2011 – 2012

St. Joseph School District

Educating Each Child for Success

Preschool Handbook

The School District of St. Joseph

925 Felix Street

St. Joseph, Missouri 64501

Dr. Melody Smith phone: 816-671-4000

Superintendent of Schools fax: 816-671-4470

Dear Parents:

This booklet is designed to acquaint parents with the preschool

program offered through the School District of St. Joseph. Our

preschool students will have the opportunity to adjust to group

situations, to use hands-on materials and to participate in activities

which will develop readiness for numbers, letters, language and

reading.

You are encouraged to read regularly to your children. Encourage

your youngster to listen carefully in the classroom each day and see

that he or she gets an adequate night's rest.

A close relationship between your home and school is fundamental to

your child’s success. Please feel free to call the teacher or principal

whenever you have questions or concerns.

It is my wish that you and your child have a successful start to school.

Your partner in education,

Melody Smith

Dr. Melody Smith

Superintendent of Schools

Educating Each Child for Success

2011 – 2012

Preschool Handbook

Tammy Flowers

Early Childhood Coordinator

816-671-4020

Early Childhood Department

Mission Goals

To provide a safe, supportive, and nurturing environment

by encouraging and responding to children's natural

interests.

To support each child's individual stage of development by

providing a balance of purposeful play and teacher- guided

activities based on on-going assessments.

To engage children in the experiences necessary to

construct their own knowledge and prepare them for their

next school experience.

To recognize parents as the principal influences on their

child's education and development by providing

opportunities that reinforce the parent’s role as an

educator.

Eligibility Requirements

for Preschool

All children must have completed the DIAL-3 screening. Children must be four (4) years of age before August 1 to qualify for Title 1 Preschool. In order to qualify for early childhood special education (ECSE), children must be at least three (3) years of age and be identified with a delay. A birth certificate or other approved legal document, giving proof of the child’s birthdate, must be presented at registration. A social security number is also required. Children must be immunized according to state regulations before the first day of school or attendance will not be permitted. Required Immunizations: Diptheria, Pertussis & Tetanus (DTaP/DT) – A total of four doses of diptheria, pertussis and tetanus toxoid. Polio - If a combination of IPV and/or OPV is given, four doses are required, otherwise, three doses. Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) – One dose received on or after the first birthday. Hepatitis ‘B’ – A total of three doses of Hepatitis ‘B’ vaccine. The last dose must be received at 6 months of age or older. Varicella – One dose of vaccine or proof of disease (chicken pox). An MD or DO must sign the proof of disease with a written statement documenting the month and year of previous varicella (chickenpox) disease. The parent will file with the pre-school. Hib – Three doses according to ACIP schedule. Must be given prior to 18 months of age. PCV (pneumococcal) – Four doses according to ACIP schedule. Must be given prior to 18 months of age. 05/2011

The Value of Play

Play promotes... literacy and language development as children: use communication for taking turns, negotiating, and

planning their play reconstruct events and sequences in events and stories

leading to increased story comprehension increase speech fluency practice new vocabulary

physical development as children: coordinate their actions with objects and other people engage in activities that develop stamina, flexibility,

strength, coordination, and fitness practice gross and fine motor skills

cognitive development as children: pretend to be some object or person learn new ideas from peers problem solve and think abstractly about

their world learn to distinguish fantasy from reality

social growth as children: learn to consider the perspective of others participate in turn taking, cooperating and sharing experiment with leadership skills learn to tolerate delays work out stress increase goal-directed behavior and persistence use creative imagination pursue their own ideas develop friendships work through conflict experience sheer fun--the positive aspect of fun is that it is

essential to growth and a strong motivation for every kind of learning

Observation of children at play,

guides teachers in planning appropriate

activities and experiences to meet

the developmental needs of students.

