Nursery 1 | Nursery 2 | Pre-K 1 | Pre-K 2 | Kindergarten | Catechesis of the Good Shepherd

 HighReach serves as the basis for the Nursery and Pre -K 1 curriculum

Curriculum highlights:

• comprehensive
• resources are age-appropriate
• theme-integrated units of learning each month
• activity ideas and materials for teachers and students
• allows for flexibility
• provides a good balance with child exploration learning and teacher-facilitated strategies
• built-in parent communications component, called Family Letters, helps the teachers and parents keep in contact and promotes parent involvement
• program is reviewed and rewritten annually, incorporating the latest research in early childhood education
• see www.highreach.com for program information

Assessment is conducted on a regular basis, both with the group and individually with each child. The HighReach program provides books, games and other resources, such as puppets, picture cards, charts, that help teach concepts and evaluate progress. 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

• stimulation of intellectual growth, imaginative play
• color/shape recognition
• development of social interaction and building language skills
• problem solving skills

Activities and lessons

• art activities
• manipulatives
• reading
• journaling
• music
• exercise
• science
• sensory

Nursery 2
Goals

• developing fine and large motor skills
• enhancing an awareness of the world as seen through colors, shapes, numbers and values
• stimulating creativity and fostering self-image in each child and encouraging development of higher-order thinking skills
• fostering respect for each other and learning how to share
• phonological awareness songs, rhymes and alliteration
• colors, shapes, number recognition 1-10
• counting and one to one correspondence
• sequencing, predicting and graphing
• 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 class reads more than 50 books a month together; the teacher directs questions and discussion to encourage a love for reading
• songs about the alphabet and the phonic 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

• building school readiness
• exploration of the alphabet in alphabetical order
• preparation for kindergarten
• increased social interaction and learning how to be friends
• colors, shapes, number recognition 1-12

Activities and lessons

• outdoor play on the playground where the children ride tricycles, jump rope, play ball and/or climb on the equipment
• indoor play, play dough, games, computer or the use of a variety of manipulatives
• seasonal activities
• group time and story time

Pre-Kindergarten 2

Goals

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

Activities and lessons

• calendar
• story time (read-aloud, silent, books on tape)
• seasonal activities
• following directions
• 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

• emphasis on the development of listening skills, speaking, focusing attention, organizing information and vocabulary
• recognition of capital and lowercase letters out of alphabetical order
• learning the sounds of short vowels and consonant letters, and identifying words beginning and ending with consonants
• practice in identifying literary language skills such as rhymes and repetition
• differentiating individual letters, words and sentences
• read with understanding

Math

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

Language Arts

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

Social Studies

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

Science

• development of an appreciation of nature and all of God's creation
• encourages the development of the students' natural curiosity of the things around them in the areas of life; physical, earth and environment sciences

Music participation in singing

Art     develop an awareness of color, texture, pattern,design & imagination

Penmanship

• form letters & numbers correctly
• line awareness
• copy work accurately

Physical Education

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

Fine Motor Skills

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

Personal and Social Development

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

Social Skills

• listening, follow direction and rules
• respect others and their property
• control anger

Work Habits

• follow directions
• develope adequate attention span
• work quietly/neatly/independently
• clean up after work/play
• complete task on time
• 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.

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.

Here are a few of the materials in the Atrium:

• 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