Overview
St. Peter Prince of the Apostle’s full day program continues the physical, cognitive, spiritual, social and emotional development that began in pre-kindergarten with an emphasis on academics.
Goal and Objectives
St Peter’s encourages each student to achieve to the best of his/her potential in the following areas:
_ Cognitive
_ Emotional
_ Social
_ Physical
_ Spiritual
Reading
_ Identify and distinguish letters and sounds
_ Identify likenesses and differences
_ Identify facts from a story
_ Comprehend oral stories
_ Link letter to sounds
_ Recognize some sight words
Math
Concepts include sorting and classifying, patterns and movement, matching and counting, numbers to twenty, shapes and parts of shapes. This program places a strong emphasis on the use of manipulatives so the students can learn to:
_ Identify position and use classifying skills
_ Recognize and match patterns
_ Show one-to-one correspondence
_ Identify likeness and difference in size, quantity and capacity
_ Identify beginning numbers
Handwriting and Fine Motor Skills
The Open Court method is introduced in Kindergarten with emphasis placed on correct letter formation. Students will be able to:
_ Hold a pencil correctly
_ Use scissors
_ Color and paint
Science/Social Studies
Students are introduced to the physical and social world around them. A wide variety of audiovisual materials, books, cooking experiences, art projects and field trips are used to enhance learning. Sample topics include the following:
« Senses
« Apples
« Pumpkins/Harvest
« Birds
« Polar animals and their habitats
« Dinosaurs
« Seeds/Plants
« Insects
« Simple Science Experiments
« Starting School
« Meeting Families
« Let’s Explore
« Special Days
« Growing and changing
« Living and non-living
« The sky
« The earth
« Learning about animals
« Weather and seasons
Where we live
« Family & friends
Our World
« Land & water (ocean life, earth & environment)
« Insects, animals & spiders (dinosaurs, farm life & bugs)
Americans celebrate
« Holidays & seasons
Learning Activities
Learning activities include one-on-one teaching and small and large group instruction. Classes include instruction, discussion, seatwork, board work, special projects, and small group work at learning centers. Classroom collections of books are used for reference and enjoyment. Individual author studies are encouraged. Audiovisual materials, field trips, cooking and guest speakers enhance class activities.
FAITH
The kindergarten program gradually introduces children to the simple truths of faith in the Apostle’s Creed at their level of experience and understanding. The program recognizes that young children possess the gift of faith implanted in them at Baptism and therefore, have an innate readiness for things of God. It engages them in experiences that prepare them for his message and help them respond to it in their lives. The program helps the students see what they experience in everyday life and religion as an integrated whole. It also initiates them in Catholic traditions.
PRAYER
In the kindergarten program, the children take part in a variety of prayer experiences to help them respond to God in ways that best express themselves. Some of these are simple vocal prayer, spontaneous prayer, dance prayer, psalm responses with gestures, prayer of the heart, and celebrations. The children are introduced in a meaningful way to some of the prayers that are part of Catholic heritage and the worship of the Church such as The Sign of the Cross, Hail Mary, and Our Father. They learn to appreciate silence and become attentive to God.
LITURGICAL LIFE
The Kindergarten program initiates the children in the liturgy through:
Exchanging greetings
† Using symbols, gestures and rituals
† Listening and responding to others
† Asking and receiving forgiveness
† Expressing gratitude
† Using silence to enter within themselves
MORALITY
† Appreciate God’s goodness and personal love for them
† Sense that important people in their lives love them
† Realize there are goof and bad choices
† Know they are responsible for their decisions
† Understand choosing what God wants is good and brings them happiness
† Respect all people and all forms of life
† Value God’s world and care for it
† Desire to share with those in need
Specials:
LIBRARY/MEDIA SKILLS
Overview
Library/media skills are taught to all students from Pre-K through eighth grade with the goal they will become life-long readers with the ability to enter any library equipped with the knowledge to locate and use all available resources.
Objectives:
_ Library Orientation - students will learn library procedures
_ Browsing and book checkout
_ Location of materials and other resources
_ Proper care for all materials and return policy
_ Be courteous and exhibit good conduct
_ Utilization of resources - students will learn to identify materials
_ Alphabetical order-fiction materials are arranged by the first three letters of the author’s last
name
_ Locate periodicals in ABC order by title
_ Determine how books are classified and where they will be shelved
_ Research and Study Skills
_ Identify parts of a book
_ Use reference tools such as an atlas, dictionary, etc.
_ Special activities
Our library has weekly activities to include all students. The librarian reads to all classes and uses book talks to interest students in checking out books for class assignments such as book reports, summaries or research projects. Materials are made available in the library to support classroom curriculum and teaches may request library use at any time.
Authors are invited to our school to share their time and talent and are welcomed by all students and faculty with great enthusiasm.
Spanish:
Students develop cultural awareness of Mexican/Latin traditional events and holidays.
In the class students will learn:
· Greetings-using simple vocabulary words
· Number development-1-10
· Colors
· Body parts
· Animals
Music:
Students develop their intellect and refine their emotions, understanding the cultural and creative nature of musical artistry and making connections among music, the other arts, technology, and other aspects of social life. Through creative performance, students apply the expressive technical skills of music and critical thinking skills to evaluate multiple forms of problem solving (as per Texas state TEKS music introduction).
Students will:
· Learn and sing songs that are coordinated with the season, themes, liturgical year and different multicultural artistry
· Students will use rhythm instruments that will coordinate with songs
· Taught how to keep time, rhythm and tempo
Physical Education:
Overview:
In this physical education class students will gain knowledge in several different sports. We will also be learning rules, skills and technique of these games. The overall objective of the physical education courses at both the primary and middle school level is to teach activities, which will form the basis for a lifetime of physical fitness.
Instructional Content:
~ Be able to apply physical education to life
~ Be able to demonstrate knowledge and skills, which better enable participation in group and team sports
~ Assess physical fitness levels and participate in activities that improve fitness, wellness, and cardiovascular capacity
~ Be able to demonstrate knowledge and skills, which will better enable participation in individual and dual sports and recreational activities.