The Junior Kindergarten preschool program allows students to work towards developing kindergarten-level skills in a developmentally appropriate, hands-on learning environment. Your child will be immersed in a faith-filled, values-based setting where they’ll learn to see and feel the love of God all around them! Junior Kindergarten adds an enriched social and emotional component to help develop confident, caring children who will love learning and have the problem- solving skills necessary to be successful in kindergarten and beyond! Junior Kindergarten is a great start to your child’s journey through St. Cletus, a Catholic learning environment, where we focus on the WHOLE child.
Goal
Junior Kindergarten will provide a faith-filled, nurturing learning environment for your child with meaningful instruction in math and language arts and a heavy focus on strengthening fine and gross motor skills. This program will give students a bit more academic preparation while still focusing on the social emotional learning skills needed for success in school and life! Click HERE to learn more about our classroom goals.
Backpack: Backpacks should be large enough to hold a 9 x 12 folder and a lunch box. Please label your child’s backpack.
Folder: Please send one, two pocket folder with your child the first day. Communication between home and school will be sent through this folder. Your child’s work will also be sent home in this folder. (Please be sure to check your child’s folder every night and especially Wednesday as information from school is sent home to oldest and only)
Change of Clothing: Please place a complete set of clothing (shirt, pants, underwear, socks and shoes) in a Ziploc bag, label the bag with your child’s name and keep it in your child’s backpack.
Clothing: Please dress your child in comfortable clothing that can get dirty. All children need to be able to dress and undress themselves when using the bathroom. We suggest pants with an elastic waist band if needed.
Shoes: All children should wear gym shoes even on non-gym days as we will still have recess.
Snack: Please bring a water bottle and snack daily. Cheese stick, fruit, granola bars are a few examples.
Naptime:
We understand that each child may not fall asleep; however, we do expect that each child rest quietly. Soft music and some stretching poses will help to calm the mind and body!
To help with that, we ask that you make sure your child understand that “resting quietly” means each child should be able to:
Junior Kindergarten Full-Day Schedule:
Arrival and Dismissal procedures:
Arrival
Please drop off children for morning or all day Preschool at Door #3,
Each school day, the preschool teacher/assistant will greet the children from 7:50 – 8:00am each morning in the classrooms. If you are arriving late, please bring your preschooler into school through the main apple door, door #2.
Dismissal
Please inform the teacher who will be/is allowed to pick up your child. Please also fill out the pick up information in the main office.
If there is a change to your child’s typical pick-up (for example an Aunt is coming instead of a parent or a child is going home with a friend, please let your child’s teacher know every time this occurs. The teacher will not be able to dismiss your child with anyone else without your permission. Also be sure your child knows to.
Important Information
Hot Lunch:
Hot lunch information will be sent home soon and all ordering is done online. Please be sure your child eats what you order! If there’s something you know your child will not eat, do not order it.
Aftercare:
If your child is to attend aftercare, please email attendance@stcletusparish.com and CC your child’s teacher. Email is preferred, but if you cannot do so, call the school at 708.352.4820. Please do so BEFORE 2:00. The earlier, the better!
Absences:
Please email: attendance@stcletusparish.com and CC your child’s teacher if possible.
Communication:
E-mail is best! Dismissal is NOT the best time to have a conversation. We need to focus on getting children safely to their cars.
If you would like to set up a phone call or in person meeting, please email your child’s teacher to do so.
Each Wednesday your child will bring home notes from school. Please be sure to take the time to read these notices.
Newsletters:
please read the Google newsletter each week. It is posted EVERY FRIDAY BY 3:00. Please read before the end of the weekend. Use the newsletter to ask your child questions about school.
All contact information for families can be found using the DIRECTORY SPOT. You can access the directory by going to https://directoryspot.net. New families should click on “reset password” to create a login. You can also download the DIRECTORY SPOT app to your phone.
Use this for playdates and birthday invites! (Please NO birthday invitations sent to school).
We are always looking for the following donations:
Playdough or play foam. We use playdough ad play foam in school during center time and the children love to make letters! If you catch any of these items on sale, send them to school!
Writing center: By the fall, the writing center is a popular center! Send in any paper, envelopes and stickers. Watch for seasonal stickers to go on sale!
Classroom Management
We will be utilizing the idea of being a bucket filler this year. We will introduce this topic within the first full week of school so be sure to ask your child all about it.
While each classroom may run this system a bit differently, the concept will remain the same among them all.
Being a bucket filler is all about showing kindness and positivity and creating an environment filled with good vibes. For example if a child were to ask another who looked lonely to come over and play with them, they would be a bucket filler. The child who asked would feel good for doing something kind which would fill their own bucket and the child they asked would feel good which would fill their bucket as well.
Curriculum
Religion: I AM Special program for 4-5 year olds, focus on emotional growth.
Social emotional learning: Preschool Second Step Program which focuses on teaching children problem solving skills and ways to cope with and manage different feelings.
Phonemic Awareness: Michael Heggerty Phonemic Awareness Program Preschool Edition- oral manipulation of letters and sounds, early literacy and pre-reading skills.
Phonics: Jolly Phonics program- we will learn and master the 26 letters/ sounds. This will assist students in reading, writing short vowel words. We will practice these skills in small group center work.
Handwriting without Tears: strengthen fine motor while practicing letter formation.
Math: Number sense, counting, sorting, patterning and graphing skills practiced through small group center work.
Science and Social Studies: Becoming aware of God’s world around us through different monthly themes.
Speaking and listening skills for language development.
Specials
Read about all the exciting activities and learning taking place in junior kindergarten.
