Preschool
Mission Statement
St. John the Evangelist Preschool is an educational ministry of St. John the Evangelist Church. Our mission is to provide a quality early childhood education grounded in Catholic principles and values such as trust, forgiveness, love, obedience, and thankfulness. In an accepting and nurturing environment, we focus on developmentally-appropriate learning to encourage the growth of the whole child. We strive to instill in each child a lifelong love of learning and a respect for each person and all creation as gifts from God.
St. John the Evangelist Preschool will accomplish this mission statement by:
- providing religious instruction in accordance with the Catholic diocese and school policies.
- helping children understand the world around them through discovery.
- encouraging students to share and practice fair and safe play.
- teaching developmentally-appropriate instruction in pre-reading academics, physical and motor development, and communication skills.
- providing a consistent and nurturing, age-appropriate program that gives every child opportunities to explore, create, and express themselves.
The SJE Early Childhood Path
Beginning in the 2022-2023 school year, we are simplifying our path to Kindergarten so all of the options for our families with little ones are a bit clearer.
Preschool Bumblebees: 2.5* - 3.5 years old (*and students must be fully potty-trained)
Preschool Butterflies: 3.5 - 4.5 years old
Transitional Kindergarten: Students turning 5 years old any time during the school year (NO
LONGER 5 BY JANUARY 1)
Kindergarten: Must be 5 by September 1
*For our summer birthdays, we will discuss the best placement and path for your child with you
on an individual basis. Each child is different! We want to work with you to make sure your child
is in the correct academic and social-emotional placement.
Staff
Maria Chagolla, Preschool Director And Teacher
Ms. Maria has close to 20 years of experience in Early Childhood Education, and she has been a Preschool Director for over 5 years. She enjoys interacting with children and watching them grow and flourish. Ms. Maria joined the SJE community in March 2016. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family and 3 children.
Sarah Castellon, Extension Teacher
Miss Sarah is an alumnus of SJE and joined the SJE faculty in 2013 as a preschool classroom aide. She was inspired to serve the families of our parish community and eventually found her “home” educating the little ones in mind and spirit. What she loves most about teaching the 2- and 3-year olds is that they are filled with wonder and understand Christ’s message to love God and to love each other!
Lesley Luppino, Preschool Teacher
Ms. Lesley has been assistant teaching in SJE’s preschool since Spring 2019. When she was blessed with four children of her own, she realized just how important these early years are in terms of relationships, social interactions, and exploring the world. It is her great joy to now accompany these children along their journey through early childhood.
Christie Horton, Principal of St. John The Evangelist School
Father Bernardin Mugabo, St. John The Evangelist Pastor
Dress Code
Children need to have clothing that allows them to move around freely. Each child will receive a St. John the Evangelist Preschool t-shirt when they register for school. The students may wear the preschool t-shirt with jeans, pants, shorts or skorts.
Children may also wear a white three button uniform shirt with navy blue or tan pants, shorts, jumpers, or skorts, similar to the St. John the Evangelist School uniform. These items can be purchased at Target, Wal-Mart, Children's Place, Old Navy, and many other retail stores. (Parents do not need to buy the SJE uniform sweatshirts or jackets from True Grits.)
There will be opportunities to buy uniforms at SJE uniform exchange days. We encourage children to wear aprons or smocks when doing messy activities, as preschool projects can get the clothes dirty.
Daily Schedule
8:00- 8:10 Drop Off
8:10-8:20 Greetings/Sign-In
Children learn appropriate conversation skills and the pre-kindergarten (4's) students sign their own name every day. Also, all students find their photo and place it on our attendance board.
8:20-9:00 Choice Time
Activities such as molding play dough and coloring develop fine motor skills.
Imaginative play with the playhouse, dramatic play area and office area inspires creativity, interpersonal skills and linguistics. Children also learn how to interact with their peers and work with everyday objects.
