Early Childhood Center

Our Early Childhood Center is a self-contained facility including 3 classrooms, lunchroom, restrooms, and playground.  It is located in the lower level of the Convent, just south of our main school building and encompasses 3 & 4 yr. old preschool as well as Kindergarten.  Children visit the main building for Specials instruction as listed below.

Preschool

Preschool Philosophy:

St. Barnabas Preschool curriculum incorporates the academic, emotional, social, physical, and spiritual needs of the young child. The aim is to nurture and teach the whole child and to encourage the attributes for life-long learning. In order to reach this goal, a developmentally appropriate curriculum has been devised. It includes the following attributes:

Active: Hands-on use of manipulatives is the focus, rather than paper and pencil work.

Personally Meaningful: The program builds on what the child already knows.

Experimental: The child learns by doing, talking, and exploring new ideas.

Energetic: The teacher encourages curiosity and delight in order to motivate the child.

Interactive: Children are encouraged to work together rather than competing against each other.

Explorative: We invite the child to discover ideas and principles through the manipulation of objects.

Holistic: The program is integrated rather than broken into separated subjects.

Constructive: The child is encouraged to use his/her imagination and creative powers in a nonjudgmental atmosphere.

Children vary in their abilities, each bringing a unique set of background experiences into the early childhood classroom. Each child is a unique individual with his or her own needs. Our developmentally appropriate program will meet the needs of each child. Our approach allows for cooperative learning groups, individualized activities, high interest learning centers, and hands-on experiences for each child. Our curriculum provides the opportunity for each child to experience success on his/her own terms.

The brief overview of our Preschool Day:

The same routine is followed for the 4 year-old program that runs 12pm - 2:45pm Monday through Thursday. However, there are more structured learning activities including:

Alphabet Stories Series: This series focuses on each letter and sound of the alphabet.

Class Books: Throughout the year we will create a number of class books. Each book is based on a unit of study. Every child has his/her own page in each book.

Individual Bible: Based on the series “God Loves Me”, each child will create their own Bible.

Writing Journal: Beginning in January, each child will complete a writing journal based on specific writing prompt.

Harcourt Math Series: This series focuses on hands-on activities that help Preschoolers form the beginnings of mathematical knowledge. Each child also receives an activity lesson book.

There is also a Literature for Little Ones program available to all students, ages 3 and 4, which is held on Fridays from either 8:00 –10:30 or 12:00-2:45. This is an alternative for those who would like an additional day of schooling. Each day’s activity is based on a specific children’s book.

Kindergarten

Kindergarten Philosophy:

The Kindergarten curriculum focuses on the critical well being of the children and on preparing the students for success in all areas of learning. The program is designed to build social, emotional, academic, spiritual, and physical growth in subject areas such as: reading, writing, speaking, listening, math, social studies, health and science, art, and music movement.

Play is a fundamental element in the normal development of each child. The kindergarten day consists of Center Time including: Housekeeping, Math and Science, Blocks and Games, Computers, Reading, and Writing. The kindergarten program uses a holistic approach to engage all areas of learning.

The curriculum adheres to the state standard expectations. Furthermore, basic health and safety are included in the overall curriculum. The Kindergarten program also infuses the morals and teachings of the Catholic faith. Overall, the curriculum program presents each student with the opportunity to personally engage in all aspects of learning and to build a foundation for life-long learning.

Curriculum

Academic activities revolve around weekly Thematic Units involving all subject areas. Thematic Units are taught weekly using a variety of topics such as: Ocean Animals, St. Patrick’s Day, Children’s Book Week, countries and cultures, the 100th Day of School, and Welcome to Kindergarten.