Sacred Heart Villa, A ministry of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

The curriculum provides the children with a variety of learning activities that are developmentally age appropriate. SHV stresses socialization as well as academic learning. The curriculum has a balance of structured and unstructured tasks with both teacher-directed/facilitated and child-initiated activities. The program focuses on all areas of development: spiritual, social, emotional, cognitive, and physical.

Our Nursery and Preschool programs incorporate thematic teaching, HighReach Learning, or a combination of these methods. Thematic teaching involves a theme that is planned by the teacher and or students. The curriculum is built around this theme and activities are planned to enhance the particular thme. HighReach is a developmental program based on the whole-child philosphy. HighReach and thematic teaching address the following areas: language, literacy, mathematics, science, creative arts, cultural diversity, social/emotional approaches to learning, and physcial health.

The Kindergarten curriculum builds on the readiness skills formed furing the earlier years. This curriculum follows the state/archdiocesan guidelines.

Assessment is conducted on a regular basis, both with the group and individually with each child. Teachers use a Developmental Milestones checklist as well as a developmental portfolio for each child. Pre-K students are screened in the spring with the American Guidance Service Early Screening Profiles (ESP) to assess students' abilities in cognitive/ language development, gross and fine motor skills, and, articulation and behavior. The Brigance Screening assessment is given to Kindergarten students.

Curriculum Enrichment

Teachers supplement the program with:

a variety of activities and experiences, both indoors and outdoors
weekly music class
prayer services and all-school presentations
St. Louis Public Library loan program

The whole curriculum offers opportunities for fun and consistent learning.

Nursery 1
Goals

to stimulate intellectual growth and imaginative play
to recognize colors and shapes
to develop social interaction skills
to develop language skills
to strengthen fine motor skills and gross motor skills
to introduce children to problem solving
to introduce basic math concepts

Activities and lessons

morning meeting
messy play/art exploration
use of manipulatives
puzzles
center exploration
music
exercise
science
sensory play

Nursery 2
Goals

to develop fine motor and gross motor skills
to enhance an awareness of the world as seen through colors, shapes, numbers and values
to stimulate creativity and foster a positive self-image in each child
to procide time for center exploration
to encourage development of higher-order thinking skills
to model respect for each other and learning how to share
to promote phonological awareness through songs, rhymes and alliteration
to recognize colors, shapes, and number recognition 1-10
to rote count and demonstrate one to one correspondence
to develop sequencing, sorting, and graphing skills
to develop problem solving

Activities and lessons

teacher-directed games with the group; students learn how to take turns
a new color, shape, value, and number are learned and practiced
the teacher reads more than 50 books a month to the class; the teacher directs questions and discussion to encourage a love for reading
songs about the alphabet and the related phonemic sounds they make
religious and seasonal songs are also included
body movement and simple games with movement
30 minutes of free play with direction and guidelines-- outdoors or inside
instilling in the children the awareness of God being near them
reinforcing children's respect for themselves and others

Pre-Kindergarten 1
Goals

to build school readiness skills/preparation for kindergarten
to introduce the alphabet
to increase social interaction and learning how to be friends
to reinforce color, shape, and number recogntion 1-12.
to provide time for center exploration and play

Activities and lessons

outdoor play on the playground
indoor play or group games
fine motor activites
music and movement opportunities
seasonal activities
group time and story time
art exploration
block play
introduction to math concepts

Pre-Kindergarten 2

Goals

to combine phonemic and whole-language techniques
to offer more detailed cross-curricular activities
to enhance basic social, school skills that the students will need for Kindergarten
to encourage the development of the whole child through integrated, hands-on activities and projects that make learning meaningful
to allow children to explore and experiment with the world at their level of development
to enhance creativity in thought and action
to encourage problem-solving and higher order thinking skills
to strengthen the child's sense of self
to encourage personal responsibility
to introduce cultural awareness

Activities and lessons

calendar
story time (read-aloud, silent, books on tape)
seasonal activities
following directions
block play
centers for Math, Language Arts, dramatic play, library/reading, art, large & small manipulative play, computers
phone number/address
circle time for communication & social skills
music activities
gross/fine motor activities
science activities
multicultural studies

Kindergarten

Reading

to emphasize the development of listening skills, speaking, focusing attention, organizing information and vocabulary
to recognize capital and lowercase letters out of alphabetical order
to learn the sounds of short vowels and consonant letters, and identify words beginning and ending with consonants
to practice in identifying literary language skills such as rhymes and repetition
to differentiate individual letters, words and sentences
to read with understanding

Math

to introduce the principles of sorting, classifying and working with shapes and patterns
to compare and order shapes by size, height, and length
to learn principles of graphing, identifying patterns and problem solving
to introduce measuring, reading time (hour and half hour), counting money (pennies, nickels and dimes)
to reinforce and practice numeral writing and concept of 1 to 100
to introduce addition and subtraction stories; recorded by the students
to introduce sharing (dividing) fair shares of objects
to practice counting by 1s, 2s, 5s and 10s

Language Arts

to learn how to speak in complete and clear sentences
to practice expressing ideas well and telling stories in a logical order
to communicate ideas by writing stories in a book

Social Studies

to develop students' awareness of self, family and community
to study different places where people live in a community & world
to develop an awareness of U.S. history

Science

to develop an appreciation of nature and all of God's creation
to encourage the development of the students' natural curiosity of the world around them
to introduce life, physical, earth, and environmental sciences

Art

* to developan appreciation for color, design, texture, and creative expression

Penmanship

to form letters & numbers correctly
to trace lines and copy lines
to copy work accurately

Physical Education

to develop physical activity and gross motor skills
to practice running, skipping, hopping, galloping, jumping rope, walking a balance beam
to practice ball-handling skills such as throwing, catching and dribbling

Fine Motor Skills

to practice throughout the day
to experience coloring, gluing, cutting and folding; clay & paint
to work on zipping, snapping, buttoning and shoe tying

Personal and Social Development

to knowf full name, address, phone number and birthday
to practice observing rules, care for materials and property
to practice and show self-control, respect for authority, and develop self-confidence

Social Skills

to listen, follow directions, and rules
to respect others and their property
to control anger

Work Habits

to follow directions
to develop adequate attention span
to work quietly, neatly, and independently
to clean up after work and play
to complete tasks on time
to listen to directions & follow them correctly

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd

The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, our religious education program, is based on the belief that there is a deep bond between God and the child, which produces in the child the desire to draw near God. It is an intergral part of the Villa's religious education program.

The Catechesis provides an environment called an Atrium, in which certain biblical and liturgical themes suitable to the children's developmental needs are presented. The Atrium contains concrete materials, consistent with the themes that help children deepen their relationship with God. It is also a place where the child works; it is a particularly quiet environment in which the work easily becomes prayer and meditation.

Some atrium materials are:

a miniature altar and its furnishings
child-size vestments
a Baptismal font
maps of Israel
miniature environments that represent the elements of the biblical

stories and parables

Each child has an assigned day of the week to come in his/her small group to work in the Atrium. At that time the Catechist will make a short presentation that will "call forth" the child's response rather than "pour in" information. Next the children are given time to choose an activity that will make possible their inner conversation with God. Their time together concludes with prayer, scripture and song.

More program information: www.cgsusa.org