your child will only be dismissed to another person’s care, other than those you had listed on your release form, if we have this request in writing, or a phone call from you prior to the start of the school day. This is essential for your child’s safety.  You can update your release form anytime during the school year.

BIRTHDAYS

We welcome a celebration of your child’s birthday here at Little Lambs.  Parents will work out that arrangement with the teacher. 

CLOTHING

Children should be dressed in comfortable, washable clothing that is suitable for circle time and play. Please try to dress your child in clothing they can fasten and unfasten easily, to foster their independence.

Please place some form of identification in your child’s outerwear. This is extremely helpful for the teachers and assistants when getting the children ready for outdoor playground and dismissal.

Whenever the weather permits, the children go out to play, so we ask that your child come dressed for the weather and the season. 

Smocks will be provided when painting.  All paints and markers used in school are washable.

MEDICAL FORMS/ ACCIDENTS OR INJURIES

An up-to-date immunization record and medical form statement is required, for each child, by the first day of school.

If your child is injured at school, we will contact you immediately.  For injuries requiring serious attention, an accident report will be filed. 

Our staff will always have at least one person who is CPR and First Aid Trained.  We are trained in administering an epi pen and over- the- counter (non-prescription) products.

If your child is running a fever or feels ill, we will contact you immediately.  If we cannot reach you, we will call your emergency contact numbers.

BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT POLICY

A formal behavior management policy is in place as a requirement of the state license.  A copy will be included in your admission’s packet.

STATE MANDATED DRILLS

FIRE DRILLS- fire drills are practiced every month.  Diagrams of the exits primary and secondary are posted in each classroom.

EVACUATION DRILLS- one evacuation drill is required each year.  The staff and children are instructed on the procedure in the event of an evacuation.  There are primary and secondary sites.

SHELTER IN PLACE DRILLS- Two shelter-in-place drills are required each year.  The staff and children are instructed as to how to carry this out.  When scheduled, parents will be notified.

SNACKS AND LUNCH

WE ARE A PEANUT FREE SCHOOL!!!

Each day your child attends our half day program, they must bring, from home, a snack and something to drink.  In the event that the child does not have a snack and drink that day, one will be provided for him/her.

If your child stays all day, a snack, drink and a lunch (that does not have to be heated up) along with an additional drink, will be provided from home.  In the event your child does not have something with them, we will provide for him/her on that day.

PARENT-TEACHER COMMUNICATION

For a better understanding of your child, communication is essential between parents and teachers.  Please feel comfortable in communicating with us by a note, phone call or a visit, when needed.  Teachers are grateful for any information about your child that significantly impacts their emotional or academic performance throughout the year.  We are always available for any concerns you many have.  You may also email me at stmarysvwojnicki@gmail.com.

Pertinent information for the month is in our newsletter, “The Grapevine” given out each month. In addition, the teachers will have a monthly classroom newsletter that will go home; this will keep you informed of the skills work and developing themes for that month.

There will be a parent-teacher conference to go over your child’s progress report in January or early February.  This can be done in person, if requested, or by phone. This progress report will be updated in June and given to the parents on the last week of school.   

The Director, Val Wojnicki, has over forty-five years of teaching experience and will always be available to discuss any concerns you may have about your child. 

WEATHER – CANCELLATIONS – CALENDAR

St. Mary’s Little Lambs’ Preschool will follow the calendar given to you in your packet on the first week of school. There are always extra calendars and Grapevine Newsletters available in the vestibule of the school. 

Our calendar differs slightly from the Washingtonville School calendar, so please keep it handy. 

When the District calls a one or two hour am delay, Little Lambs will operate as always and am classes will be in session. 

A full day closing called by the District will also close Little Lambs for the day.

An early dismissal, called by the district, will require someone to come and pick up your child at Little Lambs.  In the event this happens, there will be no pm session at Little Lambs.

Our weather cancellation policy is also available on our website www.stmaryslittlelambs.org

In addition, St. Mary’s subscribes to a service that allows us to send out an automated message to alert you of closings and delays and other important announcements. 

Closing Remarks

Little Lambs’ Preschool has always been blessed by our families who provide love, support, prayer, guidance and dedication to our program.  Working together with the staff, Little Lambs is proud to provide a quality preschool program.

Thank You and God Bless You.