Pre-Kindergarten

FALL SCHOOL SUPPLIES

1. large box of wipes

2. large bottle of liquid hand sanitizer

3.crayola crayons

4. extra-large glue stick

5. paper towels

6. large box of tissues

7. nap mat # EL7130 from Becker’s School Supply

8. art smock (a large t-shirt works best)

9. backpack (large enough to hold lunch box, folder, papers and projects)

Dear Parents:

September is such an exciting month! For educators and children, it’s a month of change and new beginnings – new surroundings, new friends, new experiences, new skills and new challenges. This month your child will explore the world of learning and will develop many new basic skills. Encourage your child to practice and develop these new skills at home. During the coming weeks, we will begin to:

follow directions

work and play together

count and compute

identify our ABC’s

cultivate virtue

develop a broader understanding of God’s Creation

question and experiment

Please take time to discuss each school day with your child. Ask open-ended questions and offer positive feedback. Review all work brought home and set aside a special place for displaying the work. Your constant interest will play an important role in your child’s learning success. I am glad your child is in my class, and I look forward to a wonderful school year. I hope you will visit often to share in the growth and excitement taking place in our classroom. Sincerely, Ms. Madden

LITTLE LINK BLUE WEEK

September 7th – 10th

FRIDAY SHOW AND TELL

blue theme

BIBLE VERSE

A friend loves at all times.

Proverbs 17:17

LITTLE AMBASSADOR CAFE

blueberry muffins

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

ARE YOU READY TO START YOUR LEARNING ADVENTURE?

JOIN THE PK EXPLORERS!

PRE-KINDERGARTEN CURRICULUM OVERVIEW

BIBLE

Bible knowledge is essential for a balanced, informed life. We provide an excellent curriculum that utilizes Biblical worldview integration in all subject areas. Our goal of a Christ-centered environment empowers students with a Biblical worldview and enables them to use this perspective as they are challenged to make decisions, raise questions, and examine real life problems. Biblical worldview integration creates connections as a cross curricular element between all subjects and the bigger picture of reality which enables students to apply Biblical truth to all of life so that they might impact society for Christ.

SCIENCE

Ecological teaching and learning within a transdisciplinary curriculum model will enable students to construct knowledge about themselves and the world through personal connections. Science opportunities are everywhere!

SALT MARSH ECOLOGY PLACE-BASED EXPERIENTIAL CURRICULUM

Learning in each content area supports and improves learning in another, stressing the interdependence of ideas and skills in art, ecology, language, music, drama, mathematics, social studies and Bible. Throughout the curriculum, methods are designed so students who have different styles of learning are supported and challenged to excel. In addition to the emphasis on visual perception, students experience art and the salt marsh environment through hand-on activities with materials and by using other sensory channels such as tactile, kinesthetic, and spatial. Critical and creative thinking are also an integral part of each lesson. Collaborative learning and problem solving are encouraged.

Students will understand:

1. the characteristics of a salt marsh

2. the ecological functions of a salt marsh

3. the importance of a salt marsh to both wildlife and humans

4. the responsibilities of Biblical stewardship

KEY CONCEPTS

amphibian, blue heron, crustacean, dragonfly, earth, fish, grass, habitat, insect, jellies, kelp and other sea grass, lichen and fungus, migration, northern water snake, otter, pelican, quahog and other mollusks, racoon, sunlight, turtle, urchin, vixen, watercycle and watershed, xema gull, yellowthroat, zooplankton and phytoplankton.

MATHEMATICS

Students start with mathematical basics:

measuring

sets

quantity

numbers

counting

shapes

size

positional relationships

sequencing

LANGUAGE ARTS

Language arts provide opportunities for developing:

listening skills

thinking skills

speaking skills

writing skills

reading skills

FINE ART

1. The process of creating art is more important than the product.

2. All creations are acceptable and worthy of positive comments.

3. It is important to experience a wide variety of media and methods such as painting, drawing, gluing, cutting, tearing, modeling, building, etc.

4. Art activities are frequently used to develop and reinforce skills in math, science, language arts, history, and Bible.

Art is a special way of viewing and exploring the world. Creative thinking and artistic ability are valuable assets in conjunction with other disciplines. Discovering subjects through art experiences is fundamental in my teaching, and provides my students with exciting opportunities to discover rudimentary concepts via the artistic process. My classes investigate, manipulate, and discover art, science, math, Bible, history and language as interconnected disciplines. Students are captivated by the beauty and pleasure of the creative process, and at the same time become fascinated and astonished by the transdisciplinary components.

ART HISTORY

Students will see the world through the eyes of the great painters as we read tales and study masterpieces representing more than 500 years of painting including Vincent van Gogh, Mary Cassatt, Edgar Degas, Jan Vermeer, Rembrandt van Rijn, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, George-Pierre Seurat, John James Audubon, Paul Cezanne, and Leonardo da Vinci.

