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September 2024 Newsletter
October 2024 Newsletter

Early Childhood  Education Program

Saint Joseph School offers Pre-Kindergarten programming for ages two, three, and four.
Call (304) 267-6447 for more information.

Learning Objectives

Faith formation:

  • Introduce the sign of the cross
  • Daily morning prayer and at mealtimes
  • Reading Bible stories and singing songs about Jesus

Social & Emotional Learning:

  • Introduce sharing and taking turns
  • Encourage empathy, understanding the feelings of others
  • Learning how to express feelings and communicate needs appropriately
  • Helping in the classroom with weekly jobs

Language Development:

  • Recite alphabet
  • Introduce and practice manners
  • Understand that using words, not acting out, is the proper way to communicate
  • Listen to others
  • Expand vocabulary
  • Follow simple two-step directions

School-Readiness Skills:

  • Potty training
  • Self-help skills
  • Introduce how to clean up, and put toys away, and personal items in the cubby

Pre-Reading Skills:

  • Participate in story-time activities
  • Recognizing name
  • Introduce letters

Cognitive Skills:

  • Introduce numbers, colors, shapes
  • Hands-on science and cooking activities
  • Ask and answer questions
  • Introduce opposites
  • Introduce math concepts such as counting, sorting, one-to-one correspondence

Fine Motor Skills:

  • Use play dough to strengthen fingers
  • Painting with brush or fingers to gain control
  • Coloring with crayons
  • Using a glue stick
  • Use a fork or spoon while eating

Large Motor Skills:

  • Jumping, dancing and running on the playground
  • Gym time with instructor
  • Bounce, kick, throw and catch balls at recess and gym

Faith Formation:

  • Learning fundamental Catholic prayers and the sign of the cross
  • Daily morning prayer and at mealtimes
  • Weekly lessons based on stories from the Bible

Social & Emotional Learning:

  • Focus on sharing and taking turns
  • Learning to work in a group setting with small- and large-group activities
  • Making choices
  • Learning how to recognize and respect the thoughts and feelings of others
  • Following directions
  • Use words to express feelings, resolve conflicts and communicate needs
  • Helping in the classroom with weekly jobs

Language Development:

  • Following two-step directions
  • Using words to express feelings and solve problems
  • Introduce and practice manners

School-Readiness Skills:

  • Learning daily school routines
  • Practice putting on coats and shoes
  • Hanging up coats, backpacks and putting folders away
  • Eating snack/lunch independently and cleaning up afterward
  • Learning to take care of personal needs like washing hands and cleaning nose

Pre-Reading Skills:

  • Participate in story-time activities
  • Recognizing and writing name
  • Introduction to writing letters and letter sounds

Cognitive Skills:

  • Identifying basic numbers, colors and shapes
  • Hands-on science and cooking activities
  • Exploring math concepts: one-to-one correspondence, pattern recognition and counting
  • Learning opposites

Fine Motor Skills:

  • Use play dough to strengthen fingers
  • String beads
  • Painting with paintbrushes
  • Learn to hold pencils, crayons and markers with a proper grip
  • Begin using scissors

Large Motor Skills:

  • Jumping, dancing and running on the playground
  • Gym time with instructor
  • Parachute play
  • Bounce, kick, throw and catch balls at gym and recess

Faith Formation:

  • Learning fundamental Catholic prayers and the sign of the cross
  • Prayers at snack and lunchtimes
  • Daily prayer and religious activities
  • Relating Bible teachings to real life
  • Prepare students to attend weekly Mass with students in grades kindergarten through eight

Social & Emotional Learning:

  • Identifying emotions
  • Encourage empathy
  • Learning to work in a group setting with small- and large-group activities
  • Communicating wants and needs in an appropriate way
  • Using verbal communication and maintaining eye contact
  • Helping in the classroom with weekly jobs

Language Development:

  • Encourage questions and answers
  • Speaking in front of a group through show and tell, student of the week and special events
  • Practice using manners
  • Encourage social interaction and conversations
  • Singing songs

School-Readiness Skills:

  • Following directions
  • Understanding and completing classroom routines
  • Showing respect to teachers and other students by following directions when outside the classroom
  • Using listening skills to complete tasks
  • Take care of personal belongings
  • Eating snacks and lunch independently
  • Cleaning area after eating and playing

Pre-Reading Skills:

  • Identifying upper- and lowercase letters
  • Identifying letter sounds
  • Recognizing letter sounds and how they relate to words
  • Understanding text and its uses
  • Identifying parts of a story
  • Sequencing events in a story
  • Identifying and creating rhyming words

Cognitive Skills:

  • Identifying numbers 1-100
  • Identifying same and opposites
  • Drawing conclusions
  • Hands-on science and cooking activities
  • Exploring math concepts: estimating, comparing shapes and sizes, creating and identifying patterns, and counting to 100

Fine Motor Skills:

  • Hold pencils, crayons and markers with a proper grip
  • Uses scissors to cut straight, jagged and curved lines
  • Use play dough to strengthen fingers
  • Using buttons, zippers and snaps

Large Motor Skills:

