Pre-K Programs
St. Mary School offers preschool programs for 3 and 4-year-olds, led by a certified early childhood teacher and three teaching assistants. Our curriculum focuses on age-appropriate academic, social, emotional, physical, and spiritual development through hands-on, center-based activities with monthly themes. Students enjoy gross motor activities in the playground and gym, as well as music and art classes that encourage creativity. We nurture the whole child through a curriculum that blends academics, social-emotional growth, and motor skill development, incorporating STEAM labs, Legos, games, puzzles, and computers.
Preschool classes take field trips throughout the year to various locations, including the firehouse, pumpkin patch, zoo, park, children’s museum, and movie theater. Families can also access Before Care services, and those enrolled in all day programs can take advantage of After Care services.
Students who stay all day will have lunch in the cafeteria. They can bring their own lunch or lunches can be purchased through the school and include daily options of hot meal entree, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, peanut butter only sandwich or jelly only sandwiches with fruit, vegetable, and milk. St. Mary School participates in the Free and Reduced Lunch program; families are encouraged to fill out paperwork to see if they qualify.
Preschool classes are held in the main secure building and follow the same calendar as the K-6 students. We do have a limit of 20 students per class so be sure to contact us as early as possible to secure your child's placement in our preschool program.
Meet Our Preschool Teachers
Courtney Bland
Preschool Teacher
3-Year-Old Preschool Program
Half-Day Program
All-Day Program
Curriculum
- Complimenting others on their creative works
- Manipulating play dough
- Mixing colors
- Playing dramatically
- Painting and creating with use of various tools
- Dancing and listening to a variety of music
- Listening to music
- Using creative movement to explore music
- Reciting many nursery rhymes and recognizing words within them that rhyme
- Being able to explore their feelings about music they are listening to
- Using a variety of instruments to play along with music
- Understanding that music can be high or low
- Understanding that music can be fast or slow
- Learning about steady beat
- Beginning to recognize and name some letters of the alphabet (especially those in their own name)
- Beginning to write their own first name
- Following simple 3 step directions
- Recognizing and matching words that rhyme
- Engaging in book sharing experiences with purpose
- Connecting numbers to quantities they represent
- Reciting verbally numbers 1-10+
- Recognizing and naming common 2D shapes
- Describing comparisons of more and less than
- Sorting, ordering, and comparing objects by attributes
- Recognizing, duplicating, and extending simple patterns
- Representing information using concrete objects and graphs
- Beginning to understand basic safety practices during science investigations
- Observing changes in seasons and weather
- Making predictions about outcomes before gathering information
- Using balance scales
- Building bridges
- Understanding float vs sink
- Learning the stages of a butterfly
- Exploring magnetism
- Recognizing reasons for rules in home and at school
- Helping to clean up toys and classroom environment
- Developing an awareness of what it means to be a leader
- Participating in dramatic play (community workers and services)
- Developing awareness of family and self
- Participating in Character Counts
- Learning that Jesus is our friend
- Showing respect for others
- Distinguishing between right and wrong
- Using Prayer as talking and listening to God
- Signing the cross
- Understanding that God forgives us and we forgive others
- Following basic safety rules
- Washing hands and practicing good hygiene (coughing/sneezing into elbow)
- Increasing endurance through running and jumping
- Identifying parts of the body and their function
- Cooperating with others
- Identifying healthy vs. non-healthy foods
- Engaging in cooperative group play
- Beginning to share materials and take turns
- Extending attention span
- Interacting verbally and non-verbally using kind words and actions with other children
- Recognizing various feelings and showing empathy
- Solving simple conflicts
4-Year-Old Preschool Program
Half-Day Program
All-Day Program
Curriculum
- Complimenting others on their creative works
- Manipulating play dough
- Mixing colors
- Playing dramatically
- Painting and creating with use of various tools
- Dancing and listening to a variety of music
- Listening to music
- Using creative movement to explore music
- Reciting many nursery rhymes and recognizing words within them that rhyme
- Being able to explore their feelings about music they are listening to
- Using a variety of instruments to play along with music
- Understanding that music can be high or low
- Understanding that music can be fast or slow
- Learning about steady beat
- Gaining competence in listening and speaking
- Communicating effectively
- Gaining an enjoyment and understanding of literature
- Recognizing the features on non-fiction books
- Recognizing names and common signs
- Learning letters of the alphabet and their sounds
- Learning to grip and use writing tools
- Writing their first names
- Rhyming words
- Understanding numbers, number names, and numerals
- Counting and recognizing how many in small sets
- Understanding and constructing sets of objects
- Comparing sets of objects
- Exploring measurements of objects
- Exploring objects and patterns
- Learning about graphs
- Describing weather and learning about the four seasons
- Understanding the five senses
- Learning about the life cycles of plants and animals
- Understanding the food groups
- Beginning to learn healthy habits
- Learning about manners
- Learning how to get along with others
- Understanding that we live in a city, state, country
- Exploring maps and geography
- Learning about different environments
- Participating in Character Counts
- Knowing that the Bible is God's special book
- Learning stories from the Old Testament
- Knowing that the Bible holds stories of Jesus
- Learning about the Holy Trinity
- Praying
- Knowing that the Church is God's family
- Following basic safety rules
- Washing hands and practicing good hygiene (coughing/sneezing into elbow)
- Increasing endurance through running and jumping
- Identifying parts of the body and their function
- Cooperating with others
- Identifying healthy vs. non-healthy foods