COOKING

“FOOD FOR THOUGHT”

We use the Good Book Cookbook filled with fun recipes that etch Bible stories and Scripture into the hearts of children. Cooking Experiences provide opportunities to learn: chemistry, math, literature, Bible, cultural diversity, sanitation, nutrition, safety, farming and agriculture.

MUSIC AND DANCE

The objectives of using music in early education are:

1. Appreciation

2. Musical Skills such as listening, performance, rhythmic responses, creativity.

3. Musical concepts such as high/low, up/down, fast/slow, loud/soft.

4. Memorization and Recitation

5. Mathematics

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC

“Angles We Have Heard On High” by James Chadwick

“What Child Is This?” by William Chatterton Dix

“How Great Thou Art” by Carl Gustau Boberg

“Amazing Grace” by John Newton

“America The Beautiful” by Katharine Lee Bates & Samual A. Ward

SIGN LANGUAGE

Research has shown that children who learn signing at an early age develop better synapses in the brain, and as a result develop richer vocabulary knowledge. Students will learn to sign letters for finger spelling, colors, phrases, and songs.

DRAMATIC PLAY

Children enjoy dramatic play because:

1. It’s fun

2. They make friends

3. It provides opportunities to learn

4. Children can explore various roles

PRAYERWALKING

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing,

in everything give thanks;

for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Thessalonians 5:16-18

The preschoolers will learn to quietly pray in the places that they live, work, and play. This sort of on-site intercession is known as “prayerwalking”. Prayerwalking is simply praying in the very places we expect God to bring forth His answers. Prayerwalking is usually a low-profile affair. Delegation members walk through their own neighborhoods, schools or work places, praying as they go. As we put our feet to our prayers, we are beginning to learn to pray beyond our personal concerns, focusing prayer on behalf of others. We begin to see people and Creation as God might view them. We find ourselves becoming more interested in the welfare of those we are praying for: prayer begins to focus on the external, away from the egocentric.

As we prayerwalk:

We start with Ephesians 6, making sure our armor is donned.

We proclaim the Lordship of Christ.

We offer up praise and worship and remind God of His promises.

We articulate truths of the Word that apply to this particular situation.

We pray specifically for indigenous churches.

We pray that the servants of the Lord in our town would be strengthened.

We speak peace into the neighborhood we are walking through.

We pray for specific people we walk by and for specific homes.

We stop and pray for key buildings and places in our town.

We ask the Holy Spirit to silence the voice of the enemy.

We pray scripture, sing songs, praise God, and intercede for the people.

We claim souls for Christ.

We spend time worshipping and sealing prayer together as a group for there is great strength in numbers.

* * *

Please enter into the Lord’s battle by prayerwalking with your children in your own neighborhoods.

FIELD TRIP SCHEDULE

September * Cattus Island Park * Salt Marsh Ecosystems and Fish Printing

October * Argos Farm and Corn Maze

November * Island Beach State Park * Barrier Island Ecosystems

December * Lantier Tree Farm

January * Count Basie Theatre *

February * Monmouth Museum Wonder Wing * Ocean Life

March * Tuckerton Seaport Museum * Village and Lighthouse Tour

April * Jenkinson’s Aquarium

May * Jakes Branch Park * Pineland Ecosystems and Tower Climb

June * End of Year Celebration

MUSIC RECITATION

Lord, I Lift Your Name on High

By Rick Founds

Lord, I lift Your name on high;

Lord, I love to sing your praises;

I’m so glad You’re in my life;

I’m so glad You came to save us.

You came from heaven to earth;

To show the way,

From the earth to the cross,

My debt to pay,

From the cross to the grave,

From the grave to the sky;

Lord, I lift Your name on high!

God Bless America

By Irving Berlin

God bless America, land that I love,

stand beside her, and guide her

through the night with a light from above.

From the mountains to the prairies

to the oceans white with foam,

God bless America, my home sweet home,

God bless America, my home sweet home.

“Away in a Manger” by William Kirkpatrick

“Silent Night, Holy Night” by Joseph Mohr and Franz Gruber

“Our God is an Awesome God” by Rich Mullins

POETRY RECITATION

All Things Bright and Beautiful

By Cecil F. Alexander

All things bright and beautiful,

All creatures great and small,

All things wise and wonderful,

The Lord God made them all.

Each little flower that opens,

Each little bird that sings,

He made their glowing colors,

He made their tiny wings.

The cold wind in the winter,

The pleasant summer sun,

The ripe fruits in the garden,

He made them everyone.

He gave us eyes to see them,

And lips that we might tell,

How great is God Almighty,

Who has made all things well.

* * * * * * BIBLE RECITATION * * * * * *

Psalm 100

A Psalm of Thanksgiving

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!

Serve the LORD with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 23

A Psalm of David

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures;

He leads me besides still waters.

He restores my soul;

He leads me in the path of righteousness for His namesake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley

of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil;

For You are with me; Your rod and

Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence

of my enemies; You anoint my head

with oil; my cup runs over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Psalm 23

Matthew 6:9-13

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy Name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done.

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

But deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

and the power, and the glory,

for ever and ever.

Amen.