Transitional Kindergarten

 

The SJND TK class meets Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The class has one teacher and two full-time aides.

Our philosophy is that young children need to be socially ready to participate in a classroom setting in order to learn. Young children vary in learning styles and come to us at different stages of development. We feel it is our responsibility, as educators, to recognize these stages and provide children with an enriching environment. It is also our responsibility to provide them with the skills needed to work with others and express themselves in a safe and fun Catholic environment.

In order to prepare them for a classroom setting, the students will participate in cooperative play, practice self-control by sitting quietly and attentively at circle time, and develop fine motor coordination. We will introduce Handwriting Without Tears, a developmental handwriting program geared to taking away the frustration of handwriting for young children. We will also integrate Zoo Phonics, which emphasizes phonics for reading. The Seeds program will instruct the children following the weekly Gospel. We will use manipulatives for counting and basic math; will work on gross motor skills through art and play; will look at science through the seasons, plant life, living creatures and the weather; and will use art to work on fine and gross motor development and self-expression. We will also integrate social studies by learning about the different members of our community and how we fit into our community.

Children enrolled in the TK program will have priority seating into Kindergarten.