Preschool

“A child must know that he is a miracle, that since the beginning of the world there hasn’t been, and until the end of the world there will not be, another child like him.”

Pablo Casals

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Preschool provides a nurturing faith-filled environment for our youngest learners. Since its inception in 1997, our preschool has cultivated an environment that nurtures the whole child.

Our PK-3 and PK-4 programs encourage independence and growth while developing social skills and engaging creativity. All programs offer a wide variety of experiences to engage children and prepare them to be successful, while providing a smooth transition to Kindergarten.

Our students are able to interact with various age groups and participate in many learning activities that inspire creativity and encourage growth in spiritual, academic, social and physical development.

A Typical Preschool Day

While we do provide a structured and consistent learning schedule, we also remain flexible enough to allow for spontaneous learning moments. As events in our day unfold naturally, we shift focus to include them in our curriculum.

The following is an outline of a typical preschool day with a full time teacher and full time class assistant:

Convenient, safe drop-off (7:00 a.m. - 7:45 a.m.).
School begins with the morning announcements (Star Spangled Banner, Morning prayer, Pledge of Allegiance, Recitement of OLOL Mission Statement and school announcements such as birthdays and activities.).
Circle time, alphabet, numbers, weather, calendar, show-and-tell, music and dance, arts and crafts, sharing time.
Outdoor/gross motor activity.
Nutritious snacks with story time.
Learning centers (these continually change and evolve to coincide with developmental stages).
Lunch Time in the classroom.
Indoor Activity.
School day ends with afternoon prayer and announcements.
Convenient, safe pick-up (2:45 p.m. -3:00 p.m.).

Curriculum

Religion

In Pre-K, students are introduced to the Catholic community’s life of faith in age appropriate ways. Students participate in daily prayer, weekly religion lessons, and practice making the sign of the cross correctly. They also attend weekly school masses. Students participate in school sponsored stewardship projects throughout the year.

Emergent Reading

Pre-K students are introduced to upper and lower case letters, which include: letter recognition, letter formation, letter sounds, and name and sight word recognition. Students participate in pre-reading strategies by listening and responding to stories. Language arts centers and games are used to facilitate learning.

Mathematics

Students are introduced to math skills through number recognition, counting, identifying shapes, making patterns, and one to one correspondence.

Handwriting

Pre-K students work on copying letters and numbers and writing their first and last name. Centers, games, and art projects assist Pre-K students in developing and strengthening muscle techniques required for handwriting and coloring.

Gross Motor Skills

Pre-K students enjoy daily indoor and outdoor activities that provide opportunities to improve gross motor skills. Students learn body awareness, balance, laterality, coordination of large muscle groups, and spatial orientation in order to make students aware of their bodies in relation to other objects and/or people.

Fine Motor Skills

Pre-K students work on fine motor skills through activities that develop and strengthen hand-eye coordination. Puzzles, pegboards, beads, art projects, and games are used to practice these skills, which are required for appropriate pencil grip and correct scissors handling.

Social & Emotional

Social and emotional skills are some of the most important skills to be learned in Pre-K. Some of these skills include: respect, listening, sharing, taking turns, transitioning, following directions, and making good choices. Being able to recognize and identify feelings in themselves and their fellow students is an integral part of the social curriculum.

SPECIAL AREAS

Enriching Minds, Inspiring Creativity and Developing Talent

In addition to the core curriculum, students at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School enjoy a variety of specialty
subjects designed to complement and enrich their overall academic experience.

SPANISH

All students receive weekly instruction in Spanish. The Spanish curriculum is implemented using age-appropriate activities in a creative, interesting and engaging classroom environment.

Students in grades K – 5th visit the Spanish classroom once per week and focus on the basic language skills of speaking, listening, comprehension, reading and writing.

Students in grades 6 - 8th receive Spanish instruction twice per week, further deepening their knowledge. Through hands-on activities, songs, games and projects, students acquire both linguistic skills and a greater cultural awareness.

ART

Education in the Visual Arts is important to the development of creative expression. Through the study of visual arts, students develop creativity and build self-confidence. Our visual arts curriculum provides students with aesthetic experiences and builds an understanding of and an appreciation for a variety of cultures.

Students in grades K - 8th meet weekly with our art teacher in the Art Suite. Students are instructed in Art history, drawing, painting, and sculpture work as well as a variety of other methods and media. They are encouraged to create their own works of beauty and individuality.

MUSIC

Music education is an essential component of a child’s education. Through music, students develop creativity, imagination and expression. The music curriculum introduces students to a broad cultural awareness and deeper appreciation of the arts while developing life-long skills.

Students in grades PK3 - 8th participate in weekly music classes in the Music Suite. Our focus is on developing young singing voices, learning music skills, appreciating music, and sharing musical gifts. Elementary students work on learning rhythm, reading notes and a mastery of repertoire of age-appropriate songs.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Our physical education program is designed to develop the necessary skills and experiences that benefit students physically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually. By fostering physical fitness, teamwork, and healthy lifestyle choices students establish a positive self-concept.

Elementary students in grades PreK3 - 8th enjoy physical education classes each week in our outdoor athletic facilities. Through fun, fitness and fair play, our students develop eye-hand coordination, basic strength, balance and agility. They learn the skills and rules related to a variety of sports. The elements of improving personal skill level, supporting teammates, respecting opponents and the quality of sportsmanship are stressed.