John F. Kennedy

Catholic School

Preschool Program

Parent’s Guide

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Table of Contents Welcome .....................................................................................................................3

Preschool Supply List ..................................................................................................................................................................................4

Dress Code ................................................................................................................................................................................................................4

Personal Items ......................................................................................................................................................................................................4

Snacks ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5

Birthdays ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5

Cafeteria/Lunch ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 5

Cafeteria Rules ............................................................................................................................ 5

Recess ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 6

Communication .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 6 Communication Folder ................................................................................................................ 6

Parent Teacher Conferences ............................................................................................................................................................. 7

Illness ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 7

Closings and Delays ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 8

Preschool Separation ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 8 Preventing Separation Anxiety in Preschoolers ............................................................................ 8

Clearances ............................................................................................................................................................................................................... 9

Fundraisers .............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 9

Safety ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 10

Tuition ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 10

Late Arrivals ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 10

Early Dismissals ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 10

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What We Do In Preschool ....................................................................................................................................................................... 11 Religion ..................................................................................................................................... 11

The Letter People ...................................................................................................................... 11

Circle Time ................................................................................................................................ 11

The Write Place ......................................................................................................................... 12

Dramatic Play ............................................................................................................................ 12

Books ........................................................................................................................................ 12

Blocks ........................................................................................................................................ 13

Table Toys ................................................................................................................................. 13

Art ............................................................................................................................................ 13

Music ........................................................................................................................................ 13

Science ...................................................................................................................................... 14

Math ......................................................................................................................................... 14

Extras ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................14

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Welcome

John F. Kennedy Catholic School

111 West Spruce Street

Washington, PA 15301

724-225-1680

Dear Parents,

Thank you for choosing JFK Preschool as your child’s first school experience. We are proud of our

program which is religious based education for early learners. We have been serving the Washington

County area for over fifty years. As part of the Immaculate Conception Parish community, JFK preschool is

dedicated to guiding your child through the most important years of learning. The emotional, social, and

physical development of young children has a direct effect on their overall development and on the adult

they will become.

Preschool is a big year! We’ve designed our program to help your child thrive. Our main goal is to ease

your child’s transition from their home environment to a more challenging and structural school

environment. Our preschool program includes:

• Independent, teacher-directed, and small-group activities that encourage investigation,

exploration, and discovery

• Building a strong foundation for your child’s physical, mental, emotional, and social development

• Learning approaches that adapt to each child and incorporate their strengths and interests

• Curriculum-building opportunities to solve problems and make decisions

• Safety, security, and cleanliness practices that meet or exceed all state, local, and national

guidelines

We have prepared this Parent Guide to help answer some of the questions you may have about our

preschool program. If you need additional information, please know you can always contact the school or

email the teachers.

Blessings,

JFK Preschool Teachers and Staff

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Preschool Supply List • 3 boxes of Crayola 8-count Large Crayons (not jumbo)

• Five-inch Blunt Tip Fiskar Scissors *left-handed scissors available

• Four large Elmer’s Glue Sticks

• Two rolls paper towels

• One box of Kleenex

• Backpack (large enough for a folder)

• One seasonal change of clothes in gallon Ziploc bag labeled with child’s name

• Cleaning supplies (spray cleaner, baby wipes, disinfectant wipes)

• Ziploc bags (any size)

• One watercolor paint set

• One ream copy paper

• $5.00 cash donations for the cost of cups and napkins during snack

• Rest mat, sleeping bag, or foam mat for all day students

Dress Code There is no dress code for the Preschool Program, but parents are encouraged to dress

their child in comfortable clothing.

Tennis shoes or rubber-soled shoes should be worn. Girls should not wear flip flops or

dress shoes that are slippery and may cause accidents.

Personal Items Please be sure to label all items brought into school such as

• Backpack

• Lunch Box (Name on outside)

• Water Bottle

• Clothing (coats, sweaters, jackets)

• Toys (sharing is a big part of the preschool experience so all personal toys are to

be shared)

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Snacks Due to PA state recommendations we are not permitted to have group snacks. Each

child must provide their own hand held snack (individual bags, bars, pretzels, gold fish,

etc.) These items must be non-perishable and non-refrigerated. We encourage

healthy snacks. Please no candy. You may provide a drink box or water bottle.

Party Food must be cleared with your child’s teacher and the party committee due to

classroom allergies.

Birthdays Due to PA state recommendations we will no longer be able to have birthday snacks

for the group. However, we can continue to celebrate your child’s birthday with a

birthday crown, treat bag, locker tag, and balloon provided by the teachers. Each child

will enjoy their individual snack. When it is your child’s birthday, they are permitted to

bring in a non-editable treat bag for each classmate.