St. Joseph School District

Title I Preschools

School Address Teachers Times

Edison

(Enright

Center)

514 N. 22nd St.

St. Joseph, MO

64501

671-4116

Annie

Rhoad

AM

8:00-11:00

PM

11:45-2:45

Edison

(Enright

Center)

514 N. 22nd St.

St. Joseph, MO

64501

671-4116

Chris

Lake

AM

8:30-11:30

PM

12:30-3:30

Hosea

6401 Gordon

St. Joseph, MO

64504

671-4180

Joy

Budine

AM

8:00-11:00

PM

11:45-2:45

Hosea 6401 Gordon

St. Joseph, MO

64504

671-4180

Ronda

Chesney

AM

8:00-11:00

PM

11:45-2:45

Humboldt 1520 N 2nd St.

St. Joseph, MO

64505

671-4190

Susan

Myer

AM

8:15-11:15

PM

12:05-3:05

Humboldt 1520 N 2nd St.

St. Joseph, MO

64505

671-4190

Charlotte

Buhman

AM

8:15-11:15

PM

12:05-3:05

Title I Preschools (Continued)

School Address Teachers Times

Parkway

2900 Duncan

St. Joseph, MO

64507

671-4310

Susan

Brittain

AM

8:30-11:30

PM

12:15-3:15

Webster

1211 N. 18th

St.

St. Joseph, MO

64501

671-4020

Danielle

Campbell

AM

8:15-11:15

PM

12:00-3:00

Webster

1211 N. 18th

St.

St. Joseph, MO

64501

671-4020

Becky

Swenson

AM

8:45-11:45

PM

12:30-3:30

Webster

1211 N. 18th

St.

St. Joseph, MO

64501

671-4020

Kara

Tolbert

AM

8:45-11:45

PM

12:30-3:30

Early Childhood Special Education

Preschools

School Address Teachers Times

Ellison 45 SE 85th Rd. St. Joseph, MO 64507 671-4120

Connie

Mayfield

AM

9:00-12:00 PM

12:45-3:45

Lake

1800 Alabama St. Joseph, MO 64504 671-4240

Rebecca Gillies

AM

9:00-12:00 Full Day

9:00-2:00

Webster

1211 N. 18th St. St. Joseph, MO 64501 671-4020

Jaime Neff

AM

8:15-11:15 PM

12:00-3:00

These three preschools accept Play Pals!

Play Pals

What is a Play Pal? A play pal is a child who is at least 3 years of age and has demonstrated advanced abilities in the areas of language and age appropriate socialization skills. Play pals serve as peer models for students with disabilities.

How does the Peer Model Program work? Following an early childhood screening, you may be notified that your child is eligible to serve as an SJSD play pal. If you and your family are interested in participating in the program, enrollment forms will be completed and a Parent Compact Agreement signed. At this time, the Peer Model Program, is at no-cost to the participating family and transportation will be provided for those students that demonstrate a need and that reside within the preschool's attendance area.

Preschool Schedule

Components

The Saint Joseph School District preschool programs follow the High/Scope Curriculum. Each classroom follows the same daily routine consisting of the same components. The order and length of each component will vary from classroom to classroom based on student abilities and interest. These Components are: Large Group ~ The large group time can involve a variety of activities. For example, it may include games, music, read alouds, presenters, etc. Although large group time works on many skills, some of the more important skills are turn-taking, listening skills, lengthening attention span, and being respectful of other's ideas/feelings. Writing Time ~ This piece of the schedule provides fine motor development. Writing time may include a variety of writing experiences including pencils, markers, whiteboards, chalk, shaving cream, and so on. Other forms of letter work may be used during this time such as letter stamps and playdoh with letter cutters. A mini lesson may be used at the beginning of this time on topics including, but not limited to, capital vs. lowercase, directionality, and holding a pencil. The teacher and para's roles may include taking documentation, collecting writing samples, and discussing the writing with the students. Planning ~ Planning for work time provides an opportunity for children to expand their oral language abilities. The act of planning can look very different and can involve reviewing a variety of concepts. As the teacher listens to a child's plan, the teacher can document the plan to see if a child is doing the same activity or a variety of activities from day to day. If the planning activity involves reviewing concepts, the teacher can check and document the mastery of those concepts.