Building with blocks and train sets promote problem solving and develops mechanical and three dimensional perspectives. Flipping through picture books in the library promotes literacy, letter recognition, and encourages early reading. Puzzles, table games, and manipulatives develop many parts of the brain. Children develop classification, sorting, organizing, math, and spatial skills. Sensory table activities promote exploration, textural awareness, motor skills, scientific thinking, and many other cognitive skills needed for learning. Art and craft projects teach children how to follow directions, express themselves, and learn fine motor skills.
9:05-9:10 Clean-Up
Clean-up time teaches responsibility, team work, motor skills, and listening skills.
9:10-9:30 Circle/Calendar
During this time we sing and do finger plays that promote literacy, spatial skills, and coordination. We also focus on math, counting, weather, calendar, and the Bible story of the week. Children learn spatial awareness, listening skills, patience, taking turns, and raising their hand to speak.
9:30-9:40 Bathroom Break
Although the children can use the restroom when needed, this designated time is given for using the bathroom.
9:40- 10:00 Outside Play
Outside play develops gross motor skills, fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and social skills. Basic movements and skills such as running, riding a tricycle, riding a scooter, climbing, jumping roping, swinging, and balancing are just a few things they practice during outside play.
10:00-10:30 Snack Time
Eating together teaches about food groups, manners, social skills, fine motor skills, independence, and making healthy choices. We wash our hands before snack. We also pray every day and recognize our snack friend and our parent helper at this time.
10:30-11:00 First Group Time
Group time curriculum covers a range of skills needed to enter kindergarten, such as beginning reading, writing, and math. Fine motor skills such as cutting are developed, and team work, socialization, and problem solving are enhanced. In particular, we spend time learning letter sounds, music and movement, and weekly cooking. Fine motor skills, cooperation, math and science skills, and cognitive growth are improved during cooking.
11:00-11:15 Second Group Time
11:15-11:30 Second Outside Play
11:30- 11:45 Literacy Time
Our weekly literacy schedule includes story and comprehension activities, letter writing, writing in our journals, and share time. Language development, letter recognition, writing, and listening skills are main focuses for this time of the day. We focus on one book per week that fits into our theme and one book based on the letter of the week. We read aloud daily before pick up to encourage a love of reading and to teach about a variety of topics.
11:45-11:55 Sharing And Book Baskets
One child shares something from home using the Sharing backpack. Then the children in each sharing group read quietly from the theme books in the basket.
11:55-12:00 Dismissal And Clean-Up
Supplies
Please have your child bring the following items to school on the first day:
- Box of crayons
- One box of washable markers
- One pack of glue sticks
- Liquid soap or dish soap
- One bottle of liquid glue
- 2 pocket folder for the cubby
Other supplies that are welcome but not required:
- Reams of copier paper
- Masking or scotch tape
- Clorox wipes
- Facial tissues/ baby wipes
- Stickers or items for the treasure box
- Food for the turtles
- Baby Wipes
Tuition Rates
Tuition rates for 2022-2023 are as follows:
Preschool Monthly preschool tuition rates for 8am-12pm:
| Days | Monthly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| 2 days per week (Tues/Thurs) | $350/month | $3200/year |
| 3 days per week (Mon, Wed, Fri) | $400/month | $3700/year |
| 4 or more days per week (Mon – Fri) |
$500/month | $4700/year |
A non-refundable registration fee of $250 is due at the time of registration.
Preschool Extended Care Rates:
Preschool Extension is offered from 7:00am-8:00am and 12:00-6:00pm.
| Days | Morning care (7AM-8AM) | Afternoon (12PM-3PM) | Afternoon (12PM-6PM) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 days per week | $50/month | $150/month | $170/month |
| 3 days per week | $100/month | $200/month | $210/month |
| 4 or more days per week |
$150/month | $250/month | $270/month |
If using afternoon care AND morning care, morning fees are automatically reduced to $50/month. Drop-in Extension is $10/hour.