Cafeteria/Lunch All day preschool students will be eating their lunch in the Middle School cafeteria at

11:45 am. Hot lunches will be available for purchase for $3.25 (milk included), or they

may bring their own lunch from home. Please place all lunch money in an envelope

with your child’s name, lunch choice, and “lunch money” clearly marked on the

outside. Children will spend 20 minutes in the cafeteria and 20 minutes at recess.

Please pack only what YOUR child can eat in the time given.

Cafeteria Rules

• Always walk in the cafeteria

• Remain seated unless disposing of trash

• Please do not share food due to allergies

• Always use your inside voice

• Do no take any leftover food from the cafeteria

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Recess We believe that playing is essential to learning and children need time to be physically

active. We will go outside for recess if the temperature is 32 degrees or above and dry.

Please dress for the weather.

Communication Throughout the year, we will communicate through notes, email, telephone calls,

newsletters, and Parent-Teacher conferences. We encourage you to contact us if you

have any questions, or concerns at any time.

Mrs. Kathy Gagich: kgagich@jfkcatholic.com

Mrs. Janice Woods: jwoods@jfkcatholic.com

Miss Anita DiPaolo: adipaolo@jfkcatholic.com

Mrs. Kimberly Stevenson: kstevenson@jfkcatholic.com

For more urgent matters you may call the school at

(724-225-1680). We will get back to you promptly.

Communication Folder

A folder will be supplied for your child. This folder we be used to update families on

school activities, inform and remind families of important dates and polices, and to

send home your child’s completed schoolwork.

Please review the contents of the folder daily, remove all papers, and return it to

school each day with your child.

Any note, envelope, form, fundraising information, etc. should be sent back to school

in your child’s folder. This folder provides a daily communication between the families

and the teachers. This is a valuable tool used in the JFK Preschool to communicate and

teach responsibility to our children.

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When submitting money or returning forms for classroom purposes please ensure to

include this information on the envelope:

• Your child’s first and last name

• Purpose and amount of money

• Teacher’s Name

Parent Teacher Conferences There will be two formal Parent-Teacher conferences. One will be scheduled for

January and the other will be scheduled in April. Please know that anytime you have a

concern you do not have to wait for a conference. We are always willing to meet with

you to discuss any issues your child may be experiencing.

Preschool progress reports will be issued at conferences.

Illness To safeguard the health of our classroom, your child should not come to school when

your child is ill.

Please follow these considerations:

• Keep your child home 24 hours after the break of a fever.

• If your child is sick during the night or before school, keep him/her home.

• If your child has an open cut, it must be covered with a bandage.

• If your child has a 100-degree temperature or higher they must be kept home.

• Please inform us if your child becomes ill with a contagious illness.

For your reference, a list of the most common communicable diseases are Chicken Pox,

Measles, German Measles, Mumps, Strep Throat, Scarlet Fever, Impetigo, and Pink

Eye.

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Closings and Delays JFK Catholic School uses the Option C Alert phone system to notify parents of any

school delays, cancelations, or early dismissals. You may also listen to local news

weather forecast to get updated information on school closings.

John F. Kennedy Catholic School will follow the Washington School District schedule.

In an event of a two-hour delay Preschool students will report to school at 9:55am.

• Full-day students will be dismissed at regular time (2:15pm).

• Half-Day students will be dismissed at 12:00pm.

Preschool Separation It’s the stuff broken hearts are made of. You, the parent of a preschooler dropping off

your little one with a pit in your stomach, knowing what’s coming next. Preschool

separation anxiety will not go on forever, but it sure feels like it at drop-off. The good

news is that there is an end in sight.

Preventing Separation Anxiety in Preschoolers

• Saying Goodbye: The simplest of steps, it’s also the hardest to do. Give your

child a hug and a kiss, tell your child you will be back soon and walk out the

door.

• Trust Your Child’s Teacher: Preschool teachers know kids. They have done this

before and have many methods in their bag of tricks to help calm your little one

down.

• Establish a Goodbye Routine: Preschoolers crave routine so come up with a

couple of things that you do each time you say goodbye. (secret handshake,

high-five, kiss on the cheek, etc.).

• Confront the Problem Head-On: Bribing your child to stay in school may work -

temporarily. Sneaking out may make you feel better, but the best way to cope

with preschool separation anxiety is to just deal with it. This is something you

and your child must work through the right way together.

• Enlist the Help of Home: Together, pick out something that your child can bring

to school with them that reminds them of home.

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• Don’t Show Your Anxiety: Don’t let your child know you are anxious about

leaving them. Smile and talk about how much fun your child is going to have

and once you are out the door, call a friend to vent and cry.

• Don’t Be Late for Pick-Up: It’s easy to lose track of time, but if you are late it

can cause your child even more anxiety.