  • Jumping, dancing and running on the playground
  • Jumping on both feet and one foot at a time
  • Gym time with instructor
  • Parachute play
  • Bounce, kick, throw and catch balls at gym and recess
  • Using hula hoops
A young boy smiles while sitting at a table with a donut decorated like a spider using an Oreo and icing in front of him. Other children and classroom furniture are visible in the background.
A teacher helps a young girl wearing headphones play a small drum with drumsticks while other children watch in a colorful classroom.
A young girl stands outside on a playground, holding a bubble wand and blowing bubbles. She wears a light blue shirt, white pants, and pink shoes, with playground equipment and other children in the background.
A young boy stands outdoors near a playground, blowing bubbles from a green bubble wand. He is wearing a blue shirt with cartoon characters on it. The playground equipment and green grass are visible in the background.
Three children in a classroom explore a large bin filled with colorful buttons. One child stands holding the bin while two others reach in, with shelves of craft supplies visible in the background.
A group of young children excitedly gather around a table, watching a science experiment where colorful foam erupts from a bottle set in a green tray. The classroom is bright and decorated with educational materials.
A group of young children gathers around a table, watching a foaming science experiment with excitement. The experiment is set up in a green tray at the center of the table in a classroom.
Three young children excitedly watch a science experiment as colorful foam erupts from a bottle in a green tray, spreading pink and blue swirls on the table.
A teacher and young children gather around a table as a boy touches a raw egg on a plate, with another cracked egg nearby. The classroom is colorful with shelves of toys and learning materials in the background.
A teacher and three young girls gather around a table in a classroom, examining an egg on a white plate. The table has placemats with letters and numbers, and shelves of colorful toys are in the background.
Pre-Kindergarten Handbook Supplement
Pre-K Summer Information and Schedule
A group of young children sitting in a circle on a colorful carpet, all stretching their bare feet toward the center, smiling and looking up at the camera.

Frequently Asked Questions

Children must be 6 weeks to 12 months to enroll in our infant class.
Children must be 13 months to 23 months to enroll in our toddler class.
Children must be 2 years old to enroll in Little Crusaders.
Children must be 3 years old by July 1 to enroll in Pre-K Jr.
Children must be 4 years old by July 1 to enroll in Pre-Kindergarten.
All children enrolled in Pre K- Jr. and Pre-Kindergarten must be fully potty trained.

For Infants/Toddlers, our student-teacher ratio is 4:1.
For Little Crusaders, our student-teacher ratio is 6:1.
For Prek-Jr., our student-teacher ratio is 8:1.
For Pre-Kindergarten, our student-teacher ratio is 9:1.

Lunch is included in preschool tuition for Toddlers through Pre-Kindergarten classes. All of our
preschoolers eat family-style with teachers and classmates.
We offer a healthy morning snack every day for Toddlers through Pre-Kindergarten classes.
We ask that you provide an afternoon snack.

We offer a part-time option for Little Crusaders and Pre-K Jr. classrooms.
You may choose five half-days with pickup at noon or three full days.
Our pre-kindergarten program is full-time only to prepare children for kindergarten.

Little Crusaders and PreK-Jr. are offered gym and music.
Pre-Kindergarten are offered gym, music, art, and STEM.

We follow Berkeley County Schools closings for inclement weather unless they delay for frigid
temperatures.
You will be notified by text and email if we are closed or have a two-hour delay.
In the event of a two-hour delay, our before-school care will open at 9 a.m. and our school day
will start at 9:55 a.m.

Up-to-date immunizations
Records from most recent well-child visit
Two copies of emergency forms with original signatures

Infant Supply List

Toddlers & Little Crusaders Supply List

Pre-K Jr Supply List

Pre-Kindergarten Supply List

We offer care before school, starting at 7 a.m.
Drop-off is from 7:55 to 8:10 a.m.
All students must be signed in and out by an adult.

2023-2024 Pre-Kindergarten Handbook

Faculty & Staff

A woman with wavy brown hair smiles at the camera. She is wearing a colorful floral-patterned top and a black cardigan, with a blue and gray gradient background behind her.

Abby Hjort-Michel

Pre-K Director
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Nancy Goss

Administrative Assistant
A woman with long, straight blonde hair is smiling at the camera. She is wearing a blue shirt and a yellow cardigan, with a light blue and gray background behind her.

Jennifer Sowers

Toddler Teacher
A woman with wavy brown hair and glasses smiles at the camera. She is wearing a dark top with a light cardigan and a necklace. The background is a blue-gray gradient.

Rebekah Reimer

Toddler Aide
A woman with long brown hair, glasses, and a light pink top smiles softly at the camera against a blue and gray background.

Vanessa Mercado

Toddler Teacher
A woman with long brown hair, wearing a green sweater over a light blue shirt, smiles at the camera in front of a gray studio background.

Giselle Munoz

Toddler Aide
A woman with short blonde hair, wearing black glasses and a light beige ribbed top, smiles in front of a blue-gray background.

Dana Curtis

Toddler Aide
Smiling woman with long dark hair wearing a denim jacket over a purple top, posing in front of a light blue background.

Janelle O’Meara

Little Crusaders Teacher
A woman with long light brown hair, wearing a purple floral top, smiles at the camera in front of a blue-gray background.

Amanda Marquez-Johnson

Little Crusaders Aide
A woman with long, wavy blonde hair wearing a floral top, black cardigan, and a gold necklace with a cross pendant, posing in front of a blue and gray studio background.

Deborah Mancilla

Little Crusaders Teacher
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Skyler Wilson

Little Crusaders Aide
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Melissa Guenther

PK Jr. Teacher
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Inna McCarron

PK Jr. Aide
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Jeannette Sharp

PK Jr. Teacher
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Russel Beach

PK Jr. Aide
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Liz Buscema

PK4 Teacher
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Michelle Beale

PK4 Aide
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Becky Mulvihill

PK4 Teacher
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Debbie McAboy

PK4 Aide
Mery Pisfil Garcia

Mery Pisfil Garcia

PK Specialist
A young woman with glasses and brown hair pulled back, wearing a light gray knitted sweater and a delicate necklace, smiles in front of a blue and gray cloudy background.

Sarah Kaltenbaugh

2nd Grade Aide