Preschool Components (Continued)

Work Time ~ This is the longest piece of the daily schedule. During this time, the students are working (playing) in areas throughout the room. In addition to pre academic skills, the students are learning problem solving skills, conflict resolution, and social skills. The teacher and para's jobs may include being actively involved in play, working one-on-one with students, and taking documentation. A classroom clean up should follow at the end of work time. Recall ~ It is a time to strengthen oral language. It is a share time where students practice listening and asking questions. Each child is given the opportunity to recall throughout the week, but not necessarily on a daily basis. Snack ~ Students develop table manners, gain nutritional knowledge and practice social skills while enjoying a pre-planned snack. A variety of concepts and self-help skills are also emphasized during this time. Small Group ~ Students are broken into small groups led by a teacher or para. These groups are formed to explore materials and concepts with a planned purpose and goal. The teacher and para take documentation of skills displayed through a variety of developmentally appropriate activities. Small group does not always produce a product. Gross Motor Time ~ Gross motor time can be indoors and out, and should last 15-20 minutes daily. It may consist of structured activities such as games or dances, or may also be unstructured. Gross motor time is always supervised closely. Gross motor time is important to the daily routine as it not only encourages physical fitness, but it teaches conflict resolution, turn-taking, rules, and cooperation. Read Aloud ~ This is a time to expose the children to a variety of literature. It serves many purposes including: increasing attention span and listening skills, making plans, concepts of print, directionality, discussing parts of the book, making predictions, visualization, and comprehension strategies.

Zaner-Bloser Manuscript Writing:

While handwriting is not formally taught in preschool, many parents find it helpful to know the kind of writing that primary children learn. The various letters are formed as shown on the following page. Children learn to use the capital letter at the beginning of their name. For example: Mary - not MARY Smith - not SMITH

"Children who are encouraged to draw and scribble 'stories' at an early age will later learn to compose more easily, more effectively, and with greater confidence than children who do not have this encouragement." This finding is based on research literature reported by the U.S. Department of Education (What Works: Research about Teaching and Learning, second edition, 1987) The preschool years provide parents with the opportunity to build a solid base upon which good writing skills will be developed in later years. Use this critical time in a child's development by providing materials to strengthen their fine motor skills: Playdough Scissors Hole Punches Beads for Stringing Tweezers for Picking Up Small Items As well as materials for them to use in their meaningful writing experiences: Paper Crayons Large pencils Chalk Dry Erase Boards Markers Paint Magna Doodles Your preschooler will need good modeling on your part and most of all, lots of encouragement and supportive response.

Learning Begins Before Kindergarten

Children begin learning at birth, and Parents as Teachers

(PAT) can help you give your child the best possible start

in life. Parents as Teachers is a free and voluntary early-

learning program for parents with children birth to age 5.

This nationally-known program, which originated in

Missouri, has spread throughout the United States,

reaching thousands of families of all kinds. Parents as

Teachers has much to offer you and your child.

How you benefit from Parents as Teachers

As a parent, you are your child's first and most influential

teacher. Parents as Teachers can help you lay a strong

foundation for your child's future success in school.

YOUR BABY WAS BORN TO LEARN!

As a PAT participant, you'll receive the following services:

Personalized home visits by a certified parent educator, specially trained in child development and eager to help you give your child a great start. Group meetings with other parents, where you can share

parenting experiences, gain new insights, and talk about topics that interest you.

Information and guidance, beginning even before your baby is born, on preparing for your baby, home safety, what to look for as your child develops, effective discipline, constructive play and more. Periodic screening to ensure that your child has no undetected learning, sensory (hearing and vision) or developmental problems. A referral network that can help you find special services,

if needed, that are beyond the scope of PAT.

ENROLL NOW IN PARENTS AS TEACHERS

671-4300

Notes:

The St. Joseph School District

Vision

St. Joseph School District:

A Great Place to Learn

Mission

Educating Each Child For Success

The Board of Education Goals

• Create a learning environment that will produce

academic success for all students.

• Provide a safe, secure learning environment.

• Practice fiscal stewardship of resources.

"These goals were adopted by the St. Joseph School

District Board of Education in the fall of 2007. As the

focus of our district, they will shape the education that

your child will receive over the next few years."

Dr. Melody Smith

Superintendent of Schools

St. Joseph School District

Tammy Flowers Early Childhood Coordinator

Webster Learning Center

1211 N. 18th Street

816-671-4020