Clearances All school volunteers, who are over the age of 18, must be cleared by the Diocese of Pittsburgh prior to any involvement in school activities. All school volunteers must complete the following steps:

• Safe Environment Database/PA State Police Clearance/Code of Pastoral Conduct/Child Protective Services Law (password: PROTECT)

• Child Abuse History Clearance

• FBI Clearance or Waiver

• Protecting God's Children Training

• Mandated Reporter Training

Information regarding clearances, the Safe Environment Database, and helpful links may be found at diopitt.org/school-volunteers

Fundraisers Fundraising is essential to the success of JFK. Preschool families are encouraged to participate in fundraising. Various fundraising opportunities are offered and include the Fall Gala, Football Pools, Night at the Races, Sarris Candy Holiday Sales, and many more! Information about individual fundraisers will be sent home with your child throughout the school year.

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Safety The safety of the students and staff of John F. Kennedy Catholic is paramount. All preschool students and preschool parents may enter/leave the Elementary Building thru the glass door by the playground for arrival/dismissal. All visitors must enter the Elementary Building (red brick) through the main entrance, located near the flag pool. Once entering the building, visitors are directed to the school office to register. All visitors are required to wear a visitor badge, which will be provided by the school office. Visitors must return to the office upon leaving to notify the office staff. All visitors are asked to leave through the main entrance.

Tuition JFK utilizes the FACTs tuition system to manage and collect tuition. Parents are required to enroll in FACTs and choose a tuition plan. Tuition must be paid and kept current. Parents are responsible for tuition and any fees associated with the plan selected (e.g., plan fee, credit card processing fee, late fee, etc.).

Late Arrivals Any student arriving after the late bell at 8:05 am is required to stop in the office upon arrival. At this point, this student is considered tardy and will be escorted to the classroom by a JFK Staff Member.

Early Dismissals If a student needs to leave school outside of normal dismissal times, please notify the student's teacher via email, Option C messaging, or a written note submitted in the student's folder with the time of the dismissal and the person to whom the student is being dismissed. If the dismissal is not known before the start of the school day, please call the office to notify the school of the change in schedule. Students will be called for the dismissal once the person, who is responsible, arrives.

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What We Do In Preschool

Religion

• Time to talk about God

• Bible based stories retold for age appropriate comprehension

• Prayers, songs, and art activities

• Reinforce kindness, caring, sharing, and treating others fairly

• All good things come from God

The Letter People

• Literacy based program based on 26-character puppets

• Each puppet represents a letter of the alphabet

• Teaches beginning readers how to “decode” or “sound out” the consonants

and vowels that form words

• Each letter puppet has a distinct characteristic to help children learn not only

the letter but the sound the letter represents in the written word

Circle Time

• A time when our students come together as a community of learners

• Sharing of thoughts

• Listening to one another

• Introducing new concepts and ideas

• Reading and singing together

• Building a sense of respect and support for one another

• Activities: Prayer, pledge, movement, calendar/day/month/year, counting,

weather/seasons, Letter People/introduction of this week’s letter, and

introduction of this week’s theme

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The Write Place

• Recognize the letter of the alphabet

• Learn to write letters

• Match upper and lower case

• Put words into sentences

• Understand uses for print

• Realize words read from left to right

• Dictate my own story and see it in print

Dramatic Play

• Enhance my creativity

• Improve social skills

• Expand my vocabulary and language skills

• Develop a greater understanding of myself and my world

• Develop problem solving skills

• Cooperate with peers

• Develop classification skills

• Improve hand-eye coordination

• Improve my fine motor skills

Books

• Develop a love for books

• Develop a love for the spoken language

• Expand my imagination and creativity

• Put stories in sequential order

• Expand my world

• Build my vocabulary

• Provide a foundation for reading and writing

• Learn to deal with life experiences

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Blocks

• Explore balance

• Experiments with weights and size relations

• Sort by size and shape

• Plan, organize, and carry out a task

• Explore cause and effect

• take turns and share

Table Toys

• cooperate with others to complete a task

• improve my fine motor skills

• practice number concepts

• develop pairing and matching skills

• sort according to size, color, and shape

• classify and sequence in logical ways

Art

• enhance my creativity

• express my individuality

• strengthen my fine motor skills

• refine my eye-hand coordination

• recognize colors and shapes

• explore differences in texture

Music

• explore differences in sound

• make sound with different instrument types

• experience rhythm, tone, and pitch

• improve my fine and gross motor coordination

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Science

• expand my knowledge base

• notice changes in my environment

• predict and reason

• explore my world

• use problem solving skills

• experiment

• explore different properties of matter

Math

• count, classify and sort objects

• recognize my numbers

• explore patterns

• explore big and small, tall and short

• identify shapes

• measure my world

• graphing and matching

Extras (See additional material on following pages)

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